5 Wellness Rituals That Changed The Way I Look At Entrepreneurship
All entrepreneurs should practice self-care. It’s a stressful career path, to say the least. If you aren’t taking care of yourself first, how are you going to take care of your business?
1. Meditation
Once I started meditating for just a few minutes each morning, I noticed a huge difference in my mood and stress levels. Meditating has allowed me to start each day with my thoughts in order and my mind clear. I find that when I don’t meditate, my thoughts are all over the place; I’m significantly more stressed and feel like my whole day is off.
As an entrepreneur, someday you may find yourself working from the moment the sun rises until them moment you lay your head back on the pillow. Even though you are running a business, it’s important to set aside time for yourself each day to be still in the chaos and recalibrate yourself. If you are wanting to begin meditation, but don’t know where to start, look no further than Headspace, an app that helps you to be mindful each day, even if you barely have time for it.
2. Looking the Part
A self-care ritual that no one really thinks about is looking good! When you look good and you are happy in your skin, you work a lot better. So, go get a facial! Have a spa day. Go through your closet and get rid of all the clothes that you don’t feel good in, and replace them with clothes that make your personality shine.
When finding clothes you feel good in, look for things that you have always wanted to wear, but maybe have been too scared to in the past. Look for clothes that are comfortable and make you feel the most you in your skin. Wake up and put on something you feel good in! If you are digital nomad, it could be your pajamas — regardless, you’ll do your best work if you feel good and confident in yourself.
3. Eating Wholesome Foods
As an entrepreneur, you may find yourself to be so busy that sometimes you don’t have time to cook or grocery shop. Always traveling to tech-forward cities, you’ll find more restaurants and fewer grocery stores in the area because everyone is too busy working to cook for themselves.
Here’s the thing, only eat at restaurants could really be damaging to you, and your career. Working constantly is already bad enough for the body, but not giving it the wholesome foods and proper nutrients that it needs could be even worse. No matter what your diet is, you should do your best to cut back on packaged food, and spend more time in the produce section picking up fresh organic veggies. Cook at least two meals a day, and if you are going to be out an about, skip the fast food and make your way over to the closest health food store. There are health food stores popping up all over the USA, and they are just one quick Google search away.
4. Keeping a Gratitude Journal
The happiest people are the ones who are most grateful! You don’t have to go out and buy a huge journal and pour hours of writing into it each day. A gratitude journal can be as simple as a note section on your phone. Every single day, write down something you are grateful for.
A gratitude journal doesn’t have to be just about gratitude — the point is that you are actively thinking about what you are grateful for each day. I like to get out my gratitude journal at night because it gives me a chance to process my day before falling asleep. This way, when I wake up to meditate, my brain is ready to go. Ever since I began gratitude journaling, I have noticed a huge positive change in my attitude, which has resulted in feeling good about the work I am doing, and the business I am creating.
5. Sweating it Out
As an entrepreneur, it’s likely you are accustomed to long hours sitting in a chair, which means you a probably due for a long walk or a nice stretch every once in a while. Whether you hit the gym, a sauna, a hot yoga class or a long run — find a way to sweat. It doesn’t have to be every day. Maybe just once or twice a week. As long as you get your heart rate up and the dopamine flowing, your body will thank you. Working out is so important when keeping your body happy. So, start making time for it. Sweating doesn’t have to be a dreadful day at the gym, it can be scaling a rock wall, catching a wave, roller-skating through the park or an hour-long dance class. Find the way your body likes to move the best and do it.
Conclusion
I know this seems like a lot of stuff you need to do, but making time for yourself should be just as much of a priority to you as your work. Once you begin to make time for these things and you start to get in the habit of doing them, you will wonder how you ever got anything done without them.
At the very least, start your day with five minutes of meditation and end it with five minutes of gratitude journaling. Challenge yourself to only eat out once a week. Begin scheduling 4 hours of your week devoted to sweating it out. In no time, you’ll feel healthier, happier, and more grounded. That means you’ll put all of this good energy into your business and it will thrive.
