The Three Pillars of Self-Care

By Stacy Nordby, LMT
January 3, 2018

The Three Pillars of Self-Care

By Stacy Nordby, LMT
January 3, 2018

Avoiding owner burnout takes confidence, diligence and the ability to put yourself first. Being humble and self-aware is not the same as being selfish. In fact, it's quite the opposite. This puts the focus on self-care and self-preservation in a way that is critical to the success of your business, as well as your personal life.

Studio owners often feel they have to do it all, but educating yourself on every side of running a business from accounting to marketing can make for a pretty hectic life, and frankly, it's just not possible. Do yourself a favor and don't sweat the small stuff. Let the experts (accountants, business coaches, HR services, marketing professionals, etc.) step-in and help.

This way you can channel your energy into the things that you do best, along with tasks that you absolutely must do yourself. It can be as simple as making a list of responsibilities and delegating the tasks that can easily be done by someone else.

It's worth the money to pay an hourly administrator to make copies, set up a filing system, etc. Time should be your most valuable asset. If you need to pay someone to free up more of it to focus on yourself or as I call it, the three pillars of self-care, then it's your responsibility to do so.

The Three Pillars of Self-Care

Spiritual Health

This goes far beyond religion. This is something outside of yourself that reminds you that you are not alone in this world and that owning a studio is but one aspect of your life. This "higher power" looks different to everyone, but is the driving force behind the decisions you make. Each day, try and take a few minutes to yourself to pay attention to this area of your life — even if it's for 5-10 minutes. My co-worker calls it her "zen break." This time is not to make a quick phone call or to run and go grab a bite to eat, but rather disconnect from the chaos and focus on yourself to truly realize what you need to be happy and be the best studio owner you can be.

Physical Health

Self-explanatory. This covers the gamut from how you eat to how much exercise and sleep you are getting. If you are not making healthy decisions, it's hard to be able to enjoy your life, whether it's business or personal. You need to remember to eat, drink enough water, get 6-8 hours of sleep each night, or anything else your body needs. Maybe it's something that stemmed from that "zen break" you took earlier.

This also means being cognizant of how much alcohol or caffeine you ingest as these can affect your physical health. For example, the Sleep Foundation found that alcohol consumption blocks REM sleep which is considered the most restorative type of sleep. So, in the long run that night cap may actually be doing more harm than good.

Emotional Health

This encompasses how you handle stress to the time and attention you spend with your friends and family. I always reminded our studio owners that the business cannot and should not take precedence over your spouse or family members — including pets. We're talking about the people who are always in your life regardless of your occupation. Make time for them. Schedule it in. And do not let anything come between this time. Furthermore, try to spend time with them without talking about the business. Try coming up with a code word that your friends and family members can say that will remind you to change the subject. The key here is balance.

Balancing these three pillars can be tough. That's why it's important to stay humble and know when to ask for help (there's that spiritual health pillar again hard at work), especially from your loved ones. They can help feed each one of these pillars so that you have more time to take care of your business, as well as your employees. Just don't forget to ask for help. If nothing else, be an example to your employees by showing them what it takes to care for yourself properly. Doing so will make your business and personal life much easier and more successful.