By Rebecca Rochette
Self-care has become all the buzz over the past few years. However, what it means can vary greatly. While some people view self-care as a luxury, others, especially those with businesses in the health and wellness fields, see it much differently.
There’s much research that confirms that it’s a commitment worth making. What’s common for many is the struggle to justify time spent on self-care. Even those in the business of providing health or wellness services can struggle with taking care of their well-being. However, starting a routine of self-care can be beneficial not only for your own personal health but for your business as well.
How to get started
A great way to begin prioritizing self-care is by honing your ability to recognize what you may need physically, mentally, or emotionally. For example, enhancing your emotional self-awareness is one important aspect of self-care that can go a long way.
According to Dr. Kyle Killian, Ph.D., LMFT, emotional intelligence or self-awareness protects oneself from burnout as an early warning system that kicks in when symptoms begin to appear. Meditation is one way he suggests to hone your self-awareness.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, meditation is “a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques.” There are several benefits to incorporating it into your daily routine, ranging from a decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression to improving the ability to think, concentrate and solve problems.
Tips for building a self-care routine
A self-care routine can be as simple or complex as you wish, but it should have a few certain components to make it both manageable and beneficial.
It should be something you can make time for every day
This does not mean you have to spend an hour per day on self-care (unless you choose to) but rather a combination of a few things that can easily fit into your day. This can be a one-minute meditation that is a few or several times per day, or it could be just ten minutes of yoga in the morning or at night. Whatever it is, it should be possible to fit whatever you’re doing into a manageable period of time that is reasonable for your schedule.
It should bring you joy
Dr. Killian offers the idea of practicing a hobby as another powerful form of self-care because it can help alleviate work-related stress when done regularly. He stresses the importance of making the time to do it; this could be once or twice a week but should be part of an overall routine.
It should get you outside
According to Dr. Franchell Richard-Hamilton M.D., there is restorative power in nature. Studies show getting outside reduces blood pressure, stabilizes your heart rate, and decreases the production of stress hormones among numerous other benefits.
It should get you connected
Whether this means engaging in work-related social events or personal time with family it is also important to make time to nurture emotional connections with others and allow time to have fun.
As a business owner, committing to self-care to stay at the top of your game both mentally and physically ultimately means investing in yourself and your business - and who can argue with that?