2 mins
SELF CARE
As a business owner, improving your relationship with yourself and making yourself a priority has many benefits, writes Liz McKeon
SHUTTERSTOCK
By focusing on yourself, you will learn to ease stress and anxiety, take care of your health while making time to do the things you enjoy outside of your business. I know it’s hard to schedule in time, but research shows that a little solitude helps productivity.
TO GET STARTED, I RECOMMEND:
• Add more alone time to your schedule. Create time each week to sit quietly with your own thoughts. Choose a time that works for you and pick a spot where you won’t be interrupted. Once you get used to this, you will seriously value your solitude.
• Take time to think and ask yourself questions about your life and your business. For example, what makes you happy in your work, or what would you like more/less of in your life, or are you on the right track to achieve your goals?
• Treat yourself with kindness and patience. Ask yourself if you are as considerate to yourself as you are to others. If you don’t think so, make some changes.
• Exercise most days and eat healthy to feel your best. Make a point to take great care of your body.
• Spend at least a few minutes outdoors every day.
• Sleep for 7-9 hours to reset your body and mind. When salon life gets too hectic, you might sacrifice sleep in order to get everything on your to do list completed. This can be counter productive as being overtired can make you cranky, exhausted and unfocused. Make it a priority to get into a positive sleep pattern by going to sleep and waking up at roughly the same time each day. Yes, even on days off!
• Put fun and relaxation activities on your calendar and make this a priority. Spend quality time with mates to let off steam.
• Write a list of steps to take to improve your life. Check to see if your life and your business are heading in the right direction. You can create a list of goals that you want to achieve or experiences you’d like to have. Create action items that will get you closer to the work/life balance you aspire to. If you have people or things in your life that make you unhappy, think about how to change them. Make a list of the adjustments you need to take to make things happen.
TOP TIPS
3 STEPS TO CELEBRATE YOUR STRENGTHS
1 Don’t compare
Stop comparing yourself to others. Get in the habit of paying attention to your performance or feelings, rather than those of other people.
2 Reward
Reward youself for reaching every goal achieved because it is important to acknowledge yourself when you do something great.
3 Keep a diary
Journal daily, as this is a great way to express yourself without any fear of judgement.