Self-Care is the Difference Between Surviving and Thriving
Guest blog by Judy Hahn, Functional Medicine Health Practitioner
You are motivated and have a vision for your business but get bogged down with the day-to-day tasks and burdens of managing it all. Added to that are all the family to-dos. Creating work-life balance can be tough. It’s challenging to find the delicate balance between cultivating a thriving business as your own boss and a happy home life. But, believe it or not it starts with putting yourself first and making self-care non-negotiable.
If you just thought, “well, that’s pretty selfish,” hold that thought. Even on a plane they warn you to put your oxygen mask on first and then to help others. You need to be able to breathe to help the others around you. And, in business as in your personal life, it’s the same. Make yourself a priority so you can give your best and provide value to others..
We are all super “busy,” moving at the speed of light, taking care of everyone and everything except ourselves. We eat on the run, we grab fast food, we stay up late and get up early. We may be taking care of our parents and taking care of our kids too. We don’t stop long enough to realize we have a headache, indigestion, our shoulders are up to our ears, we’re clenching our teeth – or that we just feel lousy. Those signals are gifts that we are given by our body that we are choosing to ignore because we are too “busy.”
Now I am not a big numbers person, but I want to share one statistic with you that blew me away.
90% of all doctor’s visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
Stress, we all know it’s bad for us, but did you know there is good stress like having a baby, getting married, a new job, a raise, or a trip. Then there is bad stress, I’m sure you know this one well already. Unfortunately, as evolved as we think we are from the caveman, when it comes to stress we are programmed to respond in the same primitive way to threats or stressors. The stressor is maybe different but our physical, emotional, and mental response is the exact same. He had a saber-tooth tiger, we have a boss, a deadline, a speech, a huge contract, a new baby, etc. Our bodies react the same way – they go into fight or flight response.
Yes, good or bad stress has the same response…muscles tense, heart pounds, insulin sends glucose through the body so we can escape, breathing increases, and this is the big one…anything that isn’t essential to escape shuts down, like digestion and reproduction. Nope those aren’t needed, so if you wonder why you get indigestion eating on the run, now you know why.
The key factor in caring for yourself to begin moving past survival mode to a thriving life and business is self-care. The missing component as part of our daily practice is caring for yourself, aka self-care. This is the foundation in all you do and everything you pursue.
The key to making self-care a priority is to create a plan and put it in your planner, as you would any meeting with an important client. Self-care doesn’t have to look the same for everyone and can change daily. It is knowing yourself and meeting your needs that day. Next, make a list of things that you enjoy doing to care for your body, mind and spirit. Start by asking yourself what you might need in that moment. Is it health related? Do you need rest? Do you need a creative outlet or have fun? Do you need a connection?
Self-care is setting boundaries in your life. Creating space for you. Always remember that it is okay to say “no,” it’s a strength to say no, you’re defining what you value in your life. Also, try to release the “need to do it all alone” mindset. Ask for help if you can to relieve stress and delegate tasks when possible. This can be hard, but you will come to find how energizing it is.
Taking small steps to care for yourself will shift you from surviving and position you to receive success, happiness and joy. That’s what we all want, right? Is that your definition of “thriving?” Most likely that’s why you became an entrepreneur – to move beyond survival, to thrive while you achieve your dreams and goals. Remember the key component – caring for the dreamer, YOU.
Judy Hahn, a recovering sugar addict, emotional eater and someone who brought herself back from the brink of a nervous breakdown caused by the stress of her corporate job has always focused on serving others. Today, she is a national board-certified health & wellness coach and a functional medicine health practitioner. Her passion is discovering the root cause of health issues holding people back from attaining the success in business and in life that they desire. Her clients experience abundant energy and laser-sharp focus in just a few short months thanks to their collaboration with Judy. She helps them to create the optimal health environment that they need to thrive whether they can't sleep through the night, have brain fog, digestive issues or depression. Each client receives a fully customized program to address their specific health issues as well as working on the whole person to balance body, mind and spirit. She works only virtually with all of her clients so that she can serve people world-wide.
https://www.hahnholistichealth.com/