Simple Wellness Tips for Busy Business Owners
Social media platforms are full of ‘experts’ giving a plethora of, often conflicting, advice on wellbeing. There is so much noise out there, that it can really feel like a lot. When we as small business owners (who already wear many hats) access all of this information, it can compound our levels of stress. But wellness should be here to support us and not steal from us! Cat Lau from Cat Does Wellness spoke to us about how we can create simple, sustainable wellness habits alongside our busy businesses.
What is wellness anyway?
The definition of wellness according to the National Wellness Institute is that “Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.” The World Health Organisation says that it’s the optimal state of health of individuals and groups, and this encompasses 8 key pillars of wellness: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental.
Considering the goal of wellness is to be at optimal levels across the board, this can feel pretty overwhelming, which can add more stress to our minds…and even more so when the people, bodies, or aesthetics being shown online don’t reflect you either.
Well, true wellness isn’t an aesthetic. It gets to be whatever you make it because it’s all about how wellness supports you and your life. It can (and should) be personal to you and simple to do!
“Wellness isn’t about how you present, it’s about how present you get to be in your day-to-day life”. Cat Lau
Keep an eye on our Instagram for more sustainable business tips and to connect with our brilliant community of likeminded business-owners – we’d love to hear your thoughts! Wild members, you can watch the full workshop, ‘Sustainable Wellbeing for Busy Business Owners’ in the Wild Library.
Simple and sustainable wellness tips to think about
Don’t forget to fill your cup
Despite all the roles we have in life and business we have limited amount of energy to draw from, so it’s helpful to think about these responsibilities as an energy exchange. And just like your accounts, they need balancing. For everything you give out, you need to put something back in — every time you take a sip, you need to top your cup back up.
Write down all the things that give you energy. What makes you smile? It could be dancing around the kitchen, going for a walk, playing a game, chatting to a friend. Big things, little things, anything and everything that brings you joy is important.
Now consider how often you are doing them. Is it regularly or maybe you haven’t done one of your favourite things in months. What are you currently doing and what you could be doing differently? It’s important to do this with a big dose of self compassion! This isn’t a time to be critical of what you’re not doing — come from a place of curiosity and with the intention to grow.
Remember The 3 S’s
Simple — Keep your wellness practices as simple as possible. Things don’t need to be fancy, expensive, or trendy to count. The whole point of wellness is that it’s for your benefit, so if it works for you, it’s doing the right thing.
Spacious — Wellness can sometimes become all-encompassing (like meal-plans that stop you from going to a restaurant, or 10-step evening routines that stop you from attention an after-work event…). Instead, it should integrate with your life right now — it’s supposed to create more space in your day rather than taking up more of your precious time.
Sustainable — Just like setting your biz goals, you need to make sure your wellness practises are realistic, otherwise you’re just not going to keep up with them. It needs to meet you where you are right now and what you need in this season of life.
Build a tiered wellness system
Wellness doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It can be easy to get inspired and attempt to change everything at once, then ending up feeling guilty when we don’t achieve it all. That doesn’t work with our marketing, product development, or our personal wellbeing journey. Building a tiered wellness system helps you start gently (tick!), keeps your choices intentional (tick, tick!), and gives you options for those moments when you need to slow down (tick, tick, tick!!!).
Use the things from your list of energy givers above and split them into 3 tiers:
Tier 1
For when you’re low energy or short of time, choose 1 thing that can be done reeeeeeally easily.
Example: Take a few deep breaths when you wait for the kettle to boil
Tier 2
For when you’ve moderate energy or have 15-30 mins available, choose 2-3 things that will support your sense of wellbeing.
Example: Sunlight, movement, a journalling session
Tier 3
For when you’re high energy or have over 35 mins to focus, set a group of practises to support you in the best way, right now.
Example: Skincare routine, affirmations, movement, journalling and meditation
****There’s no perfect recipe or secret hack for doing wellness ‘right’. Just as every business owner is a different, every wellness journey is different too. As entrepreneurs, our businesses are often an extension of ourselves — and we need to remember to take care of ourselves, both for our own wellbeing, and so that we can bring our best selves to those we work with and for.