How Self-Care Can Boost Your Productivity

Written by Guest Contributor: Danielle D’Souza —How much time do you schedule for self-care when you plan out your week? Do you even schedule it in at all, or hope that a pocket of time will magically free up? Taking care of yourself is an essential part of your business, and scheduling some time each week to do something that supports your wellbeing can create more space in your day – let me show you how!

Spend Time to Create it

Have you ever felt like there are not enough hours in the day? You are not alone. Today, many people worldwide are burnt out and overwhelmed, trying to optimize the hours that are available in a day. As a result, we eat our meals far too quickly, spend all day immersed in our daunting to-do list, and experience sleepless nights only to wake up tired and begin the day again. 

We feel this way often not due to lack of time – it’s stress. When we are stressed, our mind and body cannot function optimally because it is too busy redirecting energy and releasing hormones for us to fight or flight. Since there is no physical threat for us to defeat or outrun, this energy use hinders our ability to think, focus, and be productive. 

When we take care of ourselves (whether it’s five minutes or five hours), we allow our nervous system to rest. We give ourselves a break from our work and our stress response. When we release stress, we are better positioned to direct our energy towards the things that matter – clear thinking, focus, productivity, increased memory, creativity. 

What is Self-Care?

Self-care involves taking intentional, consistent actions to support your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Intentionality means that you choose to engage in self-care (often because you realize the benefits – this is your why). Consistency invites you to practice self-care regularly, not just during times of distress or challenge. Essentially, the more frequently you commit to practicing self-care, the more you can be in control of your energy use. 

Self-Care in Action

Self-care can start with small actions you integrate into your day, for example;

• mindfully brushing your teeth
• a walk around the block
• gratitude

 … and can also expand to include more well-thought-out activities that need to be scheduled, for example;

• daily/weekly movement
• meditation
• taking an art class

When setting aside time for self-care, don’t hesitate to add it to your calendar. Please treat it with importance, like any other business meeting; after all, you are your most prized investment.  

Here are some of the ways that you can add self-care to your schedule to help nurture both your body and mind:

• Physical Self Care – pay attention to the foods you eat and how you manage your use of energy (e.g., eating nutritious meals, staying hydrated, going for a walk, taking a yoga or movement class, playing sports)

• Mental Self Care – engage in activities that bring you into the present moment and allow you to balance the logical and creative parts of your mind (e.g., listening to music, meditation, painting, learning something new, etc.)

• Emotional Self Care – sit in awareness of, and hold space for your emotions to be expressed (e.g., journaling, talking to someone you trust, affirmations, gratitude).

Remember, self-care does not take an entire day or involve a big financial commitment. Instead, the more regularly you practice self-care, the more energy you can create to truly grow and nurture your business. 

About Danielle

Danielle D’Souza is a yoga and meditation teacher focused on helping women bring more self-love into their life through movement, meditation, and mindfulness. She is the host of Release and Restore – Guided Meditations and also recently launched Awaken to Self-Love a Facebook community for women on the journey to self-love. You can find out more about Danielle and her company Yes and Yoga by visiting her website www.yesandyoga.com

 

Looking for guest contributor opportunities? Please email me at: catherine@catherinenikkel.com with a brief introduction to who you are and, how your topic of expertise relates to Mindful Media.