As a business owner, you often work eight to 10 hours daily and that can often include working on weekends. With all the hustle of taking care of our businesses, sometimes we forget to indulge in a daily self-care routine.
Ironically, most entrepreneurs have to be reminded of self-care because of a load of work on their tables.
It’s hard to justify downtime with so much responsibility on your plate, but self-care is necessary if you’re going to avoid burnout and keep your business running. While vacations and long weekends are an excellent way to recharge, your everyday habits have the biggest impact on your well-being.
Self-care is a term that has been traditionally used in health care to describe self-initiated actions to stay healthy, prevent disease, and manage long-term illnesses. It encompasses basic physical human needs like sleep, food, and water and emotional needs like social interaction.
Taking care of yourself means taking care of your business. It’s a form of maintenance, the same as maintaining your home or your car only for your mind, body, and soul.
Below are some tips that can help you practice self-care out of your busy schedules;
- Set boundaries: your space is not for everyone. You cannot do it all and it is okay to say “no.” Boundaries are not to keep others out, they are to keep you at peace. You can only support your loved ones and friends when you have the energy to do so. Know your limits and consider your time and energy as sacred because they are.
2. Break up your routine: Work and daily life can become monotonous especially when you’re working from home. We’re creatures of habit and routine, but it can revitalize us to break up the grind with short bursts of peaceful things. Take a walk on your break, do some Meridian stretches to balance your energy channels, take a different way home, or try delivery from a new restaurant or grocery store to help support other small business owners.
3. Minimize stress through exercise: “Exercise” is a scary word. But you don’t need to spend tons of money on gym fees, or hours on the treadmill to reap the benefits. The average adult should get about 150 minutes of exercise per week. It sounds like a lot when you’re already tapped out, but break it up into small 10-20 minute chunks throughout your workweek. Take your dog for a walk, around the block, or even do lunges on your way to and from the bathroom.
4. Sleep: Staying up late working may help you get things done today, but it only tanks your productivity tomorrow. For consistent energy throughout the workweek, good sleep is essential. Make sure you’re stepping away from work for seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Stop using electronics 30 minutes before bed to avoid disrupting your sleep with blue light. Keep in mind that it’s not just the quantity of sleep that matters, but quality, too. If you’re waking up feeling groggy or achy, it’s a sign you’re not getting quality sleep. While there are a number of factors that lead to poor sleep, aging or uncomfortable mattress is commonly the culprit. If you’ve owned your mattress for more than seven years or your mattress aggravates pressure points, it’s time to upgrade.
5. Chat with a friend: Loneliness can take a psychological toll, and even contribute to physical health problems. Human interaction may not be automatically built into your day the way it was at your salary job. You may never see your customers or vendors face-to-face, and your social life may have suffered from your 24/7 business responsibilities.
6. Create Positive Affirmations: self-care tip might sound cheesy, but it actually does work. Positive affirmations are messages you give to yourself to help motivate you throughout the day. Post words of encouragement throughout your workspace to remind yourself why you choose the life of a Boss. These affirmations will help ward off any negative thoughts that might be decreasing your productivity. The more you implement this into your daily self-care routine, the better it works. Battling negative thoughts can be tough to overcome by yourself.
Running a business is hard work. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Give yourself the gift of more time, energy, and peace of mind by letting a team of industry professionals takes care of customer service for you.
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