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continued on from.... Running a business and your wellbeing



            .....the wind and the rain, I look forward to the view and when it gets tough, I draw from deep inside where I know my dream resides, and I keep going.


When things come crashing down around me, in my head or in my environment, this is my ‘First Aid’ sequence of events which I would like to share with you;

•Recognise that you are finding it tough. Know your signs. Are you snappy, irritable, not sleeping, unable to concentrate, things appear to be going wrong a lot, you’re making mistakes…? You need to stop! These signs, in multitude and over time, hours and days or longer, indicate you need to take care of yourself!

•Give yourself permission to stop. It’s like a social badge of honor nowadays to appear so busy, sleep deprived and stressed. Like our busyness represents our achievements. What is that about??

•An immediate thing to do is to go outside. Nature is always great to ground you and diffuse negative & challenging emotions. Go outside regularly and you will notice feelings of calm lingering on long after you are back inside at your desk working. But go outside in an acute situation and appreciate the distance it puts between you and the thing that has you up the wall. Breathe deeply 2-3 times and notice where your body makes contact with the ground.

•Drink some water, and check in with yourself if you are hungry. When we are thirsty or hungry, we often have less concentration, focus, productivity, tolerance… the list goes on! Avoid reaching for high sugar snack foods, such as chocolate, as they will pick you up and drop you twice as quick, go with fruit and nuts, and a small piece of dark chocolate. Remember your blood sugar will fall after 3-4 hours, so unless you are on a proper fasting diet, nourish your body regularly to avoid those dips.

•Brainstorm all your to-dos. When our head is so full of things we have to do, they are just whizzing around up there making it very difficult to focus and be productive. Slow this activity down by putting it all on paper. Now you can tackle it strategically; what can you delegate, what is a priority, what are 5-minute tasks and what do I need 2 hours of uninterrupted time for, etc, etc.

•Make a focus list. Now create the plan, the list that gives you focused direction! Organise your brainstorm and see your tasks sorting themselves out. You are back in the driving seat!

Looking after your wellbeing whilst running a business is a challenge. Make a plan and be prepared. Use some techniques that you commit to doing, whether you are feeling you need them or not! Chances are when you feel you don’t need them, you need them even more!


Some routines you could adopt are;

 Gratitude journaling

Yoga

Meditation

Walking

Gardening

Exercise/sport

Baths

Hobby


These types of activities offer a good antidote to our busy lives, running a business or not. People who do practice some of these on a regular basis, notice how they are not as stressed, are able to clear their head and remain more focused and calmer, especially in acute chaos situations.

By doing these activities regularly you increase the chances greatly that you will see that you are in trouble, and do something about it.


What I mean is this; have you ever been doing good and then stuff happens and it’s challenging, and you know you are stressed/upset/overwhelmed/etc/etc but you don’t act, you don’t practice any self-care, and suddenly you are in the eye of the storm and you can’t see how to get out…


The amount of people I see as clients who come to me for just that reason. They have totally lost sight of how not to be in the hamster wheel, they don’t know how to get off. They don’t know how to start getting their live back on track.


So, think about what you have just read and act sooner than later!

2020 Sarah Heffernan
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