Why is self-care important for business owners?
Well, for lots of reasons!
I have been talking a lot lately with colleagues about the importance of caring for ourselves and practicing self-love. It’s unanimous that self-care is crucial for everyone but more importantly for us to business owners trying to juggle wearing several hats throughout the day. Practicing self-care, in my opinion, is paramount to one’s success!
After my father’s passing in 2017, my world came crashing down around me no matter how hard I tried to keep it together. So much so that I found myself in the doctor’s office being prescribed medication for depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and signs of having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Talk about a blow to my ego – Oofta!
Hindsight is always 20/20, and as I look back on my life and business then, it’s no wonder why I spiraled backward. Admittedly, one of my coping mechanisms was to focus on my business. That meant pushing myself to the limits, working long hours, taking on too much work, skipping meals, getting little sleep, eating for crap, and not exercising.
I was a straight-up hot mess!
I realize now that pushing myself to the proverbial breaking point hurt myself and my businesses. Rather than dealing with what was going on in my life, I shoved it down deep within, attempting to bury my feelings, emotions, and pain. What that did was more damage than I care to admit.
By the time I found myself in the doctor’s office, I was already like a shaken up pop bottle that blew its top! I was at my breaking point with nowhere else left to turn, and I had no one else to blame but myself.
Oh, the hard lessons we learn in life.
I’m sharing this with you because we all have challenges that we face throughout our life. Some may be the loss of a loved one, like myself, or something less impactful, but none-the-less, it wreaks havoc on our lives and inevitably our business.
How do you get through it?
One of the difficult lessons I needed to learn was how to care for myself and truly make the time for it! I realized that the harder I pushed myself in my business, the more it triggered my anxiety. The more I skipped sleep, ate unhealthily, and ignored what my body was telling me, the more I struggled with my mental health, being clear-headed, creative, and focused. That’s a problem as a creative entrepreneur and the glue that holds my family together!
However, on the flip side, the more I focused on caring for myself, the more I flourished in both my life and business. So the difficult life lesson was really a blessing in disguise!
“The Western workplace culture — exported to many other parts of the world — is practically fueled by stress, sleep deprivation, and burnout. This is profoundly — and negatively — affecting our creativity, our productivity, and our decision making: the very things entrepreneurs need in order to succeed.” – Arianna Huffington
Therefore, if you take anything away from my short backstory, it’s that caring for yourself on the regular is imperative! Here are five reasons why incorporating self-care into your daily routine will not only help you thrive in life but also in your business:
REDUCES STRESS
It’s no secret that being a business owner can cause some stress. Often there’s the expectation of wearing multiple hats, and many business owners are flying solo, which only increases the burden. Never mind that stress plays a role in your life too, so learning how to manage it is crucial. Self-care has several health benefits, but for starters, it works to reduce cortisol and adrenalin levels within your body because it activates the body’s relaxation response, which helps to reduce stress!
