The Art of Balance: How Female Entrepreneurs Can Manage Work and Self-Care
Can we be honest with ourselves for a second?
Life as a female entrepreneur can be a thrilling adventure. There are highs and lows, twists and turns, and sometimes it feels like you’re hanging upside down with your hair on fire. But, fellow baddie, in the middle of the chaos of building an empire, it's crucial to not forget the art of balance - a dance of toeing the line between work and self-care.
It’s easy for us to fall into the mentality of always needing to get tasks done and move on to the next, forgoing time to actually enjoy the life around us. And where’s the fun in that? So I took it upon myself to come up with a list that will help manage your work, while administering self care. Let’s dive in!
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries is like creating your own personal business plan for self-care. It means understanding when to say no, when to delegate, and when to take a step back. This is important because it ensures that you aren’t overextending yourself or burning out.
Here are some examples of setting boundaries:
Time block a daily hour or so that has you completely stepping away from your business. This can be reading a book, working out, spending time with family, etc. By blocking this time out every day, you are consistently hitting your self-care goals.
I personally block out 4:30pm to 8:00pm every day to spend with my family. I step away from my business completely for those few hours and come back refreshed and clear headed.
Schedule “Me” Time
This is non-negotiable time set aside for you and only you. It might be a spa day, a walk in the park, or just enjoying a cup of coffee in silence. This is crucial for mental rejuvenation and helps to prevent burnout.
Do not confuse this as setting boundaries. Although similar, scheduling “me” time is essentially all about you. Even if it's just 10 minutes of silence alone drinking coffee, it's imperative to have that quiet time to reflect and absorb the day or the day prior.
If you have kids like I do, this might look like you getting up a little earlier before everyone else or staying up after everyone goes to sleep to really bask in the oh-so-joyous sound of nothing.
Healthy Eating
We’ve heard it 1000x throughout our lives, “You are what you eat.” But guess what, they’re not lying. A balanced diet fuels your body and mind, keeping you energized and focused. This is essential for maintaining high productivity levels throughout the day.
This one goes to the top of the difficult-to-follow column for me. When you work full time, run your own business, try to raise decent human beings, all without running around with your head cut off… eating balanced meals goes out the window and eating convenience rears its delicious head.
However, when you don’t fuel the body with what it needs, you get sluggish, tired, cranky, brain fog, etc. Consequently, putting in the time to prepare meals is more than worth it in the long run for your body and mind.
What I’m saying is… stop being lazy and prepare some delicious balanced meals for your body and mind ahead of time. The weeks I’m successful in this I spend less than two hours preparing and cooking meals for the week. I promise, it’s worth it.
Exercise Regularly
This might be a hill I die on, but if you are not exercising regularly, you are doing yourself a disservice and you need to switch it up - like yesterday. Exercise is not just about maintaining a healthy body but also about fostering a healthy mind. It releases endorphins (I’m sure you’ve heard of that healthy lil hormone) and reduces stress levels. ESSENTIAL FOR HIGH STRESS ENTREPRENEURS. This is important for maintaining a positive mindset, which is crucial in the challenging journey of entrepreneurship.
Exercising regularly doesn’t mean you need to go to the gym for hours a day and be the baddest in the room although that would be a cool title to have. Any kind of movement can be beneficial for your body and mind. In fact, just moving for 30 minutes a day can be a game changer. You could walk around your neighborhood, swim, bike, garden, etc.
Walk like a pro around your neighborhood, lift some weights, get into a class, yoga, etc. the list goes on and on and on.. Just move. My easy movement is taking my toddler around our neighborhood for 30 minutes while he is on his bike and I’m just walking with him.
Get Enough Sleep
I would bet money that most entrepreneurs sleep less than 6 hours a night. It's hard to calm the mind with all the creative ideas, tasks for the next few days, due dates on upcoming projects, etc. However, sleep is your body’s natural way of healing and rejuvenating. It’s also when your brain processes the day’s events. Getting enough sleep helps you to stay sharp, make better decisions, and be more creative.
But being a self proclaimed insomniac how do you actually sleep? Some of the easiest, non-medical ways to help promote sleep are stopping all screen time an hour (or two) before you go to sleep. I know this can be INCREDIBLY difficult. You have emails to read, leads to get back to, orders to check… TikTocs to watch… but did you know that any blue light suppresses the body’s release of melatonin? It also alerts your brain to stay active, which is the opposite of what you need.
Try a sleepy girl mocktail! Add tart cherry juice, lemon lime Poppi, and a scoop of magnesium and see if it helps you to fall asleep faster and also get a deeper sleep!
Meditate
Mediation helps to calm the mind, enhance concentration, and promote relaxation. This is important for maintaining mental clarity, making better decisions, and reducing stress.
Here are some ways you can mediate:
Guided Meditation: Use a recorded voice or video to guide you through the meditation process.
Mantra Meditation: Repeating a calming word or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.
Mindfulness Meditation: Paying attention to your thoughts as they pass through your mind, not judging them but observing and accepting them.
Breathing Meditation: Focusing on your breath, observing each inhale and exhale without trying to control it.
Walking Meditation: Concentrating on your body while walking slowly and steadily.
Visualization Meditation: Picturing a calming or inspiring scene or image in your mind to help you relax.
Yoga Meditation: Combining physical postures, breathing exercises, and meditation.
Loving-Kindness Meditation: Sending out feelings of love and kindness to yourself and others.
Walking and Mindfulness are my go to, but all are powerful in getting your mind calm and where you need to be.
Stay Socially Connected:
Connecting with friends and family can provide a much-needed break from work, a sounding board for ideas, and emotional support. This is crucial for maintaining a sense of balance and perspective.
When you are constantly in the state of mind of running a business, sometimes the world around you gets a little wonky. That is why staying connected to friends and family to keep a healthy perspective is imperative. You do not want to be stuck in your own head for days on end. We’ve all been there.. It’s not fun nor is it healthy and productive to our wellbeing.
So remember to send that friend or family member a text or call!
Remember..
Balance is not about achieving a perfect 50-50 split between work and self-care. It’s about finding what works best for you and understanding that caring for yourself is just as important as caring for your business. So, run your baddie empire, but remember to also run a bath from time to time.
You’ve got this!
