Running your own school and managing stress often go hand in hand. While a certain amount of stress can motivate you to continually improve your program, unchecked stress can be detrimental to your health and the success of your school.

If you own a studio and teach martial arts, your professional life will be particularly challenging and stressful. Stress can manifest itself in many ways, including:

  1. Depression
  2. Loss of appetite
  3. Excessive sleep or insomnia
  4. Overeating or excessive drinking
  5. Irritability
  6. Mood swings
  7. Lack of interest in activities you usually enjoy
  8. Forgetfulness
  9. Indigestion
  10. Anxiety
  11. Lack of endurance
  12. High blood pressure
  13. Preoccupation
  14. Nervous twitching
  15. Chronic headaches
  16. Muscular tension, especially in the back and shoulders

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s crucial to address the root causes of your stress immediately. Not only is your health at risk, but so is the success of your school. Your staff, students, and their parents will notice if you are consistently cranky and lacking enthusiasm in your classes.

Identifying and Managing Stress

Bad stress often stems from feeling that we are not in control of important situations in our life. Family issues, financial problems, or juggling multiple responsibilities can leave us feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.

Steps to Manage Stress:

  1. Identify Stressors: Find a quiet spot to reflect on what is creating stress in your life. Create a detailed list of situations causing you the most stress.

  2. Analyze and Solve: Analyze each situation and brainstorm solutions. This helps you realize that you are in control, reducing stress considerably.

Example Scenario:

You might take on most of the work at your school because you struggle to delegate duties to your assistant instructors, leading to overwork and loss of enjoyment in your profession.

Possible Solutions:

  1. Cross-Train Staff: Train your staff to handle some responsibilities you currently manage.
  2. Hire Additional Staff: Bring in more help to share the workload.
  3. Delegate: Learn to delegate less important responsibilities to your assistant instructors and have them keep you informed about the status of these tasks.

Time Management:

Feeling overwhelmed by work often results from poor time management. Remedy this by creating a list of long-term goals and prioritizing them. Each morning, create a prioritized “to-do” list for the day. Ensure this list is realistic and allows for unexpected interruptions. As you complete each task, mark it off your list.

Benefits:

  1. Focus: Helps you concentrate on the most important tasks.
  2. Satisfaction: Provides a sense of accomplishment as you check off completed tasks.

By managing stress effectively, you can improve both your health and the success of your school.