Self-care for female entrepreneurs is more than having a fitness routine. Practicing self-care as an entrepreneur is about self-love, self-awareness, and showing yourself self-compassion when stuff goes wrong. Because in entrepreneurship, stuff goes wrong, a lot.

Entrepreneurship is a life of uncertainty, constant change, steep learning curves, lots of failures - some massive, and wearing about a gazillion different hats. Self-care for female entrepreneurs ought to be as important as learning how to set up an email campaign.

I feel female entrepreneurs deserve a special medal. Yes, I just said that! Women in business need a special kind of courage because we have to deal with everything a male business owner does PLUS lose the “good girl - Lady-like” bs. We have to deal with the shock and nastiness from people when we say NO, when we set clear boundaries, and don’t self-sacrifice at every opportunity.

And if you’re a mother and an entrepreneur, your extra special bonus is being judged for leaving your children to do work you’re passionate about. So yes, I feel female entrepreneurs, and in particular, mothers, deserve a special medal.

Self-care for female entrepreneurs is essential, so I want to help you with some suggestions of what I do. Some of the suggestions in this self-care guide are still struggles for me. Most of them to be honest. I’m in recovery as a perfectionist so I’m always having to remind myself to take time off.

Self-care tips for female entrepreneurs

I don’t believe in setting yourself up for failure by taking on too much. Too much work, self-care routines, or whatever. The self-care suggestions here are simply suggestions for you. I use them at different times, and when I need to.

Self-care is the opposite of pressuring yourself into doing too much.

I’ve been on an entrepreneurial journey for about 8 years as I’m writing this and I’m a recovering perfectionist. This, I feel, gives me an insight into the many ups and downs of entrepreneurship. That, and the gazillion mistakes I’ve made along the way.

Don’t fear mistakes, my friend. I wear mine like a badge of honor. They mean you’re learning and trying. And that deserves a medal for courage.

Say no and set boundaries

This might be the most important life lesson and self-care lesson ever. Saying no.

Say no to almost everybody and everything. Here are suggestions to get you started:

• Checking and answering emails more than once a day

• Take on projects that you don’t feel really excited about.

• Checking social 10 times a day

• Wasting energy and thinking-space on negative people, and I don’t care if they are your family or internet trolls. Do what you can to ignore them.

• Being interrupted while you work. You can expect to be left alone for 30 minutes at a time. It’s not too much to ask

• Pleasing other people

Setting clear boundaries often means upsetting people. This is a difficult subject. In my opinion, setting healthy boundaries is one of the hardest things to do and one of the most important things to learn in life. And to teach our kids.

My experience with setting boundaries is not great. I piss people off so much. And it baffles me. I’m thinking what I’m doing wrong is that I’m being too nice for too long, smoothing things over, and keeping the peace until a person oversteps my line. Then I get pissed and tell them straight. Oh my God, how this upsets people. I cannot understand why someone gets offended when I say no to taking crap from them. I don’t want people in my life who thinks it’s ok to criticize and attack me. Period!

If you want more on saying no to more and yes to better, “The Essentialist” is a good book.

Read a book that inspires you

I don’t actually think it matters what you read and what time of day you read. 10 minutes of reading a day will feed your thoughts, feelings, and mind.

For many of us, taking the time to read has to be a choice, even if you love reading. Reading a good book expands my mind and inspires me like nothing else.

Self-care for me is staying in my bed a whole day and reading. You know when you pick up a book you can’t put down? Glennon Doyle’s “Untamed” was the last one that did that to me (as I’m writing this).

Permission to lower expectations

You don’t have to do #allthethings all the time, at the same time, and to perfection. You don’t have to have a 6 figure course launch or 40.000 subscribers. You don’t have to be productive, slim, fit, and beautiful, be super successful, and never make mistakes.

When we listen to the marketing messages of other business owners and believe everything we see on Instagram and other social, it’s easy to feel like a failure unless we have the same huge launches and success stories.

The truth is, your small business doesn’t actually have to change the world. You don’t have to play on the big stage, you can create your own little imperfect stage made of leftover timber. You can make your entire entrepreneurship stage a small and fun place to play.

Do something nice for yourself.

I like a nap. That’s a real treat for me. You might love a Mani/Pedi. Whatever pampering is to you, do it! Treat yourself to a nice dress, a good book. Uh, or a new journal with beautiful empty pages waiting to be filled.

You deserve the best in your life. The very best life has to offer. You are a kind person, you work hard, you try and do better, you’re learning new. You deserve treats and good times. Pamper yourself often.

Write your thoughts in a special journal

In his book, “One Small Step Can Change Your Life” Roberts Maurer talks about a study that was made about the effects of journal writing. The study came to the conclusion that writing your thoughts and feelings down in a journal has the same psychological effect as talking to a doctor, therapist, or Minister.

There’s no question that the process of thought going through your arm, hand, and onto paper does something. Not to get overwhelmed by that study, you don’t have to journal for big psychological changes. Simply jotting a few lines down a few times a week is a wonderful way to honor yourself and what’s going on inside.

Play with movement

I find people who go on about why you have to exercise every day annoying. Too much pressure. I struggle with doing exercise. I’d much rather sit in front of my computer. For the last year, I’ve been going to the gym twice a week. I’ve not lost a single gram. But It has been good for my mental health.

Moving my body is no longer about losing weight or getting fit. It’s to make me feel better. That’s it. Doing a few stretches, or yoga with Adrienne (LOVE her).

The only way I can do any workout these days are for self-love and self-care.

You also have permission to do nothing of the above!

I don’t believe in setting yourself up for failure by taking on too much. Too much work, self-care routines, or whatever.
The self-care I do, and hopefully, get across in this blog post, is the opposite of pressuring yourself into doing too much.

If self-care for you is to do absolutely nothing, I applaud you, do nothing. The fact you’re reading this, tells me, you’re in need of self-care, and that you probably do waayyy more than you think you do.

Always only do what works for you.