Leading a life as an entrepreneur can be an exciting and fast paced adventure that leads you down a road lined with opportunities. At times, all entrepreneurs can get so wrapped up in their work that they forget to take care of themselves. This can lead to health problems, stress, and a loss in personal and family relationships.
How can entrepreneurs manage the busy day-to-day activities while still making time for self care? Here are 6 ways I’ve found to be successful and efficient at finding that balance.
- Develop a Self-Care Routine
You’ve heard the everybody under the sun preach the same tenets on health and nutrition. While this information may sound like a broken record, it is the best way to care for your body long term. Think of this plan as an overview with three branches: Nutrition, Exercise, and Sleep. These categories form the trifecta of health–capable of keeping your body free of constant illnesses, stress, and debilitating diseases.
Once you’ve mapped out your branches with strategies for each, begin slowly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your self-care routine. By taking time to adopt good habits, you’ll be more likely to keep them.
- Learn to Enjoy Whole Foods
The largest battle most people have with nutrition is learning to like the foods that keep our bodies the healthiest. There’s no easy way to quick fix to begin liking dark, leafy greens. Your solution? Introduce the food into your diet weekly. While you may grimace at the sight of a kale salad now, after a month of weekly greens, you’ll be more likely to tolerate it–and in time–even enjoy it!
- Value Your Sleep
This tenet plagues many entrepreneurs. While you may find that there’s not enough hours in the day, you’ll be setting yourself on a dead-end road if you begin to sacrifice your sleep to additional hours of work. Strive for a consistent sleep pattern. You’ll be amazed at how much better–and more energetic–you’ll feel once you develop this habit.
- Keep Friday Nights (Or Saturdays) Open
Entrepreneurs with families can attest to the challenges that can arise when balancing work with quality family time. Do you loved ones a favor and keep your calendar free one evening each week. Dedicate this time solely to your loved ones or friends.
- Look Towards the Future
Stress has a habit of creeping up on us when we’re feeling overloaded with work. Often times, if our future looks bleak or there aren’t many fun events planned, this stress can feel twice its weight. Strive to attend or even plan events throughout the year. You’ll be able to look forward to these evenings or weekends where you’ll relax with friends, laugh, and enjoy the time off that you deserve.
- Practice Letting Things Go
The worst way to manage stress is to let it hang over you like a cloud. For those who suffer from anxiety, stress can feel even stronger–when meetings or projects don’t pan out correctly. Instead of letting this stress build a wall around your aura, release it! Be in charge of the way you feel, and soon, you’ll be able to let stress escape faster.