Are You An Entrepreneurial Emotional Eater?

A guest blog  by Health Coach and Emotional Eating Expert, Shannon Lagasse.

Dear Entrepreneur,

Let’s talk busy schedules.

Because if you’re an entrepreneur, whether you’re new to the industry or not, it’s highly likely that your calendar is filled to the brim with action and activity.

 

This is a pic of my calendar, so you get a feel for what I mean.

 

 

(Please note that I do the morning rituals in my sleep. This is because I am never actually awake that early anymore. In all honesty and transparency, a more accurate representation of my calendar would include a leisurely morning and lots of staying up late to read the latest fictional novel on my nightstand.) 😀

This kind of busy bee lifestyle leads us to eventually burn out, become overwhelmed, or resent the work that we’re doing. Yuck. Who wants that? That’s definitely not what I signed up for as an entrepreneur.

So how do we make sure that we’re maximizing our productivity, attracting ideal clients, AND maintain the feeling that it’s our first day on the job and we can’t get enough of what we’re doing?

Self-care.

A lot of folks think self-care is selfish. I beg to differ. When you make time for self-care, you show up better. Your energy is more magnetic (leading to more clients). You no longer resent your clients for taking up all your time. Instead, you love them for giving you the ability to do work you enjoy that also allows you the flexibility to spend some much-needed time on YOU.

As an emotional eating coach, I work with a lot of self-employed individuals who find themselves escaping into a bag of chips or a pint of ice cream (or occasionally even a whole plate of nachos) after a long day of work. These people thought that working for themselves would provide freedom and allow them to work less. Instead, what they’re finding is that working for yourself is hard work! And after they’ve spent hours marketing, networking, and working with clients, they feel like they deserve a “reward” for all their efforts: FOOD.

As a fellow entrepreneur who has an über busy schedule, what with writing a book, meeting with clients, and frequent travel, I can totally relate. Which is why I want to share with you my top tips to avoiding emotional eating as an entrepreneur.

1. Make time for yourself. You’re in control of your calendar. Make an appointment for a date with yourself like you would a meeting or client appointment. Guard this time as if someone were paying you a million dollars to keep that commitment to yourself. When you do this, you’re saying to the universe, “I deserve good things.” And you know what that means, right? (Just in case you don’t: more clients, more money, more opportunities…)
2. Set boundaries. If you’re like me, you’ll jump through hoops of fire to make your clients happy. And while I would definitely encourage you to provide the best customer service possible in your biz, I also want you to set boundaries. This could be as simple as eating meals without disruption or turning your phone off at night. It could also mean that you check emails only 2 or 3 times a day instead of every hour on the hour. Start setting boundaries that feel good to you, and respect your time.
3. Learn good time management. If your clients are scheduled haphazardly, you’re going to feel off-kilter, and you’re going to find it damn near impossible to concentrate, because as soon as you jump into a task, you’ll be hopping on another call. Set regular times to meet with clients, with prospects, and with networking colleagues. Schedule your errands to be run back to back. Make sure you’ve got time for all your priorities, including family and relationships, penciled in.
4. Take regular time off. When you can work at anytime from anywhere, it’s easy to be glued to your iPhone 24/7. Turn it off. Unplug for a weekend (or even just a day). You don’t have to go on a long vacation to relax. Sometimes just 24 hours of downtime away from your computer is enough to restore and rejuvenate you.
5. Pick your priorities. We all know that there are endless things to do in a day. Don’t think you have to do all of them. Decide what absolutely needs to get each done, what’s going to make the biggest impact in your business and in your life, and do that. Get in touch with why you left the 9-5 and started a business of your own. Was it to spend more time with your family? Was it to travel more? Was it so you could sleep in every morning? You don’t have to wait ’til you make 6 or 7 figures to do those things. Start doing them now, and you’ll find that your business will flourish as you live the life you desire.

Now think about how you feel when you think about doing 1 or all of the above. Do you get a little nervous? Does the thought, “There’s no way I can do all that AND make a profit” come to mind?

Let me let you in on a little something: You need energy to build a business. You need drive, motivation, passion, and enthusiasm.

And those are things you can’t buy. Instead, your investment has to be in yourself, to renew your energy so you can get out there and fight the good fight every day. If you’re a Law of Attraction kind of person, you’ll know that you reap what you sow.

If you’re sowing a balanced life, focusing on both work AND play, you’re going to get more of that. If you’re just working non-stop, you’re probably going to find yourself backlogged with endless work. Which would you prefer?

What step will you take this week to protect your time and find a better balance of work, play, and self-care?

Share in the comments so we can support you!

Love, Shannon