Self-Care: An Important Piece of Your Creative Life
Starting a home-based business can be the most rewarding project anyone can ever do. Nothing compares to the thrill of being your own boss . Setting your own hours, choosing when to take lunch, running a household while getting work done or being able to homeschool your children are just a few of the advantages of this life style. But what happens when these same benefits that you love turn into an unmanageable pile of problems?
In the corporate world, we could turn to a co-worker or a manager to help us tackle daily problems. Most times we would receive specialized training to help us keep on task before things get out of control. Good companies give workers the tools they need for success. Tools like good communication skills, standard operating procedures, support teams, up to date technologies and human resource departments are part of a workers tool belt. Companies can also provide workout rooms and walking trails in an effort to encourage employees to use the important tool of self care.
But what if you are the “whole ball of wax” – the support team, the manager, the human resource department – what then ? Who is there to encourage you to take care of yourself ? When customers need something right now, when the kids are fighting, when the Word document is lost, what happens then? Who will tell you to take a walk, ride a bike, or just sit outside for a few minutes to relieve stress? Well, as the owner of your company, the request for self care must come from you!
Being the owner of a home based business is amazing. It is also amazingly involved. Caring for yourself may not seem like the most pressing issue on your list of to do tasks. But the reality is that it should be a top priority on the list. We have all heard the saying ” if you don’t care for yourself no one else will” or how about the phrase “I am running on empty”. How would you answer those statements right now?
We all have people or situations that burn up our emotional fuel. There are days when my tank is empty and nothing would help me more than an afternoon nap. Sometimes I feel like I need a jolt of caffeine to get the smallest of jobs done. Thank goodness I have found an alternative to caffeine. The things that burn up our emotional fuel are different for everyone. Loud noise and clutter all around the house empty my fuel tank while my friend can’t stand the total quiet and can step over toys and clutter all day long with out any problem. Have you identifid your top stressors? What burns up your emotional fuel?
As a business owner, you are already starting your day with a few stressors that drain your emotional fuel. You automatically have less time for self and a day full of the enormous demands that come with being the CEO. Knowing that you are in constant emotional fuel burning mode can cause a very quick burn out if you do not have a strategy to build it back. Self care means no more “running on empty”!
Just as the problems that cause emotional stress are different for each person, the ways to refuel your emotional tank are different for each person. One the biggest refueling techniques I have developed is how to say No. There are many opportunities that arise because your hours are more flexible than that of a corporate job. Consider each request to see if it would be an emotional stressor to take time away from your business. Not all requests for your precious time should get an automatic yes answer.
What makes you happy and could it easily fit into your schedule? Taking a walk, having a morning coffee break all by yourself, reading a chapter in a great book, talking to a friend, riding the Peloton, or taking a power nap are just a few of the things that I know of that home based business owners do to relax. I like find a quiet place (preferably outside) to read a Psalm or a chapter in Proverbs from the Bible.I have also been known to watch something silly on YouTube for a few minutes. Different days have different solutions. Find what works for you and practice your self care refueling technique every day. You will not regret it.
I am always interested in hearing about you and your routines for self care. Send me an email with your tips or tricks for emotional refueling.
