by Adrianne Jerrett
Let’s face it, running a business is stressful. Yes, it’s great fun, and of course, we need to do it; otherwise, why would we be here? But it’s also very challenging, especially at the start when we’re still finding your feet and can’t afford to pay anyone else to take off one of the many, many hats we’re wearing.
Understanding Stress
Stress overwhelms our brains with uncontrollable emotions and alters hormones preparing our body to escape emergency situations- commonly known as fight or flight. The thing is, stress isn’t bad, it evolved to save us, but more often today, we are burdened with stress in non-life threatening scenarios.
As a business owner and entrepreneur, the problem with stress is that it impedes our ability to think clearly and reduces productivity. If you’ve ever experienced burn-out, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, trust me, you’ll want to avoid it as it can take a very long time to reset.
Combat Stress with Self-Care
Avoiding stress is nearly impossible, so building resilience through self-care practices is the best way to deal with it. Having a reliable self-care practice helps reset your hormones by telling your body everything is OK. Self-care will look different for everyone, but some everyday activities to combat stress include regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, staying hydrated, journaling, meditation, and breathing exercises.
Self-Care as a Busy Entrepreneur
In today’s world, staying healthy and self-care concepts aren’t revolutionary, but they can be easily overlooked… Especially when you’re your own boss and get swept away finding clients, creating a new product, or the day-to-day business tasts plus trying to find that sweet balance between work, family, and life. Sometimes self-care gets temporarily shuffled aside and next thing we know it’s been months since we did anything for ourselves and we’re feeling a bit on the edge.
No-one does their best work and attracts dream clients when they’re frantic, stressed or on the brink of collapse. Avoiding the yo-yo emotions of burnout by establishing a solid self-care routine is vital for all busy business owners. Self-care doesn’t need to be complicated or take hours per day. When you’re extremely busy, self-care as a business owner can be as simple as taking two minutes to close your eyes and breathe slowly in through your mouth and out through your nose.
The Self-Care Paradox
As a business owner myself and yo-yo self-care junkie, one of the most interesting things I find is that when I do have a solid self-care practice which includes daily exercise, journaling, meditation and endless cups of herbal tea, I get more work done! Invariably, I get busy and obsessed with a work project then tell myself “there’s no time!” Resulting in me losing my good habits and getting stressed. The stress then leads to getting less done.
Once I recognize what I’ve done, I remember, self-care is my greatest business asset. Rather than doubling down on trying to get more work done, be more productive and find the next best productivity hack, I go inward. What do I need to do? What am I missing? Breathe, exercise, meditate, hydrate, write, and play.
Adrianne Jerrett is the founder of Jerrett Digital, a brand identity and design company that creates dream Showit websites for health and wellness professionals and ethical businesses. Are you ready to boost your positive impact and make the shift from overwhelmed entrepreneur to aligned, confident expert ready to grow your business online? Visit her website digital design tips, marketing insight, and a free brand color design guide.
