It can be difficult to remain healthy when you’re very busy. Sometimes, it can seem like an impossible task to stay on top of your health as well as run a business, take care of a family and have an active social life. It can seem overwhelming, and like there’s nothing you can do to take care of yourself better! Many business owners report overworking themselves and neglecting their health and life in pursuit of growing their start-up. However, your health is very important when it comes to your happiness, stress levels and productivity, so keeping on top of your health is in your best interest for your small business. After all, you can’t work to your full capacity if you’re not taking care of yourself and neglecting your mental and physical health. Here are all the ways you can take care of yourself, even if you’re extremely busy starting your small business empire.
Eat Well
Eating well is half the battle when it comes to taking care of yourself and your general well-being. Your diet affects so many different aspects of your health, including your likelihood of developing diabetes and heart disease, your ability to fight off infection and your dental health. Your diet can even affect your sleep hygiene. Make sure that you are eating well-cooked, nourishing food. Many business owners report eating lots of fast food, or quickly making meals low in nutritional value as they are too busy working. One business owner even reported that they worked whilst suffering from shrimp food poisoning because they were so busy! It’s important that you eat well to stay healthy – investing in meal-prepping services and quick healthy takeout (such as salads) can help you eat right without spending too much time cooking and preparing food.
Don’t Overdo The Networking Drinks
Networking is very important when it comes to securing great contacts to help your business grow. However, many networking events often involve drinking activities and visiting bars and pubs. Drinking a lot of alcohol can be bad for your health, and can hinder your body’s immunity and ability to heal from infection. Instead of drinking a lot, why not order non-alcoholic drinks or organise alcohol-free networking events? This will allow you to keep your alcohol consumption down while still making those all-important contacts.
Get Exercise In
Most people should get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day in order to stay healthy. However, when you’re running a small business this can seem impossible to fit in, especially if you have a family as well. You can fit small bits of exercise into your daily routine, such as taking a 30-minute walk during your lunch break and standing up regularly at your desk. Fitting in small amounts of exercise like this can improve your health, especially if you don’t have the time to play a sport or go to the gym.
Mitigate Your Stress Levels
Stress can have a very negative effect on your mental and physical health, and can make you less productive. It’s only natural that you’ll experience some level of stress while setting up your small business, so it’s important to take care of yourself and find ways to mitigate your stress levels. Stress can significantly decrease your immune system’s ability to fight infection, and can even cause digestive issues. There are many ways you can mitigate your stress levels, such as meditation, taking time for yourself, and having a positive mindset.
See Your Friends
Sometimes, business owners find that they end up isolating themselves and not having time to see friends because they are so busy setting up their business. However, neglecting your social life can have significantly bad effects on your health. Social isolation has been linked with an increased risk of developing dementia, heart disease and strokes. The pandemic made the effects of social isolation on people and society more prevalent – as much as you can, try to see your friends and family. Having a healthy social life can improve your general health and make you feel much happier, which could allow you to be more productive at work.
Check In On Your Health
Keeping up with doctor, dentist and optician appointments can seem overwhelming when you’re working on starting a business. Often, you can only get appointments within normal working hours, which is often when you are working on your business. However, keeping up with your medical appointments is imperative for keeping up with your health, as they can spot problems and issues before they become worse. Try to make all of your appointments well in advance, so you can plan your time around when your appointments will be – organisation is fundamental to taking care of your health. If this is still too much of a struggle, try to look for surgeries or dentists in the local area with flexible working hours, so you can still get regular check-ups.
Take Plenty Of Breaks
It’s important that you don’t spend all of your time working, as this can have negative effects on your mental health. Make sure to take time off and have regular breaks away from your work, as if you don’t take regular breaks you can become stressed and overwhelmed. Unwinding and recharging your mind will help you become more productive and help you to mitigate stress levels, which is so important for your general well-being and health.
Reduce Blue Light Exposure
In the modern age, running a small business often means that you will be looking at screens all day. You’ll probably need to use a computer or other digital device to keep on top of your business’ website and digital marketing strategy or use your mobile phone in order to keep on top of all communications. However, devices like computers, phones, tablets, and TVs emit blue light which can be harmful to your health. Blue light can affect your brain’s melatonin production, which can be harmful to your sleep schedule and stress levels. Using blue light filtration glasses, blue light protector screens and avoiding devices for an hour before bed can mitigate the amount of damage this can have on your brain.
Finally, Get Some Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important things you can do to stay on top of your health, especially when you’re busy running a business and taking care of a family. There are many things you can do to improve your sleep, such as avoiding blue light, getting in exercise and eating healthily (as aforementioned.) However, optimising your bedroom for sleep can also massively help when it comes to improving your sleep. For example, making your bedroom cool and dark can help you fall asleep a lot better. Investing in soft cushion sets, blackout curtains or weighted blankets can also make your bedroom more comfortable and make it easier for you to sleep. Scents such as jasmine, ylang ylang and lavender can also make you more relaxed, making it easier for you to sleep.
Taking care of your health when you’ve got a busy schedule isn’t always easy, but by following just a few of these steps you can make it easier for you to be healthy while having a full schedule. Don’t neglect your health – look after yourself, and you will see both you and your business thrive.