We have been exploring all the values of the Business Wellbeing Club in detail over the last few months and are now on the penultimate blog of the series.
Here we look at a core value that should be a core value of your life: making time for your personal health and wellbeing.
In our busy lives we tend to put everyone (partners, family, friends and employees) and everything (work, housework, taxi service, household admin) first.
We seem to have an intrinsic fear that making time for ourselves will make us look selfish or lazy. But self-care is a vital part of our life – if we don’t look after ourself then how can we expect to care for everyone else?
We need to make sure our battery doesn’t run out! We need to keep re-charging and there are plenty of small things we can introduce to our daily routine that will help.
In this blog I am going to share some practical tips on making a bit more time for self-care and some ideas that you can use that will help you make time for yourself. Remember though, that everyone is different, so what works for one will not necessarily work for someone else. Have a look through them and see where you can make the changes in your life.
One of our members, Vicki from Bevic Marketing is on the Board of Directors of No Phones at Home Day and you can find a Digital Detox Self-Help Guide here on their website.
Do you know how much time you spend on digital devices, often in fairly mindless scrolling? If you write down all the time you spend in a week, you will probably be shocked. Digital devices are stealing our time, stealing our focus[1] and having a negative impact on our mental and physical wellbeing.
In their Digital Detox Guide, No Phones at Home Day provides 10 device detox activities – by selecting just one of them to incorporate into your life you will probably improve your wellbeing AND free up some “me” time.
Lack of sleep is something that many of us struggle with. Making your bedroom a no-tech zone and having tech-free time before you go to bed can really help with your sleep and therefore your wellbeing. Picking up a book instead of scrolling your phone not only helps with sleep, but just 6 minutes of reading a book can reduce your stress levels.[2]
You will often hear the phrase “if you want something done, ask a busy person.” In some ways, this is true, because busy people often have a “can do” attitude and are good at managing their time. But, if you are that busy person, there may be times when you need to say ‘no’.
Many of us find saying ‘no’ difficult. We might be worried about losing business or falling out with family and friends. Then there is the fear of missing out or a fear that you might be seen as “difficult.”
But, saying ‘no’ is crucial if you want to manage your time better, reduce stress, set boundaries and help you to prioritise.
Most of us want to be people pleasers, so some ways to continue this while still saying ‘no’ include:
“No, I can’t do that work today, but I can do it by the end of the week.”
“Thanks for thinking of me but I am not able to make it this time, but please remember me another time”
Think about the small things that make you happy and make a habit of putting them into your schedule. Here are a few ideas that you can fit into your daily or weekly routine:
None of these take up much time and might seem like tiny changes, but as James Clear says in his book, ‘Atomic Habits,’ “They are little habits that are part of a larger system.”
Once you get into the habit of making time for yourself once a day, or even once a week, you will feel the benefit to your personal wellbeing. What’s more the people around you will soon learn to respect that time.
The main thing is that the self-care aspects of your life fit in with your routine, otherwise you will not maintain them. If you have to travel 10 miles to a gym you are probably not going to do it! Look at some easy swaps you can do to improve your health. Here are some examples:
Your personal health and wellbeing is vital to your business, your family and your friends. As happiness guru Kristi Ling says, “Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honouring them.”
How do you make time for your personal health and wellbeing?
[1] Read Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus
[2] Lewis, D (2009), Galaxy Stress Research, Mindlab International, Sussex University.
