Why self care for entrepreneurs is absolutely necessary
Dear fellow entrepreneur,
NEWSFLASH: you're not immune to needing self care.
How do I know? I was someone who didn't put any stock into self care. The thought process went something like: I'll relax when I've made it. However, what I didn't realize was two-fold:
- As an entrepreneur you'll never feel like you've "made it" because most of us are always looking ahead to the next step/thing to do/mission to accomplish. So as it turns out, you'll never find time to "relax."
- The second thing that I didn't realize was that failure to practice self care actually slowed down my progress.
The key to self care is to make it a routine, just like anything else you want to master and do well. It requires work, it's not about being lazy – it's about finding some time in your day for you to reflect and take time for yourself. Practicing self care isn't as easy as you would think. There's times where I'd rather be working than practicing self care but each and every time I step away from work to do it, I come back feeling restored and in a much better headspace. It helps me be even more productive.
Now with your newfound knowledge, how can you practice self care in an effective way?
How to practice self care
Obviously everyone is different but here are some things I and people I know do to practice self care. Hopefully it will help get you going!
Yoga is something I discovered thanks to Mandy back in July 2020. It's changed me. I'm more in tune with my surroundings, I'm more grounded, and I see things a lot clearer.
Meditation is another really great choice, sitting with yourself, slowing down your mind and heart beat, just sitting with yourself, thinking. It's really powerful and can bring you a lot of clarity.
Swimming / Biking are two activities I've found to be extremely helpful to me for self care. For one, they're both great exercise! And secondly, I love being in the feel of the water in the pool and feeling the wind pushing up against my face as I speed down the street. But it can be literally any activity, such as going for a walk, run, or a surf as my friend and co-founder of the Florida Entrepreneurs club, Nicholas Mohnacky does. I also recently discovered my love for the beach and that's been a game changer.
Reading has become another go to for me for self care. In fact, I recently bought a course that taught me how to rethink the way I read. It's called Sprint Reading and I'd recommend checking it out (it's like $20 – totally worth it).
Watching what Mandy and I call "big brain content" has been enlightening to say the least. It really opens your mind, teaches you new ways of thinking, and you can gain new perspectives on life which in return can shape how you pursue your business ventures. If you're looking for a good place to start, check out Amazon Prime Video and Gaia.
These are just some of the potential outlets for you to utilize for self care. The world is your oyster!
If you've made it this far, I want you to take some time for yourself tonight. Even if it's just five or ten minutes for yoga or meditation. Even if you've never done yoga before just do what feels good to you, stretch your body and take some deep breaths.
Then tomorrow I want you to do it again with the goal to keep it going. You can do this. You need to do this. It will help you, I promise!
I'd love to hear how you practice self care, feel free to leave a comment!