Society’s definition of ‘wellbeing’ has shifted throughout the decades. What people used to automatically define as merely ‘diet and exercise’, has now materialised into a much more well-rounded view of human health. Our awareness of the importance of mental health has increasingly grown - a massive leap in the right direction, and the 21st century has realised that really nurturing our wellbeing starts from within; because overworking and burnout aren’t fixed by doing a few reps on the barbells every week.
The idea that we must work ourselves to the bone every day is old-fashioned. Overworking culture is simply just outdated, and society is starting to advocate the importance of mental health far more than it used to. If you’re a business owner, then you and your business are synergetic. So by this logic - if you nurture yourself, then you nurture your business. Nothing is ever worth mental burnout, so valuing your mental and physical wellbeing when running a business is invaluable, because it allows you more capacity to grow creativity, and think innovatively - which has some pretty immense outcomes for your business's growth.
So in light of our recent podcast on this very topic (in which James and Jamie discuss the pillars of wellbeing), this week’s blog explores the different avenues of wellbeing, and how these areas can positively impact your business and help it to grow bigger and better.
What wellbeing really means
Wellbeing is so much more than just eating a salad for lunch. Wellbeing isn’t a black and white topic - it incorporates so many different facets of life and behaviour which all contribute to wellbeing in their own different way. Physical and mental wellbeing are harmonious, and they are compartmentalised in different stages of your day, sleep, nutrition, rest, socialising, water intake, social media consumption, mindfulness and meditation, family time, alone time, fitness, connection with the outdoors, and self-awareness - to name but a few. These are the more important, deeper facets of life which interweavingly make up the sphere of human behaviour. And paying attention to all these areas of life has infinite benefits - improving not only your mental health but the upkeep of your business too.
By fulfilling all the different areas of wellbeing, your productivity is likely to soar. Dedicating the time to self-care is like recharging your batteries. Striking a healthy balance between work and life allows you to face a new day of work with fresh eyes every time, which supports decision making and betters judgement when facing challenges. The stronger we are mentally the better we are able to tackle workplace challenges.
Start with a ‘self-audit’
To really progress both your wellbeing and your business, it’s good to start from within. James describes this as 'running an audit of yourself.' That is, assessing your awareness of your emotions and identifying the source of struggles which may affect your wellbeing. It's quite a personal thing to do, but it allows you to dig deep and take positive actions which can really nurture your wellbeing. Finding avenues for emotional outlets where you can address your struggles is important too - we are talking about mental health more and more in the modern era - but advocating an environment that allows people to feel comfortable with talking about their struggles can really make huge changes.
Evaluating and strengthening areas of life which are lacking is like strengthening a muscle. Changing and developing new habits doesn't just happen overnight, so try and start slowly. For example, many of us are glued to our emails as soon as the alarm rings. Swapping this activity for something more mentally beneficial like journaling or yoga might help ease you into the working day more constructively. Dedicating the time to yourself, and separating your self care habits from your work can nurture your business outputs.
The post-COVID era has challenged many of us to reconsider new ways of scheduling time to balance the needs of both wellbeing and work. Unfortunately, the fallout of COVID has seen a massive increase in mental health issues - an inevitable outcome of mass social isolation. It's hugely highlighted the importance of socialising for mental health, and has forced many business owners to reconsider ways of working that suit both the demands of the business, and the wellbeing of their employees.
Be nice to yourself
Yes, running a business can be tough. It's demanding, time-consuming, and can be difficult to keep up with. Responsibility can be a heavy burden to carry, particularly if lots of outcomes are relying on your actions. Nurturing wellbeing is easier said than done for busy people, but by taking the time to dig deep into these behavioural patterns can help establish new ways of compromising old detrimental habits to avoid the dreaded 'burnout'.
With that said, and in plain terms, looking after your own wellbeing simply requires one thing: being nice to yourself.
