Stress Relief Strategies for Salespeople

There’s no denying that sales can be a very stressful job. Trying to hit targets, bring in new clients, deliver presentations and pitches – these tasks can contribute to salespeople feeling anxious, stressed and mentally drained.

Our Ethical Sales Academy is all about training and support for the whole person, which is why we chose to invite two well-being experts to teach us a range of stress relief strategies for salespeople. 

Chelle Parker is a yoga teacher and Katie Long a creative arts psychotherapist. Alongside our Founder, Corinne Thomas, they shared powerful stress relief practices that can be done at home or at our desks, from breathwork to emotional freedom technique (also known as ‘tapping’).

Read on to discover how these techniques can lower your stress, increase your energy levels and boost your overall wellbeing – and perhaps even contribute to a healthier immune system!

What is stress and how does it affect us?

The World Health Organisation’s definition of stress is a good starting point to explore what stress is and how it affects us.

“Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way we respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to our overall well-being.”

Stress is part of being human and is there to keep us safe, but in today’s fast-paced life there are a lot more ways we get stressed, and over time it can build up and overload us. This in turn can affect us physically (headaches, sleep disturbances, digestive issues) or emotionally (anxiety, brain fog, depression).

It’s therefore crucial to have stress relief strategies in your arsenal so you’ve got something to use when stress levels start to build.

What is EFT and how can it help salespeople?

EFT stands for emotional free technique, aka tapping. It’s about working with the energy pathways in the body, which are called meridians. While meridians have been used for years in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, studies have now discovered evidence to scientifically support the locations of meridians across the body and the efficacy of therapies that utilise them.

As opposed to acupuncture needles, EFT uses the fingertips to tap on these meridians to bring relief from a range of issues, including stress, anxiety, emotional issues and sleep disturbance. It’s completely free, can be done anywhere, and can have an immediate effect on how you feel.

Imagine the nervous system as three layers. In the middle is the optimal zone, where you’re feeling calm and in control. Above this is hyper-arousal, where you feel anxious, angry and experience excessive/fight or flight response. Below is hypo-arousal, where you experience the freeze response, feel flat and lack energy. If you’re in hypo- or hyper-arousal, tapping can help bring you back to the optimal zone.When it comes to stress relief, tapping can be extremely effective. This is again backed up by science: brain scans show that people tapping can cause the amygdala to calm and lower cortisol levels, as well lowering heart rate and blood pressure. It also encourages you to tune into your body, which is the first step in coming back to calm.

Three simple EFT techniques to try today

When in hyper-arousal (feeling anxious and angry)

Firmly tap under the eyes on the top of the cheekbones, then below the collarbones, then at the bottom of the breastbone, and finally on the last bone at the bottom of your ribcage. Pause, then take a deep breath in and out. Tune in to how your body feels now.

When you’re feeling physically tense

Bring up your hand and tap on the side just under your little finger. As you do, say, “even though I feel physical tension, I am learning to completely love and accept myself”’. Then tap through various points down the body – the top of the head, the inside of the eyebrow (one or both), the outer eyebrow, the tops of cheekbones, below the nose above the top lip, below the mouth, below the collarbone, under the arms, and finally the bone at the bottom of the ribcage. Keep saying the affirmation as you tap each point. Take a big deep breath in and out, and maybe give yourself a shake. Tune in to how your body feels now.

How cold water therapy can help relieve sales stress

Our Founder Corinne Thomas is a massive fan of cold water swimming and can regularly be found taking a dip off the Scottish coast. 

Some of the benefits of cold water swimming include:

• Being outdoors: swimming in the sea, a lake or a river allows you to experience nature and access all the physical and mental boosts that humans get from being outside
• Community: cold water swimming is often a shared experience with other humans, which is a massive mood and well-being booster.
• Mindfulness: cold water swimming forces you to be in the moment, as the temperature drop takes you out of your head and you can’t concentrate on anything else.
• Endorphin hit: being in the cold water creates a rush of endorphins – neurotransmitters that relieve pain and boost your mood.
• Regulation: after a cold water swim, many people feel more emotionally stable and able to deal with challenges.
•  Fun! Cold water swimming brings back the playful approach to water that we experience as children.
  
  There’s also evidence that cold water swimming can boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and muscle soreness, and stimulate blood flow, although more research is needed.

If you’d like to try cold water swimming, Corinne offers the following tips:

•  Find a local group to go swimming with, as it’s easier with other like-minded and enthusiastic individuals.
•  No local group? You’ve probably got a friend who loves it, so tag onto their next swim.
• There are lots of community saunas popping up next to lakes and beaches, so this can be a good way to experience the cold and then immediately get warm!
•  If you don’t have access to open water, a cold shower has the same benefits. Start with 30 seconds, then build up to 2-3 minutes.

Breathwork techniques for salespeople

Breathwork is a simple but extremely effective way to change your physical or mental state using your breath. It does this by helping to activate the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems – the former energises your body and the latter regulates stress and promotes relaxation. 

Breathwork can change our energy, our management of our day-to-day life and how we process things, helping us move through life with more awareness. Just like tapping, it’s completely free, can be taken with you anywhere and easily done at any time.

For each breathwork practice, you can also set an intention – something you’d like to invite into your mind and body such as calmness, energy or joy. Hold that space of intention in your mind while you try the exercises below.

Four breathwork exercises to try today

An introductory breathwork practice for salespeople

Sit cross-legged and drop your hands on your lap. If you want to ground yourself, put your palms down to connect to the earth. If you want to invite energy in, then spin your palms to face up with the backs resting on your knees. Close your eyes or soften the gaze. Take a sweep through your body and be aware of where there’s pain or tension. Then take a sweep through your mental landscape to see where your energy is and what you’re thinking of. Don’t judge or push to change, just notice.

Take a deep breath in as if you’re breathing to the base of your spine. Use the breath to expand your stomach and rib cage, breathing up to your collarbones. Pause there, then let the breath out slowly until you’re empty. Repeat this three times.

A breathwork exercise to energise your body

Breathing through your nose throughout, put one hand on your heart space and one on your stomach. Breathe into your stomach hand, pause, breathe into your heart hand, then exhale. Repeat as many times as you need. Notice any changes to how you feel.

This activates the sympathetic nervous system, which is great for energising your body and getting you going.

A breathwork exercise to relieve stress in your sales role

Box breathing is great for balancing your body and relieving stress. The pattern is to breathe in for count of three, hold for three, breathe out for three, then hold for three. You can then increase this to a count of four. Repeat as many times as you want. Then empty your body of breath. When you start to feel the hunger to breathe, take a big recovery breath that fills the belly. Pause at the top, then gently empty the breath out of your nose. Notice how you’re feeling.

A breathwork exercise to regulate the body

This exercise comes from breathwork practitioner Stuart Sandeman and activates the  parasympathetic nervous system to regulate the body. Simply breathe in for four, hold for four, then breathe out for eight. Repeat as many times as needed.

While we can’t always take the stress out of sales, these simple practices can help you navigate your profession with more calmness, mindfulness and energy. Do let us know if you try any of them, and what results you get. We’d especially love to see photos of any cold water swimming!

Want more tips and strategies to help you navigate today’s fast-paced sales landscape?

Join us in the Ethical Sales Academy and you’ll get invitations to monthly masterclasses, access to our library of templates, tools and guides, exclusive insights from sales professionals, and networking with like-minded salespeople. Even better, you can try the Academy for free for 30 days – sign up now for your free 30-day trial.

Still feeling stressed at work? For further guidance on mental health in sales check out our blog on workplace burnout and how to foster resilience.