When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care, but in our many conversations with some of the most productive business owners and creatives we’ve found that self-care is one of the most effective ways to boost productivity.
Joslynn Cortes
I absolutely love this question! Self care is so important to our mental state and our creative state as well. When I first opened Vocal Love, my prayer was that I would have days full of lessons! I made it my business to go out and promote myself by collaborating with other small businesses offering my services for free just so I could get my name and brand out there. Eventually my prayers were answered and I was so thrilled! Read more>>
Ellie Fern
Self care is one aspect of being an effective musician that in the past, I definitely overlooked. As a result I was stuck in a place that was close to burnout, feeling uninspired and constantly frustrated with myself. After reaching an all time low last summer, self care is now at the forefront of my mind. If someone told me a year ago that my future self would exercise and meditate every day, I would not have believed them. Read more>>
Elena Camerin Young
Out your mask on first to help others. This instruction, given by flight attendants, is a very simple, but great concept. At first glance, it seems selfish, but at a deeper look, how can you help others, if you’re choking? To me, self care and wellness are really the first step to being strong in your mind, body and spirit. I am very careful about the food I ingest, I make everything from scratch, I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, whole grains and gluten free products. Read more>>
Nikki Frustere
Self care is such a huge part of managing stress and maintaining wellness. I wasn’t always good at it, but once I learned how positive of an effect it would have my physicals & mental well being, I never turned back. I try to keep a regular exercise routine, skincare routine, healthy diet including lots of herbal teas and anti-anxiety/stress reducing supplements as well as treating myself to a monthly massage and facial. Read more>>
Tiffany Obeng
As an indie publisher, part of my self-care plan is to give myself daily grace. Grace looks like not forcing creativity, or not getting down on myself for missing a self-imposed deadline, or allowing myself rest. Creative breaks are a must for me, especially as a “rapid publisher.” Giving myself grace and taking breaks allows me to reset, refuel, and avoid burn out. In 2022, I took a break after releasing 10 books in 8 months. I did not set a deadline for my break. I went with the flow. During the break, new ideas starting coming to me. Read more>>
Paige Muwakkil
Every morning that I wake up I give thanks. I look in the mirror and I tell myself “Let’s go tackle this day and be Majestic AF,” I drink a cup of tea, burn some sage and play my Crown’d playlist. While my self care goes much deeper than this, this is the foundation. These tactics keep me grounded, enlightens me, hypes me up, reassures me, and challenge me to show up as my best authentic self every day, wherever I go. Read more>>
Natasha Chomko
I feel like I do so many things for my self care that I sound insane when I lay it all out at once. Before getting into it, I got sober in 2016. Since then, I’ve needed to do a lot of these things to keep my head on my shoulders. The biggest — and most impactful — thing I do is avoid bringing my phone into the bedroom. I don’t use it as an alarm clock – I got one that tells the time. I don’t need to answer any calls or emails immediately before bed or after I wake up – I am surely not that powerful to change the course of anything with a time sensitive contribution. Read more>>
DENEKA DOVE
I enjoy training and fitness. I workout 4-5 days a week in order to maintain my energy as well as my mental wellbeing. I do this along with therapy in order to keep myself focused and have time for my personal self. When you are well in mind, body and spirit I have had the ability to do my best work and provide the best customer service experience as a Beauty professional. Long hours need me to be in tip top shape. I recognize my ability to execute service in a timely fashion and have more energy to get through my days. Read more>>
Barbara Levin
Self- care is an integral part of success in the world. To be present in your career and make good decisions, one needs to be mentally clear, physically alert and as free of stress as possible. I swim 5x a week, eat well and try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Scheduling time for a workout, a vacation and time with friends and loved ones should be done as diligently as scheduling a business meeting. Read more>>
Tom Barber III
I have learned to just slow down to appreciate your surroundings. Simple as smelling a beautiful flower or watching the squirrels play recklessly can change your outlook . With less stress in my life I can be totally effective to create art. Read more>>
Jasmine McNair
When a lot people think of self care they may mention getting their nails done or taking a long hot bath with candles burning, and all though those are forms of self care, mental self care is the most important. I have learned in my life of being an entrepreneur, a wife, a mom, a woman of color, a creator, and a long list of other titles, that life is forever moving. During all that movement time slips away and we start to develop routines. Read more>>
April Mondelli, NCIDQ
Being physically active is a very important act of self care that has always been a big part of my life. I love to work out first thing in the morning before I start my day. Whether it’s going for a run with friends before the sun comes up or attending group fitness classes, giving myself that hour to focus only on myself allows me the ability to focus on responsibilities with a clear and refreshed mind for the rest of the day. I give myself the gift of that time to guiltlessly socialize with my friends in a healthy way which helps to prevent me from getting that overworked or overstressed feeling from being the hard worker that I am. Read more>>
Stephanie Jones
Self-care comes in many different forms for me, starting with journaling which is my top favorite. Aside from carrying around my journal (at all times, in the case of a random urge to write), going to the gym is a way that I use my day-to-day frustrations to release my stress physically. On days where I don’t feel the most optimistic, or motivated to go I will listen to music to ‘get me in the mood’, take some pre-workout and push beyond the thought of ‘not wanting to go’. Read more>>
Anulika Agu
With being a business owner, it’s really easy to go completely into work mode and start neglecting your over health and wellness. I definitely noticed myself becoming extremely consumed with my business and forgetting to take time for myself. Growing up I’ve always been in sports or active is some kind of way. I started incorporating working at 7AM 5 days a week as a form of self care for myself. Read more>>
Nisha Patel
Self-care is essential to my reparenting process and the foundation for my overall well-being. The idea of self-care has become extremely popular because more and more people are shifting their understanding of what self-care truly means. The first time I remember hearing about self-care in the context of meeting my needs was through social media and further learning about it in college. Before that, my definition of self-care was limited to words like a spa treatment, vacations, and/or self-indulgent acts. Read more>>
Nisa Williams
In the past, I believed that self-care meant going to get my nails done, getting a massage or many of the other activities that are suggested in the mainstream. I looked great on the outside, but the internal feelings of peace, rest, joy and beauty that I desired remained elusive. Over the years, as I studied and became a practitioner of Social & Emotional Intelligence I discovered that what I was actually doing was considered self-maintenance, which is defined as the act or process of maintaining oneself. Read more>>
Shalon Morrow
My self-care consists of what I tell my clients to do. Take a rest day, work out, drink more water, and know when your body is talking to you. I can’t tell other to do something and I’m not doing it. Every day I share a story to Instagram an/or Facebook. It’s usually about motivation or how we can stick together to accomplish or goals. My clients appreciate that. I have people concisely sending me messages on social, texting, or calling say they appreciate the prep talk or the motivation, making them want to do more. Read more>>
Tayler Straziuso
Therapy is the number one thing I do for self-care every week. Having that hour once a week to talk through things with another person is so valuable and makes life a little easier. I also make sure to put time aside for myself, to take a break and just hang out at home with my husband and dogs. I also try to do yoga and get massages on a regular basis as well as go on a walk with my dogs daily, to keep my body feeling good. Read more>>
Nicole Wagner
Self-care is something that I strongly value, even though it is not always something that is easy to remind yourself to do. When you’re in the middle of your busiest season, and everything around you feels like you can’t catch a break, taking some time to yourself to do something you love is really important. I personally go to the chiropractor weekly, and get massages biweekly. Read more>>
Connor Rosenbaum
Being a full-time college student participating in club sports, I prioritize self-care over everything. This includes eating healthy and drinking water daily, getting the proper amount of sleep each night, and taking care of surroundings. Doing so, will have a beneficial impact on your physical and mental well-being. When it comes to playing soccer, I treat my warm-ups and recovery just as important as the exercise itself. Read more>>
Tempest B
Taking time for self-care has always been an issue for me. In the past it has been a struggle to understand that I need to take a break and do something for ME, something I can enjoy. Self-care is something I have worked diligently towards incorporating into my life. I usually like to take a Saturday and treat myself to a sit down breakfast, preferably at a place I haven’t tried before, then I will go sit at a lake and relax or do some retail therapy. Anything to get me out the house and somewhere I can enjoy myself and relax. Read more>>
Zakia Miller
On the record, I’d like to state, that I’ve been president of the “self-care club” before the internet made it a thing. My favorite form of self-care is exercise. I enjoy long walks and challenging runs. I also really enjoy journaling. My strategy is to go for a long walk and organize my thoughts along the way, I then transfer my thoughts to my journal and create an action plan when needed. It’s a great process to efficiently and effectively strategize your personal and business objectives. Read more>>
Shi Min Yong
Self care is important to me as it’s the only time where I can decompress and have some downtime. The self care routine that I like most is doing a series of simple tasks – household chores, cooking and decluttering. It helps me to relief stress and enjoy small things in life. I work long hours during the week so I try to be mentally or physically active on the weekends whether it is exercise or meeting up with friends, reading, watching a old movie or visiting a museum. Read more>>
Celeste De’Vine
For me self care looks like being intentional about the way I speak to myself. Instead of asking myself what am I going to wear in the mornings, I ask myself, “How will I adorn myself today?” I incorporate positive affirmations into my daily practice. Self care also includes making time to relax and maintaining a clean, peaceful living space. I like to think of myself as a mermaid, so I love taking baths and being surrounded by beautiful things. Read more>>
Katrina Williams
SLEEPING more!! Getting rest is vital when it comes to your body and mind. If you’re not well-rested, it can become difficult to make decisions and care for yourself and family. Healthy eating!! Another vital factor. I encourage people all the time to drink enough water, preferably through fruits, eat your vegetables and get some SUN as much as possible. Self-care for me gives me the opportunity to set boundaries without feeling guilty. I value my worth and will continue to do what is best for me. Read more>>
Sandra Encaoua
We live in a very anxious world and it is complicated to protect ourselves. Personally I don’t listen to the news, I don’t have a television and I try to be in touch with my inner self to find inspiration. Nature is also very important to me because it brings me back to the essential and soothes me. I think that you have to prioritize the important people/things in your life and keep away from the rest. Otherwise we are overwhelmed by information and bad vibes. Read more>>
Keela Starr
I introduce self care into my life in different forms. I practice self-reiki and meditation daily. That keeps me grounded and balanced. I also enjoy making natural body products, cooking and baking as a creative outlet– it brings me peace. I’m a certified Reiki Master and Officiant. My practice is called, The Nova Center. My office is located in Atlanta, Georgia and the majority of my clients are referrals. Read more>>
Jed Anglade
The two main things I do for self-care is meditation and sleep. At some point your body will give in to exhaustion. Instead of fighting tiredness accept it and get yourself to bed. This is vital especially when you get older and just walking outside to your car begins to feel like a chore. This isn’t only for older people. Starting a healthy sleep pattern early (we all know how living in your 20s can get) will help you out considerably in the long run. Read more>>
Kimberly Boyd
My self care routine includes therapy, staying in touch with my friends and family, attending church and going to my favorite restaurants. My self care routine is not hard and doesn’t require a lot of time but I sometimes still drop the ball. It’s easy to put everything and everyone in front of the things I enjoy doing but it’s important to make sure I take care of myself to prevent burn out . Read more>>
Angel Montague
Self-care for me means honoring my needs and prioritizing my well-being. Some days it is spending time in the ocean surfing and connecting with nature. While other days it means staying in, wrapping myself up in a blanket and resting. Self-care can be time with myself or time with loved ones who nourish me. It just depends on my mood and how I am feeling, honoring my cycles, letting go of any doing and instead just being. Read more>>
