Business Owners
Why Business Owners Need To Make Health a Top Priority
You started your own business because you dreamed of being your own boss and pursuing your own vision. Yet, how much are you willing to sacrifice to make things work? If you want to achieve sustainable growth, you have to factor your health and wellbeing into the mix. Read on to find out why, as a small business owner, you need to prioritize your health.
Owning a Business Is Stressful
While it may look glamorous to an outsider, owning a business involves a lot of stress. You'll face a seemingly endless stream of responsibilities every day, from hiring and training employees to tracking and responding to your business metrics.
On top of that, the stakes could not be higher. When you own a business, you end up internalizing the pressure of keeping your business afloat. Each success and failure feels like a reflection of your worth as a person. This places a huge burden on your shoulders, which can have negative impacts on your health.
Stress Is a Leading Cause of Illness
You've heard it from every doctor because it's true, too much stress is bad for your health. While a little bit of pressure can motivate you to achieve amazing feats such as at sporting events and presentations, chronic and severe stress is very dangerous.
Chronic stress is different from the regular pressure of running a business. You may feel a healthy amount of stress during the good times, but this can easily turn into a feeling of being constantly overwhelmed when things aren't going as planned. If you can't seem to escape brain fog, and you're having a hard time staying focused, you may have the early signs of chronic stress. There are many symptoms associated with chronic stress. Some of these include:
• Debilitating headaches
• Gastro-intestinal problems
• Anxiety and depression
• High blood pressure
• Insomnia
• Heart issues
As soon as you notice any of the above symptoms, you should speak to your healthcare provider and commit to interventions that can help you manage your stress.
Managing Stress Leads to Improved Wellbeing
Ignoring stress is dangerous for your health, and managing it can improve your overall sense of physical and mental wellbeing. As a business owner, you have to spend some time focusing on your personal needs, things that aren't related to the struggles and successes you encounter at work. Separating the two worlds is vital if you want to bring your best self to work and still have gas left in the tank when you reach home at the end of the day.
5 Strategies To Regain a Healthy Lifestyle
To achieve a better work-life balance, you'll need some healthy lifestyle strategies. When you've invested so much into a dream, it's not easy to step away, even if you understand the benefits. You can use these five strategies to begin your journey to better health and then lean into what works for you over a longer period.
1. Limit your screen time when you're not at work. Avoid staring at your phone during meals and before bed.
2. Stick to a schedule for starting and finishing work. Outside of these work hours, try to unplug from the business and separate work from your personal life.
3. Exercise regularly and include meditating and stretching in your daily routine. Even just fifteen minutes of high-intensity exercise every day can significantly improve your health.
4. Pursue a hobby that makes you happy. Doing arts and crafts and participating in social activities are both great ways to safeguard your mental health.
5. Practice deep listening and honest communication with those around you. Keeping your stress bottled up will only make it worse, and your relationships will benefit from a renewed sense of honesty and empathy.
As a business owner, you're a leader in your community. People look to you for guidance and hope. When you prioritize your health, you're showing others that they can do the same thing. In this way, you can make an impact not just on your industry but on your community.
