Hi friends! This week I was reminded more than a few times of the importance of balancing self-care with pushing yourself as an entrepreneur. I've long struggled with finding some sort of equilibrium between the two and it has become more challenging now that I'm working entirely for myself.
Here are 10 things I've implemented this week to stay on track, while maintaining my sanity.
1. Sleep. I plan on doing a more detailed post on this soon, but I recently read Matthew Walker's Why We Sleep . I've always been someone who needs more sleep than other people, but this book opened my eyes to just how crucial sleep is (and just how awful it is for us to not get enough of it—seriously, the facts in this book are terrifying to say the least). However, this week in particular, because of jet lag, hormones, etc. I've needed just a bit more rest than usual. So, I let myself sleep in a couple of days. And that was totally okay because it meant that, once I'd rested up, I was more effective and found catching up on my work much easier and more enjoyable.
2. Small pleasures. Whenever I'm feeling a bit off, I find that taking time to enjoy the little things really does help. Whether that be drinking a cup of fancy tea, painting my nails, or throwing on a face mask, I try to do at least one simple thing that brings me a bit of extra joy.
3. Knowing when to push through. Sometimes it really will make you feel better to just do the damn thing. For example, today I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed and fearful of my PhD applications to the point of paralysis. However, once I started, I found myself enjoying the research I'd been putting off and even managed to reach that flow state/research high which reminded me why I'm planning on doing the PhD in the first place!
4. Enlist a buddy. Along the same lines as #3, before I started working on my application today, I told a friend of my plans and kept him updated on my progress. This extra little bit of accountability was enough to push me over the starting line and get to work, while also helping me assuage my doubts.
5. Moving your body. It's easy to start feeling a bit low when you're sitting at a desk or on the couch all day working. One of the quickest ways to give your mind and body a pick-me-up is to move, if even just a little. It doesn't have to be a strenuous workout or anything—my movement of choice on days like this is to just dance around my room for 20 minutes or until I feel better.
6. Meditating. We all know meditating is good for us, but sometimes it's hard to remember before you've done it. So, this is me telling you that you will feel better after you meditate, even if it's only for 5 minutes. If your mind is going a million miles a minute, head over to YouTube and look for a quick guided meditation to help you stay focused.
7. Reflecting on your #wins. I've spoken about this before but it bears repeating as it has become an integral part of my daily practice. Try to look at things from a distance and compare your progress to objective measures of success so you can't be clouded by our dear old friend the negativity bias. I find that writing this down is particularly helpful.
8. Positive self-talk. This might feel a bit silly at first, but reframing any negative thoughts that come to mind is seriously helpful. Basically, the idea is, whenever a negative thought intrudes, first ask yourself if there is any legitimate evidence supporting its truth (usually the answer is no, but if it's yes, you can still think about what you can do to change or reframe the situation) and then to replace that thought with a more positive one. Over time, this will become a natural reaction to negative inner thoughts.
9. Making things easier for yourself. If you genuinely don't feel up to cleaning your house today, it's okay to save it for tomorrow. Can't face cooking? Don't beat yourself up about ordering some food. Sometimes you've got to do what you've got to do just to get through.
10. Know it's okay if you really can't face the day. As someone who suffers from mental health issues, I know that sometimes these self-care lists can seem a bit trite, to say the least. Like, no, I'm not going to drink a cup of tea and suddenly cure my anxiety. There are days when you genuinely can't get out of bed or get anything done. And that's okay. You need to take care of yourself first and foremost, even if that means sleeping all day and watching TV. Be kind to yourself and do what you need to do to be okay.
How do you practice self-care and self-compassion?
