Being stressed and overly busy are things that many people know well. As a solopreneur, we are vulnerable to stress and overwhelm because there are so many balls to keep in the air. If you run your business correctly, it is do-able to have a profitable business and an enjoyable life.
Part of running your business is taking care of yourself. When you ARE the business, you have to care for your most important asset – YOU. If you aren’t in top form, how will you serve others?
To give you some self-care ideas, I have a guest post from Tandy Elisala, Founder and CEO at The Center for Inspiring Greatness. This woman knows how to get things done and how to practice self-care. Check out the bio at the end to see what I’m talking about.
Here’s the article:
Self-Care. We know we should be good to ourselves and spend time taking care of ourselves. Sometimes we’re good about it and other times…not so much. Stress can have a serious impact on our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.
“Harmony is the inner cadence of contentment we feel when the melody of life is in tune. When somehow we’re able to strike the right chord – to balance the expectations of our families and our responsibilities in the world on the one hand with our inner need for spiritual growth and personal expressions on the other…Usually, when the distractions of daily life deplete our energy, the first thing we eliminate is the thing we need the most: quiet, reflective time. Time to dream, time to think, time to contemplate what’s working and what’s not, so that we can make changes for the better… Learn how to pause.”
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
I don’t know about you but when I am super, over the top busy is when I need to exercise the most self-care. It’s also the time when I tend to fall out of these habits. It’s the worst thing we can possibly do! It’s almost like the busier we get, the more stressed we get and the less time we take for ourselves. I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of this from time to time. The truth is… If you aren’t taking care of yourself, there will be nothing left for anyone else.
Taking even five minutes a day on a self-care ritual will help your overall well-being. Here is a list of 40 simple self-care tips in no particular order:
1. Get enough sleep – 7-9 hours of sleep a night is what most people need.
2. Take deep breaths throughout the day.
3. Spend time with someone you love.
4. Spend time with a friend.
5. Take a walk.
6. Prioritize your day either each morning or each evening for the next day.
7. Read a book or watch a movie…preferably a funny one!
8. ASK for help.
9. Exercise.
10. Listen to music! Music is a universal language:-)
11. Take a vacation.
12. Reduce time on the computer and/or TV…and don’t eat while watching TV.
13. Eat slowly and with family.
14. Take up a hobby.
15. Review your goals.
16. Have a gratitude practice. Say, write or affirm three things you are thankful for each day.
17. Enjoy a bubble bath.
18. Enjoy nature. If you can’t spend time outdoors, open your doors or windows to feel the outside…unless it’s snowing or dreadful weather…then stay inside:-)
19. Meditate
20. Pray
21. Write, say, or silently affirm affirmations. Focus on all things positive.
22. Paint your nails
23. Get a massage or give yourself a foot or hand massage.
24. Get reflexology.
25. Get a hair cut.
26. Pet a furry animal (if you have a cat or dog, that’s perfect).
27. Make and keep doctors appointments.
28. Cook your favorite (healthy) foods.
29. Play card games.
30. Give yourself a facial.
31. Take a class.
32. Go see a local comedy show.
33. Take a nap.
34. Write a letter to a friend or hand write thank you notes. Yes, I said hand write.
35. Find a way to pay it forward.
36. Eat right.
37. Drink enough water.
38. Have an ‘evidence of success’ jar and put something in this jar DAILY that you are thankful for, something that went right that day or something you learned. At the end of each month (or wait until the end of the year), you can read all your notes and really feel blessed!
39. Attend a church service that speaks to your soul.
40. Set time aside to do all of your errands and block the time and get ‘er done. You’ll feel better knowing everything is done in one afternoon (for most types of errands anyhow).
There are countless ways and variations to exercise self-care. Making sure you have a self-care practice in place is key to maintaining balance…particularly when things get hurried in life.
Tandy Elisala
