Prioritizing personal care and wellness is crucial for everyone. But it is especially the case for us as entrepreneurs, who often juggle multiple responsibilities and face high levels of stress.
So how do we make room for personal care when we sometimes feel like we do not have any room to breathe?
We’ve talked this month already about the value of taking breaks. Finding the time and scheduling it in to do something enjoyable or to nap away from the stressors. But what about when you and I are in the middle of the stress? How do we manage?
Stats
As humans, we can only take so much. In fact, it is well known that chronic stress can have detrimental effects on a person’s health. From headaches to a weakened immune, to impaired cognitive function, to chronic illness. And it is estimated that stress costs business an estimated $300 billion annually in North America.
In Canada, The BDC found in Feb 2023 that 45% (very high) of Canadian business owners indicated that they felt mental health challenges compared to 38% in February 2022. The report also shows a double-digit increase in the proportion of entrepreneurs indicating they wanted to seek support from a mental health professional – from 21% in February 2022, to 31% in February 2023.
So it is vital that we find better ways to strategically handle the stress of entrepreneurial life.
Strategies
One of the key ways we can take care of ourselves as entrepreneurs, according Certified Flourishing Coach (CFC), is by creating boundaries – learning to say no to things that overwhelm us and prioritizing our well-being.
As part of a course this past spring with CFC, I was part of a Nurturing Safety Online Masterclass panel. It included Coaches and a Social Worker from very varied backgrounds. Each of us shared during this class how we lessen our stresses and increase our wellness:
The Social Worker takes care of herself by knowing her own self first. She learns her own triggers and has a plan as to how to handle situations if and when she is triggered.
The Wellness Coach, who travels in and out of communities, has developed a gauge. She monitors if she is putting up a wall or if she is able to be herself. If she is isolating, she then looks for ways to open up and create a gate so that community can find her. Community for her as a nomad equals release and less stress.
The Leadership Coach monitors how she leads. If she is leading from a place of command and control, then she asks herself how she can shift. Her goal is to come from a “place where the person is valued and at the center; where trust can emerge and safety can flourish”.
My approach as a Listening Coach and Storyteller is to ask myself if I am really listening. Am I listening to myself? Am I listening to others? Am I in the moment or am I somewhere else? If I am not present, then I know that I need to take time for me – to journal, to talk with someone, to pray, to meditate, to look at my thinking.
It is especially vital for us as entrepreneurs to personally take good care of ourselves.
What strategies can you put in place to increase your boundaries, lessen your stress and increase your productivity?