Let's talk self-care

As entrepreneurs, we take pride in working 12-hour days, working through weekends, and not having an ounce of a social life. Our days are often fueled by lots of caffeine and little nutritional food to get through it all. And self-care … what’s that?

We’ve all heard this term, right? Millennials and Gen Z are obsessed, and believe it or not, it’s grown into an $11 billion industry. Self-care can take form as an expensive yoga class or saying ‘no’ to a night out, but ultimately, everyone has a personalized best-practice that works for them.

Sputnik ATX CEO Oksana Malysheva preaches staying on your game while building a business because guess what? Your business is only as good as you are.

The first step is to take a step back. Working 100+ hours a week may not be the best for your physical and mental health

The next step is to experiment with a few self-care practices to see what works best for you. We asked our summer 2019 cohort founders what their best practices are.

“I spend some time every single day in silence, and meditate. It's always the first thing in the morning, after lunch and at the end of the day when I get home.” said Tradiies co-founder and CEO April Snow. “It can range from 5-10 minutes, to a full hour. It cleanses my mood and helps me to set new intentions and replenish.”

OpenTeams co-founder and COO Eunice Chendjou said, “For me, it’s working out every morning at 5 am. I love weight lifting, it makes me feel strong.”

There are many forms of self-care, some more traditional than others. For instance, UConnect Esports co-founder and CEO Dylan Liu enjoys walking around grocery stores.

Here is another list of self-care ideas for you to implement into your daily or weekly routine. We all deserve one or two of these, no matter how busy we are.

• Make your favorite home-made meal (and turn off your phone while you eat it)
• Do something that energizes your body (yoga, running, climbing to name a few)
• De-clutter (your inbox counts too)
• Journal consistently
• Stop screen time at least an hour before you try to go to sleep [1]

The last step is to give yourself a pat on the back. Admitting you need a break is hard. We’re conditioned to be busy all the time and be shamed when we’re not working. Yes, give your 100% to your company, but be sure you’re at your 100% too.

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