Need to Know: Self Care

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We can give you 500 tips on how to improve your social, your branding, and your overall business model, but the truth is if you’re not taking care of yourself your business will suffer.

We asked our dear friend, Lexie Gray from Well From Within to talk about this very subject from a different perspective. As a small business owner herself, Lexie knows the battles we face as we try to build our brands from the ground up. It’s not easy (so KUDOS to you, friend!) and it can take a toll on you personally. We asked her to speak on this subject because as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Certified Personal Trainer she’s the best qualified to get you on the right track!

How often do we sit down and think about how to care for ourselves?

You MIGHT be an entrepreneur if you chuckled at the thought. We have MORE than enough to think about as it is. Running a business, getting stuff done around the house, taking care of our families or pets… the list goes on and on! 

There never seems to be enough time to do all of the things, and time for ourselves is typically the LAST thing we think about.

We’ve all heard the saying “you can’t pour from an empty cup” and although we know it’s true, we somehow still think that the rule doesn’t necessarily apply to us. Or maybe we don’t even know HOW to fill our cup!

So today I want to give you some ideas on how you incorporate self care into your everyday life so that you can be HEALTHIER & HAPPIER!

  1. Get outside as much as you can. 
    This one feels pretty easy to me, because you don’t even have to make extra time for this! You can just go outside to get some of your daily tasks done. Working? Bring your computer outside. Folding laundry? Take the basket with you! The sunshine does wonders for both physical AND mental health, so this two for one is a great place to start.

     

  2. Make sleep a priority!
    I know sleep is hard for many of us. It can even feel like a waste of time when your to do list is a mile long. But science shows us that we are more alert and effective when we get a good night’s sleep. So if you really want to level up in your career or life, sleep is not something you want to skimp on! Aim for at least 8 hours and see how much your work improves!
  3. Fuel your body well.
    This is another thing that you’re already doing every day, so you’re not adding something to your list. Instead, all you have to do is change up the quality of what you’re eating. If that stresses you out just thinking about it, OUTSOURCE! Hire a nutritionist, get a meal delivery service, buy ready made meal plans so you don’t have to think about it. There are so many easy ways to up your nutrition game, and it will do WONDERS for your body and your mind.
  4. Get movin!
    While I love a good workout, I’m not in the camp of going to the gym for hours every day. Ain’t nobody got time for that! I also don’t think it’s necessary for good health, and can sometimes even be detrimental. As a business owner, I KNOW how stressful life gets, and adding onto that stress with too many or too intense workouts is just going to make it worse. I’m a big believer in strength training, slow and heavy so as to not put our body into a more stressed out state like HIIT workouts or straight cardio does. Lift some weights, go on walks, dance, swim, have FUN with your workouts and see how much it lifts your mood & energy!
  5. Work on stress management.
    Possibly the hardest piece of the puzzle for people like us, but this is the single most important thing you can do to improve your physical and mental health. All the other tips that we’ve talked about are going to help reduce overall stress, so this is a great place to start! But at some point you’ll probably need to put in some extra effort if you really want to be healthy & happy. Being intentional about practicing gratitude, doing some deep breathing once a day, saying no when you’re asked to do something, these are all examples of ways that we can strategically manage our stress so it doesn’t rule our lives.

I know these changes don’t happen overnight, but if you start today working on one thing at a time, imagine how much healthier, happier, and fulfilled you’ll be in a year from now! My challenge for you is to pick ONE of these things that you’re going to focus on this month, and then BE INTENTIONAL about it! 

Here are some example ideas: 

I will go outside for five minutes every morning and five minutes every afternoon.

I will be in bed by 10 pm every night.

I will buy a meal plan and order my groceries every Saturday morning.

I will go for a 10 minute walk 3 times a week.

I will write down three things I’m grateful for every night before bed.

There are no rules about how you go about this, as long as what you’re choosing to do won’t stress you out MORE! This should be something that is easy and brings you joy. Start small, and once you see the improvements you’ll be motivated to continue to make these tiny adjustments that add up HUGE change in the long run.

Here’s to everyday self care, not just the kind that happens on Sundays. Be well, friends!

Connect with Lexie @wellfromwithco or lexie@wellfromwithin.co if you have any questions!