2 Easy Tips To Incorporate Self Care As An Entrepreneur
In today’s culture, we tend to glamorize “team no sleep” and being “workaholics” because we are building our empire and creating generational wealth, not realizing that this is extremely unhealthy. This type of behavior is common among entrepreneurs, and results in burnout, stress, health problems and a poor mental health.
To that I say, we gotta stop that!
Imagine getting home from a long and stressful day of working and running errands, then feeling burnt out with little to no energy to cook or shower and struggle to go to sleep because you have a million things running through your mind.
Even with a busy schedule, self care should be a priority. This in turn will make you feel less on edge, have more energy, and stay worry-free at night. Getting 7+ hours of sleep and feeling well rested the next day is very important and one of the first steps to self-care that is most overlooked.
Sounds good, yet impossible, right?
It is possible, especially if you are an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs get one thing that most people don’t get, and that’s the luxury of creating their own schedule and making time for what they want to make time for.
Self care is key to maintain healthy relationships with yourselves and others, including your customers, and it boosts confidence in not only yourself, but also your business. Avoiding self care affects productivity. It also leads to anxiety, depression, insomnia and even heart problems.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but how did Madam CJ Walker die? Hypertension! I mean yea she secured millions, but she didn’t secure self care and it led her to having those heart problems. Imagine if she had a therapist or accountability partner to keep her in check with self care, things would be different, in my opinion.
Self care isn’t a random concept that you just do whenever you have time after fulfilling your duties which could extend into days, weeks or months. Self care is anything you do to take care of yourself so you can stay physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and spiritually well. It’s an essential component to human nature that should be intentionally done.
To help you become more intentional with your self care, I encourage you to do these two things:
Find an accountability partner
We hold ourselves accountable for work, reaching goals, content creation, marketing, etc. but we tend to neglect holding ourselves accountable for self-care. We need someone else to do it and say, “hey sis, you’re slipping on your self care” or send us a morning reminder “hey girl, don’t forget to find some quiet time around 12 today”. This can make a huge difference in our routine instead of trying to remember everything else yourself.
This could be your mother, sister, business bestie, friend, anyone who genuinely cares about you. If you prefer not to rely on someone, rely on Alexa, she gets it right every time! You could say “Alexa, remind me to have a mirror dance party at 5” and she’ll say, “okay got it” and she’ll even play the music for you! With that being said, having an accountability partner is easy and there is no excuse why you shouldn’t have one.
2. Write it in your planner
If you can plan to go to work at a certain time, or plan to go on dates, then you can plan to have time for yourself. If it is scheduled in, it will be much easier for you to do! Consider it as a mandatory maintenance for your health, just like your car when you get a “check engine light”.
For example, I like to plan out my week (and outfits) every Sunday, which includes a few hours of work, time for my dog, meetings, etc., and when I do this, I make sure I integrate my self care into my plans for the week. This includes an hour of meditation, journaling, a mindful walk, and other things that I can easily do in my daily schedule.
With that being said, having an accountability partner and a planner, this will help you become more intentional and accountable for securing yourself, not just the bag.
Self care will take you from merely existing to living blessed life. No need to have a successful business and thousands in the bank if your personal needs are empty,