Work-life balance – a popular topic amongst entrepreneurs that can be incredibly difficult to accomplish. 

But self-care for entrepreneurs seems impossible when you wake up early after spending hours and hours in front of the computer the day before. You drink too much coffee, forget about eating healthy and haven’t worked out in while…sound familiar?

As cliché as it may sound, in life, if you want to flourish, you have to nourish.

Nourishment isn’t just about eating healthy, exercising and getting enough sun. It’s also the way you care for yourself and how you take time out to replenish yourself so that you can be at your best.

Not only is self-care super important for our mood and psychological well-being, it also plays a really key role in our physical health. If we feel in a slump, feel anxious or depressed, or get physically sick, how can we possibly run a successful business?

Stress, anxiety and being overworked leads to burnout and exhaustion, and so to combat this, and run a successful and thriving business, it is crucial that we practice self-care.

The truth is that entrepreneurship brings a lot of benefits – you get to work in what you love, manage your own schedule, build your team, and find your passion. But it requires immense self-discipline + patience. A big part of the success of your business is that you are healthy in every way, so you can tackle all those goals you have set for yourself. 

Don’t know where to start? Let’s talk about 5 ways you can practice self-care as an entrepreneur: 

1 Cultivate Healthy Habits 

Taking care of yourself starts by cultivating healthy habits. Working out to manage your stress levels, eating healthy, meditating, and reading are some of the ways you can make sure you are balanced.

As easy as this sound we all know that adopting a new habit can be tricky. It’s about consistency and awareness. So how can you actually do this? When setting new habits try not to overwhelm yourself. Instead of making a long list that can be difficult to tackle, try choosing no more than six habits and focus on them until you fully incorporate them into your daily routine. 

2 Create a Schedule and Stick to It 

One of the benefits of being an entrepreneur is to manage your own schedule. But since you have all this freedom to manage your day, it can be easy to get lost if you don’t set the tasks you would like to accomplish.

Take some time each week to create a schedule and truly stick to it. Even if you have to make adjustments throughout your day or something comes up, you will still have a clear idea of what you need to do.

Find out what works for you by experimenting with different methods: digital or physical planner, weekly or monthly schedule, working on your schedule before the week starts or each day. This will help you stay on top of your game. 

3 Make Time for Yourself – Without Feeling Guilty 

When you are focused on working towards reaching your goals and find what you feel passionate about, it can be complicated to make time to also take care of yourself. But that’s the thing; you have to MAKE the time because you can’t just wait to have that free space.

Write down on your schedule the time you are going to take for yourself. Whether that’s to spend it with your family, taking a yoga class, going to a spa or even just staying home and watch movies.  

4 Get Out of your Comfort Zone

Being an entrepreneur can often means spending long days in front of the computer and having a specific routine. Getting out of your comfort zone is also important if you want to stay healthy.

It’s about challenging yourself and trying something different. Especially if you feel stuck, by just going out, socializing, attending an event, and network with other business owners can make a huge difference.

Think about ways you can do this. Even if they seem small, sometimes you just need to take the very first step.

5 Celebrate your Accomplishments

Take some time to look back at how much you’ve learned, what you have accomplished, it doesn’t matter if it’s big or small.  “Success is just a series of small wins.”

From getting new customers, growing your follower base, email list or selling top products. Celebrate it!

Source: WomenInspireNetwork.com