Seven Strategies to Get Your Work and Life in Balance -- Today!
by Helaine Iris
















Stress is high,  your energy is  low. Sound  familiar? This is the common experience of
most small business owners I know. Owning a business can be like running a
marathon. You know you're in it for the long haul, there's not much time to catch your
breath, yet you push on. You can easily see how this scenario can lead quickly to an
out of balance life.


Despite everything you know (in theory) about taking time to care for yourself, how
important it is to "pay yourself first" for some reason you don't. You create a million
reasons not to take your own good advice.


Why is this? I suggest it's because you have conflicting needs.

One of your needs is to take care of business, it's your livelihood -- you need to
handle details, regardless of how many hours you've already worked. It goes with the
territory of being a business owner. It's like getting up in the middle of the night to
care for a sick child -
- you just do it.

The other need is you, your health and your sanity. You know you need to carve out
time for self care but because the long term, negative results of not taking time for
yourself is not immediately evident, you put yourself last. You've adapted to a
baseline level of stress and have somehow made it acceptable.


Don't beat yourself up over it, it's not all your fault, our entire culture perpetuates
this preposterous habit and it's very, very hard to break.


While it's important to address this as a cultural concern -
- that would be one more
thing on your plate, and the point of this article is to make more room in your life for
you, not less.


Hopefully, by finding a balance between your need to take care of yourselves AND
your business, it will leave you time and energy to go out and change the world -
- if
you want to.

Here are some on-the-fly strategies for grabbing self care moments.

1. Dust off your journal and write.

One of the best ways I know to quiet the mind and access your deeper thoughts is to
write. Even for only five minutes. Let yourself write in an uncensored way. Let your
thoughts flow without concern for grammar or impressing a reader. Be curious about
what your inner self wants to tell you.

2. Call someone.

A five minute conversation with a friend or trusted advisor can inject you with some
well needed perspective. It's harder when you feel stressed AND alone. Ask for some
venting time if that's what you need. Or, talk about something completely off topic
from what's on your mind. Laugh together. Make sure you seek out someone you feel
safe sharing with.

3. Return to your source.

Walk in nature, meditate, exercise. What gives you personal strength? Whatever your
spiritual orientation, reconnect with it. Remembering that there's something larger
than you can help create perspective when you're focused on your navel.

4. Take yourself on a date.

Coffee, dinner, a weekend away. You decide. A change of environment can clear away
stress and freshen your spirit. Find and explore something new in your familiar
surroundings. I guarantee your perspective will shift.

5. Do nothing.

Don't panic even if you feel the world getting tighter around you. Take five minutes to
stop. Remember that when you're highly stressed your decisions are likely
compromised. Take the phone off the hook. Close the door. Sit and breathe. This will
help you recharge your battery.

6. Check in with your body.

A few minutes of stretching. Stop for a healthy meal. Take a bath. I've been guilty of
not stopping to pee when I have to. (
Okay, over share!). Ask yourself what would feel
good right now and give it to yourself.

7. Reconnect with your vision.

It's easy to let the bigger picture slip from your awareness and get lost in the
immediacy of life. I've been building a house this year, very stressful. I've been
myopically focused on all the details and mostly seeing all that isn't done yet.
Yesterday, I took a walk into the field adjacent to the house and sat in the sunshine for
a few minutes. Instantly I was reminded why we were drawn to the land in the first
place. I was filled again with my vision and the original excitement when we started
the journey. It turned my stress around in an instant. Vision is a powerful antidote to
stress.







About the author: Helaine is a Life and Business Coach, who has been featured in numerous
publications, including "O" The Oprah Magazine. She helps entrepreneurs and
professional
women accelerate their professional success, while achieving a more complete and fulfilling
personal life. She combines a broad range of professional experience in her work, including
management positions in the education, training, retail and international non-profit sectors. For a
free consultation, contact her at 603-357-8546 to discuss how she can help you
accelerate your own success. You may also visit her website,
Path of Purpose, for additional
information, or email your questions to
helaine@pathofpurpose.com
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