Finding ways to relax and enjoy self care as a busy entrepreneur is vital to staying healthy, focused, and fulfilled both mentally and emotionally. Burnout has become common (especially among those with the added isolation of working from home). If you’re thinking you don’t have time for a bubble bath every day, rest assured that you don’t have to put aside a lot of time each day to practice self care. Sonya Miller, owner of Luna Silk Beauty, offers five rituals you can incorporate into your day in as little as ten minutes. According to Sonya, several short rituals throughout the day can keep you centered and improve your mood, your sleep and ultimately the quality of the decisions you make in your business. Just remember that consistency is key to a self care regime that creates positive results in your life.
Meditation
Meditation is a practice we hear about often when the topic of relaxation is approached. I have found that the best time to meditate is immediately upon waking before I start getting ready for my day. I avoid looking at my phone or clouding my mind with any sort of information before heading to my quiet space to sit in meditation, from anywhere, from five to fifteen minutes. You will find that without all of the added stimulation of the day, you are able to get into a deeper meditation much quicker than if you were to meditate at the end of your day. Meditation in the morning hours will help align you with better focus and an improved ability to deal with what the day may bring.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is an excellent tool for your self care tool box. Experts believe that Aromatherapy works by stimulating the receptors in the nose responsible for smell, which in turn sends messages through our limbic system to particular brain “centers” which control emotions. Essential Oils are used in Aromatherapy to create desired mental and physical responses, such as creating a state of relaxation or grounding. At Luna Silk we have a collection called CALM that is all-natural and contains lavender essential oils, known to relieve stress and anxiety. We have many products curated specifically to create an amazing self care experience for the user. By incorporating products that contain an aromatherapy aspect into your regular routine, you can turn your shower or bath into a meditative, relaxing experience you look forward to daily. When it comes to aromatherapy, you should always use high quality essential oils or products containing high quality essential oils to receive optimal benefits.
Find a skin care routine
Developing a skin care routine is important to help you feel your best as a busy entrepreneur for many reasons. Although our skin needs a great deal of its hydration from the inside, it also needs some help from the outside as well. The elements take its toll on our skin. Hydrating your skin each day helps counteract sun damage and helps our skin age more gracefully. So many people mindlessly apply their products in a hurry, or worse, do not even bother with skincare. I would like to encourage you to take your moisturization time to honor your body. Give your arms and legs a little rub, they deserve it. Try this:
- Rub your hands and each of your fingers. This body works so hard for you. Please do not think to yourself, that you do not have time for this. You do! This process can take two minutes or five, you get to decide.
- While you rub in your moisturizer, thank your body for everything that it does for you. If you can do this in the morning, the energy of gratitude and love you infused into your moisturizer towards your body will stay with you as you move through your day. Can’t work it into your morning? That’s okay, do it at night and it will help put you into a restorative sleep through the night.
Mindful breathing
Finding your breath is really important when you need to relax. This is something you can do anytime and anywhere. Oftentimes when we are affected by stress we change our breathing rhythms to something outside of what is optimal. We may find ourselves holding our breath or breathing too quickly, both are disruptive to our well-being. The optimal breath is five and a half seconds long. We can take pauses throughout our day to spend a few minutes practicing this optimal breath. This is something that I often do when I get to work and find my parking spot. I take a couple of minutes before I get out and practice this breath. This helps me to feel more in sync with my mind and body before I walk into my place of work. Working from home? Try taking a few deep, mindful breaths before starting and ending your workday, helping you transition from one mental space to another.
Ground yourself
The process of grounding yourself can help when you start to feel overwhelmed as a busy entrepreneur. Grounding techniques are used to draw you into the present moment and away from negative and challenging emotions. They help you to refocus and realign while quieting distressing thoughts. Going outside in nature, away from technology is a great grounding method. If you are where you can take off your shoes and stand barefoot on the grass, that’s even better. Try to clear your mind as much as possible and just listen to the sounds you hear. Can you hear birds or the rustle of the wind in the trees? Take a few minutes to look around and visually absorb what you see. The leaves, the shadows, the reflections of light. Feel the sun on your skin, it’s warmth on your hair. This is what is real. This is what is constant. Mother Nature, she is strong, she holds you. Mother Nature nourishes you and brings you back to your true nature. When you feel lost or overwhelmed, connect with her. If this sounds far fetched to you – try looking up “grounding techniques.” This is an ancient practice that has helped people connect to the earth for centuries.
I hope that you will integrate these five self care and relaxation techniques into your routine. Taking care of ourselves is extremely rewarding and fulfilling. The gains in doing so will be apparent in many aspects of your life. Life as an entrepreneur can be extremely stressful and busy, take a few minutes during your day to honor your body, mind, and spirit.
