4 Ways to Feel Better without Spending a Dime
The truth is, you have to be resilient AF to make it as an entrepreneur.
When it comes to feeling good, some days I feel like I'm "queen of the mountain" on mastering this topic, but I def still have those days where I feel like I'm rollin' in the mud. C'est la vie!
I've been deep-diving on what it takes to become a resilient entrepreneur and mindset is KEY! It's one of my favorite things to talk about. In fact, if we were hanging out right now on this sunshine-y day, we'd post up in my little courtyard, split a kombucha into a couple fancy glasses (duh! 💅), and we'd quickly get into what we're brewing up for the future, what our mindset blocks are, and what we're learning about overcoming them. (I'm not much for small talk!) I think this is a topic we'd all benefit from getting more honest about + talking about more as entrepreneurs, don't you agree?
Today, I'm sharing 4 strategies I use to feel better when I have my inevitable "off" days, and, without spending a dime! I hope they help you out! Give one of these a try next time you catch yourself feeling something other than well-being:
STRATEGY 1: DROP WORRY THOUGHTS (AS IN, THIS VERY MOMENT!)
Have you considered that you can literally drop the thoughts that bring you down? When it comes to mindset, sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. Genevieve Rackham introduced me to this idea of dropping worry thoughts in the Fall and I have been practicing it ever since. The thing is, worry is never productive. In fact, it's typically negative speculation and/or self-sabotage. Dropping worry thoughts in their tracks is definitely a skill to learn, but it looks a bit like this for me:
Notice a worry thought come up
Choose to listen to it as if it's someone else's opinion I can take or leave
Confidently say to myself (in my mind, but feel free to do it outloud if that's your style. No judgment here!): "I don't agree with that!" The key is to feel yourself drawing a line emotionally.
Drop it + move on
When I first started this I was like "Ohmygosh! What can I even think about?!" I hadn't realized how much of my mind was consumed with unnecessary worry/trash thoughts. THEN, an amazing thing happened: by decluttering the negativity, I created a bunch of space in my mind for new ideas and meaningful, creative work. From that place came content like the post you're reading now!
STRATEGY 2: DECLUTTER YOUR SPACE
This is another favorite of mine. I've heard it said that the outside (meaning your physical space), matches the inside (your mind), and I don't think a statement could be more true. Have you noticed this to be true for you?
Even though a cluttered space can result from a cluttered mind, you can calm your mind by taking 5 minutes to calm your space. PLUS, this is a great way to use your anxious energy to do something positive & productive if you tend to freeze up when you get overwhelmed.
STRATEGY 3: REFRAME HOW YOU THINK ABOUT THE CRAPPY THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO YOU
When crappy things happen to you, this one can be a challenge to implement. But, it’s a CRUCIAL thought shift to make if you’re looking for long term success and mental health. Rather than looping thoughts of how someone wronged you, or how things didn’t work out, ask yourself what you learned that made you better, stronger, or smarter for the experience. It helps to journal the answers to this question. Doing this exercise will make you feel empowered and lead you towards gratitude and forgiveness, rather than feeling bitter, victimized, or creatively blocked.
STRATEGY 4: STAIR STEP, DON'T LEAP!
Being hard on yourself for not feeling well or expecting to go from feeling emotionally crappy to feeling 💯 is unhelpful and only adds to the drama of feeling bad. Leaping across the emotional scale isn’t genuine or healthy. For an authentic mood shift, you have to stair step your way up toward increasingly more positive emotions. So, be gentle with yourself.
What I like about this strategy is that figuring out how to feel just a little bit better is super doable, and un-overwhelming. When you feel bad, simply ask yourself what you can do to feel just a little bit better, then follow through on your instinct. Rinse and repeat.
Take Action Challenge!
Pick the strategy you're most drawn to and practice it every day for a week!