29 Aug How to Stay Relaxed
How to stay relaxed – elongating that summer holiday feeling
It’s the end of the summer and people are starting to talk about that back to school energy. This can be very powerful and I love that feeling. However, it seems such a shame just to throw that hard-won sense of relaxation away so quickly. This is especially important for business owners who struggle to stop. Some may be finding themselves slowing down only now, just when everyone is ready to start back up again. How can we benefit from that Autumn burst of energy, but still stay relaxed?
Here are some ideas that may just help…
Do a little self-reflection to stay relaxed
What habits have you been able to bring in over the summer that benefited you? It may have been fitting in a walk most days, or just taking time out to play with the kids. Maybe you’ve been able to book some time away because your clients have been away too? Or perhaps you’ve been getting up a bit earlier with the sunlight, and this has given you a sense of more time? What could you bring with you, into the rest of the year, that might help sustain that sense of calm?
Go back to basics
As you start back up again, just do the basics at first. Do what you need to do to get things moving. Then, one by one, add in the other things and notice how they make you feel. Perhaps you’ll notice, as you reassemble your tripod, that you’ve got a sense of heaviness. This may be telling you that you really don’t want to do those Instagram reels again. Or, as you book networking events into your diary, you notice that you’re keen to meet up and have some good conversations. Notice what your body says, and act accordingly, if you can.
Schedule in your next holidays
Business owners are awful for doing this. I am always meeting entrepreneurs who take less than the statutory annual leave of an employed person. This is not right and you know it. Schedule in and book those days. If you’re likely to fill them up again, then make plans that stop you from doing that. Arrange to visit a friend, go for lunch, book a spa visit or a holiday.
Find yourself a role model
Find someone who is relaxed, calm and chilled – or whatever quality you’d like to bring in, and channel that. It doesn’t have to be a real person. It could be an imaginary you, or the future you. What behaviours do they show as they go about their day? How can you do the same?
Slow Down
If you are always acting on fight or flight, and many of us in business operate that way, slowing down can help to calm those chemicals that are hi-jacking the thinking part of our brain. Use regular prompts like putting the kettle on, or using the bathroom, to remind yourself to breathe deeply, into your tummy. Making sure your out-breath is longer than your in-breath will help promote feelings of calm and dissipate anxiety.
See a therapist or counsellor
If you simply find yourself unable to stop, get some help. This might mean that you simply cannot sit down, or that your head is churning, or both. I show my clients how they can calm this feeling down, and then look at where it’s coming from, so that we can address that. It’s ironic that a relentless drive that brings about business success can sometimes be quite detrimental to ourselves, personally, unless we know how to handle it. However, bringing your life back into balance can have a beneficial impact on your business too.
If you’d like to talk about sustaining a sense of relaxation in your life, or just some help in going about it in the first place, you can contact me for a chat or book in a no-charge zoom session here.
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