7 Self-Care Ideas for Entrepreneurs & Freelancers

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We have all been guilty of equating entrepreneurship and freelancing with the endless hustle of work culture, at one point or the other throughout our lives.

Whenever we do that, we fail to realize how harmful and damaging this association can be. Blindly absorbing these falsehoods is in reality, detrimental to our mental health and our overall well-being.

Working without scheduling the proper amount of downtime will, in the end, be as counterproductive as it will be harmful.

Taking a break can seem scary for some of us, especially at first, when the idea of not touching our endless to-do lists, even for a little while, might keep us awake at night.

Therefore, we find ourselves tempted to throw our energy at the mercy of our work, sometimes on the account of everything else in our lives, fearing that we might miss “our chance”.

For many entrepreneurs and freelancers alike, hustling can seem tempting, mostly when they are a team of one or the sole bearer of greater responsibility.

While these work ethics are crucial for our success at times, particularly when we have deadlines, they are not always necessary. Every work has a cycle of little windows where we can schedule breaks without really getting behind. In these situations, our job will largely depend on how to properly spot and take advantage of them.

After a while, constantly working and never allowing ourselves some well-deserved respite can backfire greatly. It will eventually lead to various amounts of different ailments such as stress, exhaustion, or even burnout.

I, for one, have experienced burnout on many occasions, irrespective of the career paths that I have decided to pursue over the years!

I have learned the hard way, the importance of taking a step back and sometimes forcing myself to take a break and avoid an impeding work-exhaustion-related syndrome.

That is why I am sharing with you below 7 self-care ideas that are necessary for entrepreneurs and freelancers, and crucial if you want to succeed in business and life:

1. Define what success means to you: and only you. After a life-long habit of following the typical definition of success, I have finally understood that success is relative and looks different to each of us. Success can, for instance, mean having a job that will give us the flexibility to travel the world while working. Or it can be having a part-time job that will allow us to achieve a proper work-life equilibrium. At this stage in my life, with two young children and a burgeoning career, the latter definition is a winner in my book. It allows me to slowly fulfil my dreams while also being present for my children. It also helps me create a balance without feeling like I have sacrificed one part on the account of the other. Is this definition of success suitable for everyone else? It surely isn’t! That is why it is important to understand who we are and what we want out of life. Then, align our objectives, and our plans accordingly.
2. Schedule regular breaks & work according to your energy levels and not a fixed schedule. Working according to your circadian rhythms, whenever that is possible, will keep you highly productive and more effective.
3. Form a close circle of like-minded people: Entrepreneurship or freelancing can sometimes be a lonely adventure. Therefore, having people around us who are going through similar experiences will help us feel seen. Sharing these experiences with your close circle can be a great way to overcome obstacles more easily.
4. Choose the work model that suits you and your personality type. Do you prefer to work remotely or in person? Or maybe you thrive while using the hybrid method? Find out which one suits you best so you can tailor an action plan accordingly.
5. Disconnect completely, at least one day per week. If you can, stay away from your phone or your computer for the entire day, and don’t think about work. It will do wonders for your mental health. That day is a Saturday for me, and I look forward to it every week.
6. Reward yourself whenever you tackle important tasks: When we are constantly working, we tend to overlook small successes in favor of bigger ones. We fail to realize that these bigger milestones need more time and more effort to achieve and to get there, we need a lot of motivation. Constantly celebrating our small successes and rewarding ourselves will put hardships into perspective. That way, we can focus on enjoying the ride without being caught in the rat race.
7. Create a mood booster file and save it on your computer or your cloud service. In that file, include all the positive feedback and rewards you got. It might be a nice email from a client who appreciated your efforts, or a compliment from a friend who supports your journey. This will help you feel better whenever you are going through a hard time, and offer you an extra boost to keep going.

Final thoughts …

We often mistakenly believe that if we are working as freelancers or entrepreneurs, we are not allowed to take a break.

If left unchecked, these thoughts can have a damaging effect on our well-being. That’s why it is important to remember that each one of us will have a different definition of success that might change over time, as we evolve.

What is common to all of us though, is that success lies in working hard and making conscious decisions to unwind whenever we need to. We simply deserve it, after all that effort.