Have you ever wondered what a woman entrepreneur’s self-care routine is like?
Well, it is a five-minute routine. Why five minutes? Well, that’s because women entrepreneurs are busy people, and they don’t have time to do a full-blown beauty routine. However, an entrepreneur is someone who creates a business to make money.
Self-care is the act of maintaining one’s body and mind. And today, more women are becoming entrepreneurs. In a previous article, several women entrepreneurs were mentioned. And now, just because a woman is an entrepreneur, that doesn’t mean that she can’t take care of herself and forget about her well-being. Because a woman should still practice self-care no matter what.
Self-care is important for women entrepreneurs. This article will look at the self-care tips for women entrepreneurs and what to do about their self-care. Even if you are not an entrepreneur, you can use these tips as well and be inspired by women entrepreneurs worldwide.
Dr. Coco Cabrel, Founder of Coco’sFlameFit
Dr. Coco Cabrel, The Flamenco-Dancing MD, and Founder of Coco’sFlameFit draws from 30 years of an award-winning professorship in anatomy, physiology, and Flamenco dance, and her own victories over bulimia, bullying, and a back injury, to help women choose themselves and find their joy, grace, and confidence through MD-designed, Flamenco dance-inspired fitness. A graduate of Northwestern University’s prestigious Honors Program in Medical Education, Coco has been featured on Spectrum News 1 LA and in Authority Magazine, has been a wellness panelist for Digital Hollywood, and has been interviewed on several podcasts including Birth Re-imagined. Her podcast interview for Northwestern Intersections was voted one of the Top 3 Podcasts of 2020 by Northwestern University alumni around the world.
How do you practice self-care?
I make sure I stick with my sleep routine so that I can function optimally the next day. If that means making a choice to postpone binge-ing something on TV until an evening when I can start watching earlier, I really think through that decision – and I make the choice that will take me a step closer to my health and career goals for the next day. The same goes for choices about food, exercise, thoughts in my head, and people that I interact with. Ultimately, self-care is about making choices that serve you well.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
Self-care isn’t selfish at all! To give you a specific example about my self-care as a mom and entrepreneur: When I don’t get enough sleep, the next evening, I get physically tired and mentally foggy much earlier than usual. I have two teenage boys, and when I’m in that physical and mental slump, those times are always – always – when I lose my temper over something that would normally be nothing. No one wants to be around me when I lose my temper. I don’t want to be me when I lose my temper. There’s nothing worse for me than seeing my boys shrink while I’m yelling. So I’m highly motivated to stick with my sleep self-care!
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
Women entrepreneurs, in particular, need a self-care routine because we’re spinning an awful lot of plates. When any plate crashes, it tends to be a pretty big crash. And that can be too devastating if you don’t have reserves built up within yourself on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels. When you do have the reserves built up because you’ve been taking care of yourself each day, you can handle any broken plate – and still spin the rest of the plates, too.
Here are my 3 Best Self Care Tips for Women Entrepreneurs to Keep Their Health:
- Figure out one soothing thing to do or set up at some point during the hour before you lie down to sleep. Try that for a week, and see if your sleep improves. If it does, keep it. If it doesn’t, find something else.
- Drink two glasses of water when you first wake up, and then two glasses at each meal. That should add up to at least 64 oz total for the day. Your gut will function better, your weight will stabilize, and your skin will be more supple.
- Choose your thoughts inside your head wisely. If a negative thought starts nagging you, listen to a song that inspires you, or walk it off, or do your favorite kind of exercise movement (of course, I break out into my own Flamenco dance-fitness moves). Focusing on something else that you like allows your brain to switch gears so different thoughts can enter.
Allyson Tyler, Wellness Consultant
Housewife. Homeschooling mom. RYT500 Yoga Teacher. Wellness Consultant. Allyson Tyler of Modern Living Ancient Practices is no stranger to work-life-self balance and is passionate about helping others harness the chaos of life into a streamlined approach to what they already do. With a dry wit and embodied emotional intelligence, she helps even the most Type-A personality create and navigate their practices with joy and ease.
How do you practice self-care?
I schedule “Boss Maintenance Days” about every three weeks, which usually include getting eyebrows waxed, a mani/pedi, and lunch with friends, and “Pajama Weekends,” which coincide with my cycle. During that time, I mostly rest, journal, or read, but sometimes I have extra energy, and I putter around the house doing small projects. On a daily basis, I take the time to wash my face, do some type of embodiment work (lifting, yoga, walking), and read.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women
Self-care isn’t selfish because the quality of what you give to people and activities outside of yourself is directly correlated with the quality in which you give to yourself. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, just consistent. A little something every day can help you tap into the joy and pleasure available.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
When you take care of yourself, your nervous system learns how to move in and out of activation and relaxation, allowing you to source your strengths more readily. You’ll be better rested, more clear-headed, and able to focus and produce the results you desire more effectively.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- Make your sleep a priority! Adequate rest is absolutely foundational for a clear, focused energy during your day, as well as healthy hormonal fluctuations and recovery from workouts.
- Get in touch with your cycle. You learn valuable information about yourself and your body when you live and work with your natural rhythm.
- Create a “Schedule Outline.” Choose 2-4 things to take care of each day throughout your week. Leave some days blank, and be sure to include activities that are for fun and for rest!
Paige Arnof-Fenn, Founder of Mavens & Moguls
Paige Arnof-Fenn is the founder & CEO of global marketing and digital branding firm Mavens & Moguls, based in Cambridge, MA. Her clients include Microsoft, Virgin, The New York Times Company, Colgate, venture-backed startups as well as nonprofit organizations. She graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Business School. Paige serves on several Boards and is a popular speaker and columnist who wrote for Entrepreneur and Forbes.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
As a small business owner, you are always on. With the news, pandemics, social media, and technology going 24/7, it can be tough to stay productive, energized, and focused. Given the pandemic, we have to reassess our goals now. Like most entrepreneurs, there are never enough hours in the day to fit everything in, so when something has to give, it is usually time I have allocated for myself to exercise or just relax. A mentor once told me, and I have come to appreciate and realize that to stay sane and be successful, “me time” is not a luxury or pampering; it is maintenance! The mentor shared that respecting my time on the calendar and taking myself as seriously as I take my most important clients is the least I can do for self-care.
How do you practice self-care?
To be more balanced, I try to find creative ways to multi-task that incorporates work and exercise. When I worked at large companies, they had gyms at the office or groups who walked at lunch, but when you are an entrepreneur, you have to get creative to find balance. Before the virus hit, instead of meeting up with local colleagues at a coffee shop, over a meal, or chatting with them on the phone, I could meet them for a walk so you can catch up while you are getting some exercise too. You’ll feel great after, the time will fly & it will be a fun activity to share.
It works with customers, too; I have clients who play golf, so sometimes we would meet at a driving range instead of the office to discuss things, especially when you are trying to think outside the box. A change in venue is always nice, and you feel so much better when you are moving and not trapped behind your desk. The other tips I liked to incorporate before the pandemic was taking public transportation when possible, parking at the far end of the lot, and walking as well as taking the stairs instead of the elevator; it adds up to a lot of extra steps and movement if you do it every day. Even now, I do something active every day to stay healthy and break up the day.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
Because if you are not at your peak performance, you will not be useful to anyone else either.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- Give yourself permission to say no. Whether it means sleeping in (no to an alarm clock), meditating, taking a walk, or just turning off your phone and computer (no, I will respond later on my own schedule), simple acts of letting yourself relax and enjoy the moment are the very best gifts I can give yourself. You can fill a calendar to stay busy, but what matters most is having an impact on people’s lives, and that has nothing to do with the volume of activity; it is about touching people in meaningful ways, which may mean being less busy not more.
- Disconnect from technology periodically and focus on cultivating human, face-to-face relationships while social distancing. Meeting for coffee or lunch, even virtually, can accomplish so much more than e-mail exchanges, social media posts, etc., and it is a great way to get to know people better, their interests, hobbies, and dreams. I have found that building relationships is what drives my business, and technology supports them once they are solidified. Technology helps advance the conversation, but it will never replace the human interaction that builds trust over time.
- Taking breaks with exercise. I do something active every day to stay healthy and break up my day.
Isabel, Marketing Director for DoggieDesigner
She is very passionate about animal rights and advocating for animals in the seafood, factory farm, and exotic animal trade industry and hopes that one day the world will be more open to a plant-based diet for the sake of the environment and the animals we share this planet with.
Currently focusing on marketing, brand awareness, and PR efforts, she likes to make time to volunteer at animal shelters, attend wildlife programs and take long walks by the ocean in search of any beached animal in need of a helping hand.
How do you practice self-care?
I practice self-care by doing a wellness routine I created for myself. It includes exercise, nutrition, and a moment to relax. For example, I love doing a nice long yoga session or taking a jog on the beach. Then I treat myself to my favorite healthy take-out. (A delicious smoothie and breakfast, a gourmet wrap, or vegetarian sushi.) To end it, I put on a face mask, listen to Lana Del Rey, and steam in a hot bubble bath for an hour or two.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
Self-care is not only crucial to stay sane and happy while having a full-time job. It’s also the least you can do to thank your body and mind for providing such valuable work. You need to reward yourself from time to time to keep your motivation levels up and remind yourself that there’s more to life than just your career. You are a hard-working human who deserves time off to relax and feel calm, especially if you work in a fast-paced job.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
To stay happy and healthy. The human body and mind aren’t built to work and focus like a machine. You need to give yourself a break and do something you genuinely enjoy doing, whatever that might be. Not only will a self-care routine relax you, but it’ll also make you feel rewarded for doing a good job and provide you with a fresh, energized mindset to tackle the next day.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
Like I mentioned above; Self-care = exercise + nutrition + a moment to relax.
Get those endorphins pumping with any type of exercise you like/feel comfortable with. Treat yourself with something nice and nutritious to eat, or get a pizza, your choice! Lastly, give yourself some time to relax and not think about anything – get some extra sleep, read a book, go to a spa, binge a series, whatever you like!
Jaclyn Strauss, Founder of My Macro Memoir, LLC
Jaclyn Strauss, CPA, is a mid-level executive for a Fortune 100 company with multiple passions. She is the founder of My Macro Memoir. And has become a leading efficiency expert by putting her skills and knowledge to work by creating a secure place for families to digitally organize themselves with the thinking done for them. Jaclyn leads with her heart in all that she does and has a passion for serving the greater good of her local community and beyond.
How do you practice self-care?
- Time block my day keeping consistency for the “must do” items every day. (daily)
- I review my calendar for the upcoming week every Sunday evening, so I know what is ahead for me. Doing this keeps me from staying awake at night, stressing out over what could be approaching. (weekly)
- Each day at the close of business, I review my calendar for the next day to ensure that I am prepared for the meetings I may have the next day. This eliminates any last-minute or day of meeting preparation and allows me ample time to prepare. (daily)
- Every morning, I take a moment before picking up my phone to take a few deep breaths and reflect on what I am thankful for and remind myself for my reason “why.” (daily)
- Every night, I am deliberate around being present at bedtime with both of my children. My son is nine years old, and my daughter is six. My son and I reflect on our days as we lay in bed together and talk about the highs from the day. With my daughter, we play a “game” called I LOVE. We take turns sharing the things we love most about each other until she is ready to drift off to sleep. (nightly)
- Every night, I use a meditation app to unwind and clear my mind, and most nights do fall asleep before the guided mediation is over. (nightly)
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
Because as women, we typically carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, a lot is riding on us to keep it all together and not crumble. We also want to be everything to everything, and we self inflict this on ourselves. If we go down, the bottom line is that everything we are committed to will likely go down with us. I am almost positive that the consequences of not taking personal care of ourselves are not something we want to happen to those around us. The truth is that if we don’t take time for self-care, then we are being selfish as we are setting ourselves up for failure and bringing everyone down with us.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
If we are not deliberate around having a self-care routine as women entrepreneurs, self-care will not happen. It is not beyond us to get so wrapped up in what we are doing and the business we are focused on that it is easy to ignore our self-care needs. We know there are consequences to not taking good care of ourselves as women. And we owe it to ourselves to create the routine and stick to it. If that means putting a reminder on your phone to pause and stop what you are doing to take a few moments in silence to breathe, then do it. There should be zero self-shaming for this. As self-care allows us as female entrepreneurs to show up as the best versions of ourselves in every hat we wear.
Best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- The best self-care tip for women’s health is to make sure to stop and eat and drink water regularly throughout the day. I know that if I do not schedule a lunch or dinner break into my day, I will go all day without eating and then raid the pantry and refrigerator later and eat all of my children’s snacks.
- The binge eating then leads to unwanted weight gain. The feeling of disappointment after doing it but easily self-justified by telling yourself that you worked so much that you forgot to eat all day and it was what needed to happen. This is entirely not okay and will catch up with us if we aren’t mindful of what we are feeding our bodies.
- When scheduling the self-care services that may be a treat such as a massage, blow-out for your hair, or a facial, do for you. Heck, if you are into BOTOX (no judgment as I am a fan myself), then schedule it and keep yourself feeling good physically in any way that may be.
Christianne Klein, Founder of Truth Fairy, Inc.
Christianne Klein is an Emmy® award-winning network journalist and the founder of Truth Fairy, Inc., a communications and consulting firm that specializes in training CEOs, executives, high-profile individuals, and their staff to work remotely, hoteling (in-person only for major activities), or hybrid models. The premier firm coaches its clients on how to use on-camera psychology and kinesis (body language) to help connect within their teams, get ahead of the competition, and bring in clients in this post-pandemic world.
How do you practice self-care?
With so much of my life and career in front of the camera, both as a journalist and now trainer and coach, I need time away to unwind. I regularly practice meditation, including solfeggio frequencies, sound therapy, and reiki, as well as essential oils and stress and detoxifying baths. If I know I’m going to have a busy or potentially stressful day; I’ll always include lavender essential oil in my bathwater. It doesn’t require a time commitment, and it makes me feel like I’m bringing a little bit of the spa to my home.
Pre-pandemic, I would get away for a 90-minute massage every single week. During the pandemic, I’ve tried to adapt to include massage tools. I have a massage neck roller behind me in my home studio that I’ll use between clients to lower my stress and drop my shoulders and neck since that tension will show on camera. Additionally, I’ve found having a good support group of other female entrepreneurs and friends for occasional zoom sessions is incredibly helpful.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
I’ve been in the same position as many other busy entrepreneurs – we look at self-care as another 20 or 30 minutes of our day that we could be working with clients or spending time with our families. But if you aren’t taking care of yourself, your body will let you know and force you to slow down. I still fall into this trap. As more companies turned to a remote business model and needed our help training their employees, I started pushing my self-care routine off, thinking, this client is calling now, or I have a training session, I can push off my meditation until this afternoon. Afternoon becomes evening, stress levels increase, my shoulders tighten, my neck starts hurting, and before you know it, I am not feeling my best, and I can’t be there in the same way for my family or my clients. Self-care is often the easiest thing to push aside if you don’t look at it as a necessary part of a healthy life and lifestyle.
I also have a three-year-old little girl, so time can be tricky to manage. I want her to see that she can take time out for herself, unwind, and hopefully take that lesson into adulthood. This is also important for my husband and me to model for her. She now has her own dinosaur bath fizzes for her bath and even tells us she wants to take a bath because “she’s had a long day.” She loves it, and she recognizes that it’s something special just for her.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
Many of my friends and clients who run their own businesses struggle with finding time for self-care. Some developed health issues, digestive or autoimmune, and they attribute it in part to their stress level or not taking time to take care of themselves. We tend to think of this as a personal problem that no one will notice our stress level, and that’s simply not true. Nearly every single one of my clients has to be re-trained to consciously drop their shoulders on camera. Your clients and customers on zoom will notice your body language and stress level. It has a psychological impact, could produce subconscious anxiety in the other party, and it could cost you, clients.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- Meditation. I’m a huge fan of meditation – even taking 10 minutes a day will change your stress, your breathing, and your relationship with your body. We often focus on what’s coming up or the mistakes we’ve made in the past. I find meditation allows me to focus on the present and makes me feel more grounded and aware of myself and those around me.
- If you’re worried about time commitments, find ways to incorporate self-care into your schedule. Bath salts or essential oils are great and don’t add any time to your morning or night routine. You can also soak your feet at night while you answer client emails or watch TV. Drink lavender tea at night to help you de-stress before bed.
- Set a goal to incorporate new ways of self-care every week. Instead of just putting on facial serum or moisturizer, take 30 seconds to massage it in. Something as simple as a nice hairbrush and taking two minutes out of your nighttime routine to brush your hair and scalp makes a huge difference.
Leticia Apablaza, Founder of Live to Give
Leticia is the creator of the personal brand “Self-Love with Leticia” to help beings create a self-care foundation and strengthen their MindFuel with tools and guides that are sustainable for a fulfilling life.
Leticia has been practicing mediation and has had dedicated to a daily self-care practice for over five years. During her own transformation, she has witnessed the endless possibilities of how one can become more connected to their true self and live a purposeful life just by taking moments each day for self-care.
How do you practice self-care?
Self-care has become more than a practice; it is a lifestyle for me. I plan each day around my self-care. I have a morning ritual that is a big anchor, and I add micro self-care moments throughout the day and evening. For example, in the middle of the day, I’ll take a break from work and go for a walk, grab coffee with a friend. In the evening, I stretch, meditate, or read a book to wind down.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
Taking care of yourself and making yourself a priority should always be the first, last, and everything in-between thing you think about each day. It’s actually more selfish not to put yourself first because if you don’t know who you are or what you want, then the world will direct your life for you. You are the creator; you are the captain of your ship. Take charge and remember that by taking care of yourself, not only are you better for yourself but also everyone around you. Be selfish with your self-care.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
Having a self-care routine is the best gift you can give yourself each day. I have many reasons, but the most important reason to have a self-care routine is the ability to bond with yourself. In the same way, you take time to see how others are doing should be the exact thing you should do for yourself. You can do this by meditating or journaling. Also, when you give yourself time to take your time, it’s magical. Taking time to move or be still can bring you so much perspective. The benefits of a self-care routine are more clarity, bliss, awareness, connection with yourself, your relationships, and the world around you. It allows you to see your purpose and passion for being.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- Have a morning ritual – taking time in the morning sets the pace for your day. When you feel prepared, confident, energized, and radiate, you take that into the rest of your day. Even challenges become easier to handle and overcome.
- Meditation – this is a practice to go within. Just listening and feeling your breath can bring you so much calm, peace, and healing.
- Journaling – there are so many benefits to journaling. It’s a way for you to release, reflect, and reconnect with yourself. You can learn so much about yourself with journaling. It’s a place where you can heal, celebrate, create, and flow. I loved my own journaling practice so much and how it helped me grow and evolve that I created The Me Time Journal for everyone to have pages to fill with their gratitudes, attentions, and just to flow.
Alka Chopra RD, CDE, Registered Dietitian
Alka Chopra is a Registered Dietitian and a self-care advocate. Alka’s career has spanned from education, research, corporate, management, and clinical. For the past 10 years, she has been in the clinical space focusing on individuals living with chronic disease. All through her career and in personal life, Alka noticed the “self-care” piece missing in people’s lives leading to frustration, self-doubt, discontent & low self-esteem.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
As women, we have a natural tendency to put others’ needs before ourselves. In my opinion, if a woman takes care of herself, they can be 100% present for their families & loved ones. And most importantly, be present for themselves. This way, they value themselves and have a positive self-to-self relationship. This goes a long way in being productive and actually enjoying time with loved ones. When you are actually present, your family and loved ones can feel & see it – this has a direct impact on your relationships with them.
How do you practice self-care?
I practice self-care every single day, even if it is for 15 minutes/day.
- Going for a walk alone. Listen to podcasts. Explore trails in the neighborhood and take photos of nature. Anything that catches my eye and shares on Instagram.
- I have lots of creative hobbies – polymer clay, soap making, making jewellery, and painting. I always have some calming music or a show running in the background. • Grab a cup of tea and watch a movie all by myself.
- If I have had a busy day, then I just go and touch my supplies, arrange them a little, or look at the projects I have completed. This energizes me big time.
- Meditation when going to sleep.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
Entrepreneurship comes with new challenges and risks every single day. For a woman, these challenges/risks can be of greater intensity. Whether one likes it or not, we still live in a male-dominated society, and the expectations from a woman when to comes to family are greater. So really speaking, entrepreneurship is an added agenda to the long list of chores. Therefore, having a self-care routine becomes very vital so they can slow down at some point during the day and focus on themselves. Have some time all by themselves and do the things that give them calm and happiness.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- Selfcare is not a one-off activity. It needs to be practiced every single day to reap the benefits and live a self-care-type lifestyle. Allocate 30 minutes – 1 hour of time with themselves every single day. All alone.
- Choose a self-care activity that is not about eating healthy, exercising daily, and related to their line of work. Choose something that is completely different. E.g., dancing, painting, etc. If you have not figured out what you like, start with eliminating activities you do not like at all. Then identify 2-3 activities you think you will enjoy. Give them a genuine try.
- Educate people around you that when you are practicing your self-care activity, no one should disturb you. For example, it may mean the husband takes care of the children for that time. If someone has young children, have the children do the same activity you are doing. I used to have my daughter play around with colors when I was doing my self-care routine. This practice gave us time together, and we learned to enjoy each other’s company. This practice lends itself to positive relationship building.
Ray Sang, Founder & EIC of IndustryMe
As a journalist and founder of the media platform IndustryMe, Ray Sang has built her career by having candid conversations with creatives about their journeys and perhaps unseen struggles. Seeing each interview as an opportunity to learn something new, Ray’s approach to journalism is centered around giving fans an unfiltered insight into the entertainment industry and specifically spotlighting the talent outside of the mainstream.
How do you practice self-care?
I am a firm believer that self-care goes beyond heated towels and bubble baths. Don’t get me wrong, those have their place, but for me, self-care is about creating positive, sustainable habits that lead to a happier, healthier version of yourself.
For me, that means:
- making sure that I get an adequate amount of sleep and not staying up late unless I actually have to.
- Scheduling downtime in my calendar so that I can be intentional about my rest periods
- Meal Prepping on a Sunday, so I have a selection of nutritious meals and snacks to eat throughout the week.
- Exercising regularly
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
As the head of a business, particularly in its early stages, if you’re not functional, everything else crumbles. Making self-care part of your lifestyle is mandatory if you want to have sustained long-term success. It’s not selfish, just sensible.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
We’ve all heard the phrase, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” That’s exactly what you’ll be doing if you continue to neglect your own physical and mental wellbeing when try to build your business. You can’t work at an optimal level of productivity if you’re constantly battling burnout. It saps your creativity and your ability to think clearly. Having a self-care routine ensures you restore balance from all the stress you encounter during the periods of work.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- Be intentional about making self-care a priority. If you don’t schedule time for it, you’ll never do it because something else always comes up.
- Learn to say no. You can have and do everything that you desire, just not all at the same time. You don’t have to take every opportunity that is thrown your way. Sense check and make sure that A) it aligns with what you’re doing, B) it’s actually worth the time it requires you to invest.
- Let go of the guilt that comes from not working around the clock. You are a human being, not a machine. No one was made to be switched on 24/7, so give yourself the grace to have those moments of tranquility when they arise.
Sarah Rose, Founder of Bright Coaching & Retreats
Sarah Rose Bright is a leading Sex, Pleasure & Intimacy coach, and she’s on a mission to empower women to discover their pleasure and feel sexually confident so that they can truly enjoy sex, create healthy relationships, and their lives can fully blossom into the incredible potential they deserve.
How do you practice self-care?
Just like learning to do anything, it takes practice with the intention that you integrate it into your life. I practice by creating space every day for self-care, just like I do create time to practice yoga.
It is a practice as many people don’t know how to care for themselves. With many women I work with, it is the first time they have said yes to something just for themselves. They come to me feeling exhausted and burnt out. Even sexual pleasure is focused on the other person and not on themselves. They often don’t know what they want or how to ask for it.
Why Self-Care Isn’t Selfish: Advice for Women.
Many women grow up not learning how to connect to their own needs, to be a nice good girl, and to look after others. This is one of the reasons women find self-care so hard as they aren’t used to it, and it can be selfish and indulgent due to these messages.
Self-care is an integral part of looking after your health and well-being and looks different for every woman. It might include exercise, eating well, creating time to switch off, and it can also include having uncomfortable conversations and setting boundaries to look after yourself, saying no to things you are doing that you really don’t want to be doing however you have got into a habit of doing them.
Self-care is a vital source of nourishment and fuel in our lives – we have an epidemic of stress and burnout, and self-care is part of the antidote. It is an essential part of living happy and healthy lives, and the more vital and vibrant you feel, the more you can bring to the world, and it is an inspiration for others around you.
Why should women entrepreneurs have a self-care routine?
I see so many women entrepreneurs who believe that success equals hard work, stress, and long hours – I was one! There is, of course, a place for hard work and long hours and times; however, it is not sustainable. I have done it, and I got through a range of addictive substances until I couldn’t carry on.
For me, self-care is essential to the life of my business. Part of my business self-care is not scheduling meetings or clients before 11 am so that I have time for Chi Gung, walking, stillness, reading, etc. Outsourcing what I can so I can focus on what I really love in my business, taking breaks throughout the day, whether to dance and move my body, go outside, do some yoga, etc
Having a self-care routine at the heart of your business changes how you do business. You make better decisions and create from pleasure and relaxation and not from stress.
It helps to create a business that is in harmony and balance with your life, with people, and the planet.
3 best self-care tips for working women’s health?
- Build your self-care time into your day. If you don’t put it in your schedule, it is unlikely to happen. I find first thing in the morning is best, so you make it happen. It might even be 10 minutes some days; however, better small amounts than nothing.
- If you have patterns that contribute to stress and busyness, such as finding it hard to say no or being a perfectionist, get some support to address these – this alone can be a game-changer.
- Create time in your day for mini-breaks, especially away from your computer, to recharge and rest, whether walking, time in nature, dancing, closing your eyes with some relaxing music on.
