I believe that one of the key parts of realising any business idea – is looking after yourself. That is why I am passionate about self-care for entrepreneurs and highly driven people. Because I believe putting yourself first is one of the keys to success.
Self-care, and the lack thereof is one of the most common traps that entrepreneurs fall into. Neglecting to take care of themselves, in favour of taking care of business. It’s a ubiquitous problem. Entrepreneurs put everything they have into work and forget about themselves in the process. They don’t get enough sleep and work insane hours. Then they can’t stop eating, because they’re working all the time…and the problem compounds. In the end, people burn out.
That’s why self-care is so important. To preserve your energy, retain your focus and maintain a sense of wellbeing both mentally and physically. Having a self-care routine ensures that you have a full tank of gas when you start the engine, rather than running on empty.
I especially feel it’s important in our current climate, where it seems like we are being challenged from every angle. And not just professionally. As entrepreneurs our businesses are our lives, so the effects of these things really ripples out to our personal lives as a result. Making sure you are taking care of yourself will benefit not just your business, but your personal life, your social life and your home life. So here are my 3 keys to self-care…
1. Look after You
The essence of self-care is prioritise yourself. Make sure you are eating well. Really well. And make sure you’re getting enough sleep. You need to rest. You need to re-energise. That’s normal. In my experience, it completely changes the decisions you make and the energy that you bring to work. At the end of the day, people work with people. And if you look disheveled and are a bit all over the place, people will feel that and it will impact how you come across. On the flip side, if you are rested and are eating well, you’ll be more yourself, and people will be drawn to that. When you are yourself, your charisma comes across and that energy is hard not to be attracted to.
2. Take Space
There’s a lot to be gained by taking space for yourself. It’s very easy to go through a whole day unconsciously. Reacting over and over throughout the day, without checking in. Everything is so fast in today’s world and things are changing at a rate that we have never seen before. It can wear us out. And it takes a lot of brainpower to process the stream of stimuli we receive from not just technology but the everyday world. So take yourself away from any distraction away from things like music, TV, and other people and give yourself time to catch up with yourself. Meditation is great for this. You can give yourself even 30 minutes of space but buy yourself a couple of hours of time as a result. Because you work in a much more thought out and grounded way, from a rooted place where you can make one solid decision instead of multiple ones with only one foot in the game. This also goes back to my previous post about taking time to take stock as well.
3. Talk
Humans are social beings. We are hardwired to connect. That’s why I think it’s so important to talk. Sometimes the people closest to us like our partner or friends can be the hardest to talk to. That’s not uncommon. Talking is a simple exercise but when you’re carrying negativity or stress on your own, it’s a heavyweight, so getting those things ‘off your chest’ is important. Talking to someone at work who can relate, or even having an interaction about something with someone you meet coincidentally can bring great relief and connection. It doesn’t matter who it is. It can be a therapist or counsellor. But I think it’s important that it’s somebody who doesn’t have bias – somebody who doesn’t have a ‘want’ for you. For example a family member might just want you to be safe, and try to navigate you around any challenges rather than through them. Whereas somebody without that ‘want’ is going to just hear you out, and ideally, point you in the direction of what you want to go. This part is integral, I think. You want to be able to talk to someone who is going to help you, essentially.
Times are tough right now for entrepreneurs, so it’s more important than ever that we take the time we deserve to care of ourselves. If we don’t, it will only come back to bite us in the long run.
I hope this has brought you some value. Having read this, I’d love to hear what you think and what your own forms of self-care are? Feel free to mail me if you’d like to share…