Did you say ‘Yes, I’m a stressed accountant!’?
You’re not alone. Accountants are reporting huge amounts of stress and emotional overload right now.
A recent study led by the UK’s Chartered Accountants Benevolent Association (CABA), surveyed 2,000 accounting professionals working across multiple sectors in the UK. The study revealed that the average accountant experiences stress for almost a third of their entire working day. Of those, 46% had not sought help, believing their stress would fade away on its own.
Unfortunately, if left unmanaged, acute stress can develop into unhealthy chronic stress. That’s why proactively addressing the root causes of your stress is essential.
I know from my thirty-five-year accounting career that sustained; excessive pressure is a common stressor accountants face. Of course, we all experience pressure, every day, from the multiple demands we face. However, there’s a difference between pressure and excessive pressure. Pressure helps you perform better, and get things done but, when the pressure builds to an unmanageable level and pushes you beyond your personal ‘tipping point’ you experience stress. And ongoing excessive pressure leads to chronic stress and potential burnout.
What’s the solution?
Most people experiencing stress opt for trying to relieve the symptoms. However, this only provides short-term relief and requires ongoing attention and energy. Sometimes the coping activities people engage in, such as excessive drinking, comfort eating, recreational drugs, self-harm result in even higher stress!
The better solution is to address the root cause of your stress because once you’ve addressed the root cause you’re free to focus on performing at your best and advancing your career. Your overall health improves too.
To address the root cause, you need an understanding of how your inbuilt survival system creates stress and anxiety, together with a set of skills that enable you to manage the system so you can eliminate unnecessary anxiety and chronic stress from your life.
This is what I help accountants do through my StressLess4Life program. Through this personalised coaching program, I help people avoid chronic stress and burnout so they can focus on building an enjoyable, healthy, long and successful career.
I was a stressed accountant
As a chartered accountant, I know how stressful a job accounting can be. Throughout my career, there were times, too many to recall, when I was the victim of chronic stress to the detriment of my well-being. Then one day, over a decade ago, having just recovered from yet another painful period in the ‘black hole of stress’ I decided I would never go through that experience again. I set out to learn all I could about stress, and its evil twin, anxiety. I didn’t realise I was taking the first steps towards a new career as a stress management specialist!
I found it difficult to admit to myself, let alone anyone else, that I was struggling
During the many periods I experienced stress and anxiety, I found it difficult to admit to myself, let alone anyone else, that I was struggling. At work, I was concerned about the impact on my career of admitting I wasn’t resilient enough to cope with the demands of the job. So, I soldiered on whilst my work and private lives suffered, not to mention my health. With the benefit of hindsight, I know now that just acknowledging that I was feeling stressed would have been the first step on the path that leads to a simpler, less stressful life.
Develop the ability to avoid chronic stress and burnout
My StressLess4Life program incorporates all that I’ve learned about overcoming stress and anxiety over the last decade. Through this personalised coaching program, I help you develop the ability to avoid chronic stress and burnout so you can focus on building a healthy, long, and successful career. One that you love and enjoy.
If you are feeling stressed, seek support
If you answered, ‘Yes’ to the question I posed at the beginning of this article: ‘Are you a stressed accountant?’ I encourage you to act now and seek support. The best thing you can do if you are struggling is to reach out and talk to someone who understands stress and anxiety and how to manage them.
In New Zealand, the Chartered Accountants in Australia and New Zealand provide its members with resources and information they may need to maintain good mental health. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/35TNHRY
In the UK, the Chartered Accountants Benevolent Association (CABA) supports members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales who are experiencing stress, anxiety and depression. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3jey6iQ
If you are a stressed accountant and you’d like to find out more about my personalised StressLess4Life coaching program, simply drop me a line tony@tycoaching.nz with your questions or your contact details. I work with people across New Zealand and around the world.
Stay safe, stay well
Tony
I help accountants develop the ability to avoid chronic stress and burnout so they can focus on building an enjoyable, healthy, long and successful career.
