By Kitty Waters, host of the Kitty Talks podcast and teacher of the Do Your Dharma course. To find out more about Kitty’s work, visit www.kittytalks.com
Kitty Waters
Womentrepreneurs are extraordinary women. They often do it all: work long hours, handle high pressure all day, manage teams and budgets, then go home and manage a home and are 100% with their family. But they must also treat themselves with care. As an entrepreneur myself, my weeks are jam-packed. But I always keep some time to treat myself and relax, so I can keep on carry on. Here are my top 5 self-care tips for my fellow womentrepreneurs.
Put yourself first, everyday
Something we do at home is start the day with meditation. We then follow with a good work out and walk our dog for an hour. Starting the day with a physical activity will clear your head for the challenges to come your way. Look after yourself first, then proceed with business. You have every right to nurture yourself before your business because its responsibilities require you to be strong, focused and healthy.
Set healthy boundaries
Having a healthy routine changed my life and the way I conduct business. Setting healthy boundaries and keeping a routine nourishes you inside and out, and gives you energy for the whole day. This will increase your productivity and make you feel accomplished. For example, make it a rule to go to bed every night at the same time - no excuses. This pattern will allow you to work an actual life schedule that works for you. This also means not working out of work hours - so set healthy boundaries when it comes to your work/life balance, to give yourself some space to breathe (and think). This might give you your best ideas!
Find your way out of stress
My way of coping with stress is meditating. A regular practice improves focus, and helps you stay present, in the moment - which is what you need as an entrepreneur. When stuck in a stressful situation, or without inspiration, practicing meditation might bring you the solution. It happens to me quite often, and I’ve noticed I worry less. Look into which stress relief practice works best for you - I do TM meditation because of its simplicity and its short format.
Reward yourself for your hard work
This is something I will never stress enough: you have to pay yourself, even if it’s just a little. Your work needs to be rewarded, just as much as everyone else. As entrepreneurs we tend to skip that part especially when it’s early on in the business, but not paying yourself can be quite disheartening. So keep some flow of money coming into your account, even if it’s irregularly, because you deserve a little reward.
Focus on your brilliance
Give yourself a break: you don’t have to be good at everything. So focus on your brilliance, what you are good at, and don’t beat yourself up with the rest - you can always outsource services from people with skills you don’t have. This will take the pressure one level down, and help your business grow. You may be able to do it all, but it might take longer, so why not get someone to help? My life and business changed when I got a PA. I could finally go back to where I was my best at.
Self-care is an attitude and a lifestyle that will keep you happy, and help your business grow. But before you start implementing these self-care tips in your routine, ask yourself this question: are you doing what you love? No self-care practice will erase the damage the wrong job can do to you, so don’t risk burning out and find your purpose first. When you build the right business, it hardly feels like work. On my podcast, guests share their the ways they found their calling first, to do their soul work. How can you burn out when you are following your dreams and doing your dharma?