Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

When you own a business, it can feel like you are in a never-ending cycle of waking, working, sleeping and little else. Seeing photos on Facebook and Instagram of entrepreneurs that have cracked some secret code and are working on the beach sipping coconut water… And yet, your reality seems a far cry from that? While no doubt there are plenty of people who have made that work for them, it isn’t the typical case. But you still need to look after yourself.

Stress can have a significant impact on your performance, and that will lead to a knock on effect and impact your business too.

Move

Sounds simple enough but when you run your own business, the chances are you are pretty stationary for most of your day. Unless you have a standing desk or one with a treadmill attached you’re probably not moving as much as you should. So, aim to get a daily walk of between 30 minutes to one hour in the morning before you start work for the day. Take the stairs instead of the lift, and perhaps even a bike. While you do your emails, you can cycle too. Don’t be tempting to be on your phone while walking, you might end up in a serious accident and need to look into a hit and run investigation.

Meditate

Yes, the big buzzword in self-care. But, only because it has been proven time and again to be fantastic for tackle stress levels, depression and helps you focus in other areas. If you haven’t ever meditated before, then you should start with something guided. The Headspace app has a range of free options and begins with a quick three minutes to help you get used to meditation. The calm app has a variety of options and various guided meditations to tackle work issues. In general, you should look to fit in at least ten minutes a day.

Disconnect

It is tempting to use your phone and computer on your downtime, but the chances are you will drift into working. Your brain naturally associates your work station, computer, and the phone you use for business calls – for business. Making time to disconnect from those is essential. Constant notifications, calls, emails, pings, rings, and blue light just isn’t great for us. Turn your phone notifications off, leave your computer off and read, write or walk. It is tempting always to stay available and networking, but the same business opportunities will be there in the morning, or on Monday.

Sleep

Oh, what a surprise that sleep in on a self-care list. Well, sleep is of course obviously, but quality sleep to the point of real rest and recharge is something else entirely. Dr. Steve Orma states that when we try to sleep, we are likely to sleep less. By focusing on trying to drift off, our brain stays awake to check if we have managed to go to sleep yet. So try to head to bed when you are tired, and not until. When you are in your room try not to do anything too exciting like watching telly or scroll Facebook. Instead, just lay down, take a few deep breaths and relax. It is often helpful to listen to calming music, rain or sleep stories.

Self-care isn’t all about bathing in bubbles and drinking some tasty fizz, it can be about small changes to improve our stress and sleep.

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