Self-Care 101: Entrepreneurs - Easing the Mind, Body, & Soul
Lizzy Lewellyn | Aug. 21, 2020, 10:40 a.m.
This blog series is for students seeking advice or guidance on connecting with their inner selves. It is also for students or those who want to learn tips and tools that they can use lives to handle their feelings and emotions during their day to day lives. Know that you are in a safe space to learn, process, and be vulnerable with yourself. If you are reading this as a teen entrepreneur, it can sometimes be stressful to balance academic and business life.
It’s OK not to be OK sometimes, don’t forget to remind yourself that you CAN get through whatever challenges you may face. It can be natural to want to ignore difficult thoughts or feelings. The problem with this approach of ignoring your feelings is, you are just displacing those emotions by directing them towards the back of your mind, making you think that they have disappeared. You’ll come to find out that these unprocessed emotions could turn into outbursts or other episodic mood events. This is why a great approach to your challenges is to face them head-on. Take control before they take control over you. Dig deep and tap into your inner strength. You are an entrepreneur, and as an entrepreneur, you are expected to bring balance in all situations. There will be times when you will make mistakes, in business and your life period, but you will learn from them. With each mistake you make, you will learn how to become more successful in the future. Then your greatest mistakes will guide you towards your proudest achievements!
Make yourself a priority
In life, there’s often times when we are so consumed by everything while running our startup and studying that we disregard any concern for ourselves. Giving your time and energy to others, especially those you care for deeply, is good. It’s healthy to be socially active and supportive of others. It’s also healthy to be passionate and strongly devoted to your work; however, not at the expense of your health and well-being. To take care of others while having a successful business and career, you must prioritize yourself or you’ll exhaust all of your energy. These stresses can lead your business or startup into complications if you are not well enough to give it the proper amount of attention it needs to be successful.
If, as a teen entrepreneur, you are someone battling with mental health challenges such as depression or anxiety, self-care is crucial for maintaining a stable and healthy life. Give you and your body the appropriate care it needs to function correctly and be healthy, it’s important to have a positive and goal-oriented mindset. Self-care will help motivate you on days when you are feeling deprived of energy or purpose. Take a moment and ask yourself this question.
What does my life look like on a day-to-day basis?
Do you have a morning or nightly routine? Do you have a goal you’ve given yourself to help guide you through the week? Do you have tips you use to help you during stressful or triggering situations? These are great examples of tools that can assist you with remaining on a steady path. Most people tend to do better with structure or consistency within their life, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Everyone is different, so this can be an ongoing learning experience. Attention to regularity is not something you can find a simple solution to on the Internet. Don’t be shy to research and ask questions. Being educated on what your circumstances or conditions could be, is a great start! Whether it’s your self-restrictions holding you back, a lack of sales, customers or product issues, remember there’s always a new day. As long as you work hard with lots of dedication, you will see positive outcomes.
Find your balance
It is also important to pace yourself; you don’t need to know everything all at once. Not every teen entrepreneur has all the knowledge to run a business. Remember that most successful self-made billionaires have failed many times before they have seen success. Also, your mental health is not a race with a finish line. It’s not something that you can “get rid of” or make disappear, but you can manage it with discipline while living a healthy, productive life. Give yourself time to read, understand, and process information, so you’re not overwhelmed. Not everything you read will apply to your specific situation. Do NOT self-diagnose and come to quick conclusions. It can sway you to believe things that may only be conjured up by emotions such as self-doubt or lack of confidence.
Mind-Body connection
We sometimes misinterpret signals our bodies send us, often at times, the real antagonist is the brain itself and the struggles that reside within it. This is likely, especially if you struggle with anxiety, depression, or any other emotional health challenges.
We all have days when we wake up and dread stepping out of our warm sheets. This is an excellent example of how a positive mindset comes into play. Your mind-body connection is meant to work cohesively, if not to assist the other to function well. Now, this does not apply to everything. However, you are more likely to function when your mind is in a positive state—at least in my opinion. Some use exercise to physically jumpstart their day. For others, they take a simple shower to start the day clean and refreshed. Everyone’s different and has their approach. Every teen entrepreneur should try to invent a personalized routine that they can follow. You can use it as a guide to help you stay on track, mentally and physically.
We are not invincible. We are human. We bruise, we lose, and we bleed. But that does not mean we can’t succeed! The body has lots of different senses, just like the mind, and sometimes you need to use one to tap into the other. Believe in yourself and love yourself because once you learn to do this, you can build the confidence to do anything you set your mind to!
Take time to reflect
I continue to practice these methods myself, and just like you, I still have my good and bad days. The difference today from who I use to be is, I now have these tools to use whenever I need guidance. I will continue to dive deeper within these tools and discuss them more thoroughly throughout this series. Together we can continue to learn, grow, and succeed. Just don’t forget to slow down and breathe.
Our future as teen entrepreneurs evolves from our attention to mind, body, and soul. Take it from me, I too, have my challenges, but self-care is all about being the best version of YOU that you can be.
written by,
Lizzy Lewellyn
Entrepreneur | Artist | Blogger
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
