Small Business Owners, You Need to Take Care of Yourself

If you’re a small business owner, the world seems like a pretty scary place right now. There is so much uncertainty in the air. People who have never experienced anxiety are starting to struggle with it. And those of us familiar with the emotion are feeling it tenfold. It feels like there is always something to worry about – like the wellbeing of your employees, the financial state of the business, how you’re going to pay rent, mortgages, and loans, and keeping food and necessary essentials available for your family and loved ones. We’re sure you were stressed prior to the Covid-19 outbreak and we empathize with the increased stress you’re under now. This is why we wanted to take a moment and encourage you to take care of yourself right now, as it is more crucial than ever.

A Flipped Perspective for Well Being

As “gloom and doom” as the world seems right now, there are a number of people out there trying to look at this entire situation differently. While we are all worried about our collective future, anxiety thrives in worry of the unknown. But to combat this, many small business owners are looking at the “stay at home mandates” as universal permission to slow back down – which is something we all desperately need.

As technology has advanced, so too has our commitment to work. In most cases, we work more than 40 hours a week. We rationalize our careers as our priority because they are a means of creating stability for ourselves and/or families. Take a moment and think about how many things have put off over the years due to your career? How often have you felt the symptoms of burnout? Or driven yourself to a breakdown entirely? If you have kids, how many sporting events or school concerts have you missed? How often have you looked at their photo on your desk and thought, “I’m missing their childhood, I’m missing them grow up”.

Take Care of Yourself Now So You Can Continue Leading Later

It’s crucial we use this time to take a step back and take care of ourselves again. Our ultimate success is driven not by just our work ethic, but also our overall health. Health is not just our physical beings, but our mental and spiritual beings as well. It’s also a cycle, meaning it’s being constantly fed by each and every choice we make – both positive and negative. This is an opportunity to fill your cup and create habits that will drive your success as a leader once this is over.

How You Can Take Care of Yourself Now as a Small Business Owner

Self-care looks different for everyone, but if you’re not sure where to start, try these things:

Sleep and Recover

Take advantage of this time to sleep and rest if you can. Rest is one of the most important parts of taking care of our wellbeing. It is during sleep that the body does most of its repair and strengthening. If you’ve been getting by on only a few hours of sleep each night, now is your chance to actually give your body the recovery time it needs to function optimally.

Eat Nutritiously

Many of us have heard the phrase “abs are made in the kitchen”. And while that is one way to look at it, we like to think that our wellbeing is made in the kitchen. Proper nutrition is the fuel we need to be our best. Food, whole, nutritiously dense foods, allow us to grow, thrive, and function properly.  Use this time to reconnect with food (and those you’re socially distancing with) by trying a new recipe or two.

Move

Just because you can’t go to the gym doesn’t mean you can’t move. While physical exercise is great for our physical bodies, exercise also greatly benefits our mental health. When we’re active, our brains produce “feel good” hormones and chemicals that put a little extra pep in our step. Try any of the online classes offered during this time and find a style that works for you. Involve those you’re quarantined with as a way to bond and connect.

Avoid Other Mood Enhancers

We know the urge to drink and engage in other recreational drugs and mood enhancers is strong right now. And while a glass of red wine here and there is beneficial from an antioxidant point of view, relying on these coping mechanisms isn’t great for us overall. While they may put a damper on those negative emotions now, they are interfering with our internal makeup which can lead to issues down the road. Learning to sit with your negative emotions and working through them now will only benefit your wellbeing.

Here’s how else you can stay sane while practicing social distancing and self-care

Small Business Owners and onCOREventures

We know you may be reading this and be thinking, “Sure, this sounds great, but is it really doable? You don’t understand the pressures and stress I’m under.” And we understand. We know the world has completely flipped in a matter of days. Remember, we are all adapting the best we can with the tools we have available to us. But when you arm yourself with care and connection, you’re only increasing your chances to find success not only now, but later on too. onCOREventures has been working virtually for years and can help you navigate these uncertain times. If you feel more lost than ever and unsure of how to keep your business running, we would love to connect and help you through this. We’re in this together and we want to see you succeed and come out stronger on the other side!