IT’S NOT SELFISH, IT’S SELF LEADERSHIP!
When I talk to solopreneurs about looking after themselves they often say ..
” I do want to but it never seems to happen ”
“It’s a nice idea but in reality..”
“Life’s too busy”
“Mindfulness, yes I love a bit of yoga!”
And then end up talking about all the demands of working for yourself.
“What do you risk if you don’t prioritise yourself physically and mentally?”
As a solopreneur myself I know the pressures of running my won business and keeping pace with a busy family life. It’s not easy, there can be a million demands and emotions in one day.
If you’re experiencing worry, low mood, lack of concentration and irritability don’t ignore them. This is vital information your brain and body is giving you to SLOW DOWN, TAKE NOTICE AND TAKE ACTION.
When you’re self employed there isn’t a senior leader looking out for you or an HR department offering L&D opportunities. It’s down to you to care for yourself, to demontstrate good self leadership, to be in control of what you know to be best for you and your business.
Rather than just ploughing on, steps need to be taken to prevent illness.
” It is expected that 1 in 6 people will experience depression in their life time”
The research is clear. It shows that in these post pandemic times of competing worries, cost of living concerns, hybrid working and always being ‘on’ with our tech the negative affect on our mental health is soaring.
And the really good news is that beginning a simple regime of selfcare can be incredibly simple to begin.
– Beginning at 9am and ending at 6pm
– Blocking out diary time just for planning and thinking
– Having half days of no meetings
– Swithching off all the alerts on your phone
-Taking a lunch break
– Getting some fresh air
But you already know this, so what would make the difference in taking positive action for your own long term selfcare?
What caught my interest was embarking on a TRAINING OF THE MIND, learning a set of skills that I could access anywhere and at any time.
Then as I learnt more I realised that mindfulness is a robust, science backed set of skills which can help encourage resilience, reduce propensity for stress and burnout, aid concentration and much, more. There’s resarch to shows that over time it changes your brain…for the better!
“Just 10 mins a day can show an improvement in attention, concentration and memory”
So what’s not to like?!
When I work with clients, the value that is found in ringfencing 30-45 mins once a week to talk and to practice mindfulness is enormous.
Even when there’s lot of resistance, and there can be plenty, activley deciding to stop rushing and to notice what’s going on in the body, mind and environment is invaluable as is learning how to respond to what you find.
These are skills that will always be with you and unlike many ‘general well-being activities’ you don’t need anything else except for you and your desire to look after yourself. Ultimatley looking after your own health means we’re looking after the health of your business, your employees, your families and friends. As luck would have it, research shows that the more we practice selfcare the greater our propensity to look after others as well.
It’s a win win!
—————————————————————————————————————————
This article is written by Georgie from Time For The Mind – Mindfulness & Well-being Coach.
Keep reading, sharing and tagging so I know who to thank!
