9 Practical Ways To Practice Self Care As A Solopreneur
Written by Ben Robinson
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Practice these nine self care ideas for professionals to get more out of life even as you’re growing your own business.
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In this article:
- Make Personal Time a Part of Your Everyday Routine
- Prioritize Sleep
- Eat the Right Foods
- Prioritize Daily Workouts
- Relax and Unwind
- Take up a Hobby You Enjoy
- Say No When You Have To
- Be Fully Present and Enjoy the Moment
- Go on a Vacation
Self Care Ideas That Will Help You Gain Work-Life Balance
1. Make Personal Time a Part of Your Everyday Routine
As an entrepreneur, one of the first things you often sacrifice is time for yourself. Contrary to the notion of having to work long hours to succeed, what you really need is work-life balance.
Having your “me time” means finding moments within your busy day to take a break and quiet your mind. You can also use your personal time to properly visualize where you’re currently at and where you want to go.
Keep your personal time free of work concerns so you’re not just taking time off from doing work to think about work. A daily half an hour or hour-long downtime may be what you need to be at your best.
Here are some things you can do to take a breather during your “me time:”
- Take this time to become aware of yourself — relax, practice mindfulness, and look back on your day.
- Enjoy slow mornings over meditation or a cup of tea instead of rushing to take care of business matters.
- At lunch, step away from your computer to properly enjoy your meal.
- Taking a nice warm bath after a busy day helps relax your muscles and spares you quiet time with your thoughts.
Give yourself time to practice these self care ideas so you can enjoy each day more.
2. Prioritize Sleep
Good sleep quality is essential for your brain and body to function at their peak. When you sleep, your body recuperates and repairs itself.
Fatigue caused by sleep deprivation can seriously compromise your well-being and performance at work. Having proper sleeping hours is key because it affects every aspect of your life.
Successful people avoid abusing their bodies and instead, recognize what it needs. You can make better decisions when your mind and body are healthy.
Take a power nap within the day and get as much of a good night’s sleep as you need to ensure you function at your best.
3. Eat the Right Foods
It may be a challenge to eat healthy foods when you’re a solopreneur working from home as it’s easier to opt for convenience. It’s also difficult to break bad eating habits and go for better alternatives.
Yet, the payoff is much better as you’ll feel and be healthier inside and out. This is why eating the right foods is one of the self care ideas you’ll always come across.
As an entrepreneur, you should nourish your body with food that’s good for you. Strive to have a balanced diet with your meals, snacks, and drinks as these will:
- Maintain your energy throughout the day
- Help you stay focused
- Increase your productivity
- Improve your mood
4. Prioritize Daily Workouts
Taking care of your physical health through daily exercise benefits not only your body, but also your mental health. Workouts take the stress off and make you feel good about yourself after you accomplish them.
What’s more, exercise routines discipline you both physically and mentally. You won’t have much time to think about work concerns when you’re concentrating on finishing your workout.
Push yourself to schedule a daily workout routine and stick to it. You can do home exercises like yoga and stretching, go running around the block, or visit the gym for workout sessions.
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5. Relax and Unwind
In the ever-changing and fast-paced world of business, entrepreneurs often try to make the most out of the day by squeezing in more tasks. Yet one of the best self care tips that will boost your productivity is to have time for relaxation.
Remember you’re not designed to continuously use up your energy. You also need to rest to recover the energy you’ve lost.
As someone who manages their own business and probably even a team, it’s even more essential that you set limits for yourself. Give yourself time to relax and unwind, and reconnect with yourself and your loved ones.
There are many ways you can unplug yourself from work, including:
- Give yourself positive affirmations, especially if you had a rough day — avoid negative self-talk
- Practice breathing exercises by taking deep breaths
- Get a massage
- Light a candle with a relaxing scent
- Read a book you enjoy
- Catch up on your favorite YouTube videos
- Go on a social media hiatus
6. Take up a Hobby You Enjoy
Whether you’re a boss, employee, or entrepreneur, you need to take a break from work once in a while. Blow off steam by doing something you love, like a new or favorite hobby.
You’re doing yourself a favor when you take some time off work to do something you enjoy. This is because you can decompress from your busy day when you turn your attention to your fun extracurricular activities.
Hobbies like cooking, gardening, reading, or even online gaming can refresh and exercise your mind. This way, you’ll have more energy and focus when it’s time to get back to work.
7. Say No When You Have To
Having the guts to say no is one of the hardest self care ideas to apply. There are entrepreneurs who get the feeling that they need to fill up their daily schedule with tasks, but this practice only leads them to become overwhelmed and anxious.
If this describes you, then you need to learn when to limit yourself. Remember that you can say no — even to yourself — because you don’t need to do everything immediately.
When you finally say no to making your life unnecessarily busy, you’ll gain more freedom. Declutter your schedule, sit back and relax, and spend more time on people and activities that matter to you.
It may be difficult at first, but when you let go of what you don’t need in your life, you can reach your full potential.
8. Be Fully Present and Enjoy the Moment
Being a business owner can hog your time and attention in a way that leaves you feeling empty and lonely. This is where practicing mindfulness can impact your life in a positive way.
Mindfulness means making conscious effort to be fully present wherever you are in life and whatever you’re doing at the moment. When you’re mindful, you can also connect with others on a deeper level, which is essential to living a content and happy life.
To become more mindful, practice daily meditation. Through this, you’ll gain peace and presence of mind that allow you to be fully present to enjoy each moment.
9. Go on a Vacation
Once in a while, go on a vacation. It doesn’t have to be an expensive holiday — you can just stay at home and watch Netflix or do your laundry, if that’s what relaxes you.
The key here is to physically distance yourself from work and your work colleagues so you can refresh your mind and body. If you can work remotely, leave your laptop at home to force yourself not to work.
Aside from helping you return to work with a refreshed mind and body, going on vacation can also keep your motivation levels up. If you’re feeling demotivated at work, a quick vacation can probably help fill your motivation tank again.
Applying these self care ideas on a regular basis can really help you navigate life as a solopreneur. If you don’t have a self care routine yet, start the habit today.
You can always go back to this self-care list to tick off what you’ve accomplished. Also, use it to remind yourself that your health and well-being take precedence over your work.
What hinders you from prioritizing self care? Share your thoughts or your own self care tips in the comments section below!
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