Love languages & self-care for business owners.
Well, hello there fellow small business owner. Now this one isn’t just for the designers, or the creatives. This one is for all the small biz owners out there, doing their own thing, creating their own reality.
This one is for all those people who are making it work, working full time, putting their heart and soul (and blood, sweat and tears) into their business. It’s for those who forget that they need to stop and take a break. And then forget how to relax when they do eventually, unwillingly stop for a second. Or a day.
I’m here to help you navigate the trickiness of taking time out for yourself and the importance of actually removing yourself entirely from your business even just for a day or two.
I’ll be the first to put my hand up and say I am guilty of this. There is always something that needs to be done and literally no one else is going to do it. Except me. Because Third Ginger Studio is a one woman show.
So, I get it. You can’t stop because business doesn’t stop.
But let me tell you, business owner to business owner, the world keeps turning, your IG followers keep on living their lives and your business isn’t going to lose relevance in a day.
The first step is actually deciding you need a lil’ break. Decide to take the afternoon off or an entire weekend. And if you’re a planner, plan a little self-care day.
Self-care is more than just doing a face mask. For me, it’s exercising, spending time with friends, enjoying a glass of wine watching some trashy reality tv show. It’s doing whatever the f*ck I want.
Love Languages
But I’m also learning that I can give myself love in other ways. And it all started with my love language. My girlfriends and I started a book club (we’ve read one book in about 3 months, so it’s going well) and our first book was “The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman and everything you learn about how the languages can be applied to yourself as well. It’ll be these small things during the week or while you’re working that will make a huge difference on your productivity, your mindset, your focus and so much more.
If you haven’t read it and don’t know your love language – you can take the quiz here.
Step One
Take the quiz and figure out how you receive love.
Step Two
Think of the things you can do for yourself through that love language.
Step Three
Do them! They don’t have to be time consuming, expensive or totally out of the norm. Just do something for yourself that will show yourself some love.
How I practice self-care
I receive love through quality time and words of affirmation. And I give love through acts of service. I’m still trying these out and every day is different to the last. Some days I feel like eating ice cream in bed watching The Crown and others I feel like going for a long run.
It’s just about listening to your body and doing whatever feels best. You have no one to impress except yourself! I first set aside some time for myself – sometimes an afternoon, a Friday evening or even 20 minutes before I start my day.
I crave spending time by myself. I don’t get much of it, so when I do, I relish it. I spend quality time with myself by going for long walks, listening to nothing but my inner dialogue (scary, at first yes, but I’ve had a lot of breakthroughs during those times). Sometimes I’ll think of everything, sometimes nothing. Or I’ll grab a nice glass of red, make myself a little cheese platter, put Netflix on, wear an oversized shirt and my fuzzy slippers and just chill out on the couch. Literally heaven.
Words of affirmation is a new one for me. I’m still not 100% across this one, but I’m getting better. It’s not easy to change your self-talk after 26 years. It’s been a learning curve, but I’m learning to be gentler on myself and say kind, positive things because that’s how I’d talk to my friends and family. So why not myself?
And I give love through acts of service. So, I do things for myself. I treat myself. I cook myself dinner, I clean my house, I organise my desk the night before. It’s these little things that I do that makes the next day a little bit easier.
From the community!
I reached out to the community last week and asked how they, as small business owners, take time out to relax and reset and what makes them feel good. How do they practice self-care?
Here were a few of their answers!
“Yoga, bush walking and meditation”
“Sometimes a nap is needed every now and then”
“Make a tea or coffee and just sit out in the sun for 10 minutes”
“Escaping in a good fiction book!”
“Instagram notifications off, a walk in nature and good book”
And there you have it! A few ways that you can treat yourself a little bit special and practice self care and self love as a time poor business owner. You’ll notice a huge difference in your mindset and in your general wellbeing by being kinder and treating yourself with love and patience.
What do you do for yourself, big or small? How do you practice self-care and self-love as a business owner?