When You Ignore the Warning Lights: A Lesson in Stress for Car Wash Owners

A few years back, after a day of snowboarding at my favorite resort,I got in my car to drive home and noticed that my check-engine light was on. My car still started, so I figured it was fine and reasoned there wasn’t much I could do up in the mountains without cell service anyways.

So, I ignored the light and began my 45-minute drive home. As I made my way down the narrow, winding canyon road, my battery light came on. But again, I reasoned that the best thing I could do was keep driving and I could deal with it later. I proceeded to do nothing, turned up my music, and kept driving down the road.

Well, with about 10minutes left in my drive, I started to get a little worried. My dashboard looked like a Christmas tree with 3 more indicator lights turning on, bringing the total to 5. And then my radio and lights shut off. At this point, I was sweating and hoping I would at least make it into cell service.

Just as I came out of the canyon,I heard the engine shut off and my car slowly crawled to a halt as I coasted it over to the shoulder. It was completely dead and required a tow truck straight to the mechanic.

This was a valuable lesson in what happens when we ignore important warning signals and this is not unlike how we handle stress in our lives.Our bodies have “indicator lights” or warning signs that let us know when we need to take a break to deal with stress.These warning signs could be:

• Trouble sleeping

• Changes in eating (over eating or under eating)

• Irritability

• Muscle tension (tight jaw, tight shoulders etc.)

• Loss of motivation

• Brain fog & difficulty concentrating

• Fatigue

• Feeling anxious or worried

• Getting sick

But too often, we ignore these warning signs with excuses of “There isn’t anything I can do” or “I don’t have time to deal with that right now” or “It’s fine, it will go away.” But the reality is that it won’t go away. Unmanaged stress will eventually rear its ugly head in some form or fashion, leaving you worse off than you would be if you just took the time to manage the stress in the first place.

There are countless sources of stress as a car wash owner-underperforming managers and employees, increasing competition, training employees, increasing costs, cash flow, equipment failure and the list goes on.

So, what can you do to manage your stress? Here are some ideas:

• Spend time with family or friends

• Exercise

• Get out in nature

• Write in a journal

• Go on a walk

• Play or listen to music

• Watch a movie

• Talk to a friend

• Read a book

• Cook a favorite meal

There are endless ways to manage stress, the important thing is finding something that works for you and that you can do consistently.

Here are my 3 tips for making stress management a priority:

1. Treat stress management like an important appointment you wouldn’t miss; otherwise, it is the first thing to fall by the wayside with a busy schedule.

2. Be consistent: a little bit every day helps build a habit.

3. Keep managing your stress—even when you feel fine. This is where a lot of people slip. As soon as things feel better, they stop the habits that got them there, thinking, “I’m good now—I don’t need this anymore.” In reality, that’s proof it’s working. Those routines are what keep your stress in check, so staying consistent is what prevents it from building back up again.

So, here is your challenge: start small and commit to just 10 minutes a day of intentionally managing your stress, or what I like to call “chill time.” If you don’t make the time to chill, your body, like my car did, will shut down and force you to pay attention to the warning signals it’s been desperately trying to send you. You will have poor physical and mental health, lower productivity, and you could have long-term health consequences if your stress is severe and chronic enough. It is your responsibility to make stress management a priority so you can show up at your best for your business, your employees, your loved ones, and yourself.