Calgon! Take me away!

Okay, sorry about that.. a bit of an inside joke. Or, was it? How many times a day do you find yourself muttering those words to yourself.

I may be aging myself here but I think that sentiment is felt by everyone, at some point. As busy entrepreneurs, we need to “get away from it all” in order to rejuvenate our bodies and our minds.

Our days, as home-based business owners, are filled with task after task, project after project, both personal and business. And, if we don’t take a little time to take a breather, we can end up burning ourselves out.

How you choose to recharge your batteries is a personal choice. For myself, I make sure to take family time. When 6 o’clock (at the latest) rolls around, my computer goes into sleep mode and my brain officially switches to ‘life’ mode. I don’t know what it is but, just the thought of relaxing (even if it is mixed with a few household chores) has a calming effect on me. It’s kind of like a winding down feeling.

There are many other ways to help you calm your nerves and take a break:

Get back to nature.
Puttering around in your garden during the summer months (which is just around the corner) can make you feel very relaxed. Sure, pulling weeds and watering your plants may seem like hard work but the rewards from your efforts have a calming effect. Watching your plants blossom and flourish is a wonderful site.

Curl up with a good book.
After the kids have gone to bed, find a quiet place and open up a favorite book or that book you have always wanted to read. Winding down this way may go a little far and you may fall asleep. But, if that does happen, who cares? And just imagine what it will do for you.

Go to the movies.
Actually, why not bring the movies to you? Your local video store has all the latest releases and most of the classics. Grab a healthy snack, curl up on the couch and pop the movie or DVD in. Again, if you fall asleep, so be it. Just pop that movie back in later, when you are more awake.

Sit down to a special meal.
In our busy lives, our schedules can sometimes cross paths and we may not have time to eat meals together. But, we need to! So, whether you want a romantic meal with your partner or a family meal without the TV turned on, be sure to mark it on everyone’s calendar and then just sit and enjoy each others company.

Take a trip.
Once again, it is important to take yourself completely out of the entrepreneurial setting. That means that you need to get away from home, the place where your office may reside. Whether it is a day out with the family, a weekend away at the cottage, or a week or two on a sunny beach, every little bit of R&R can have a rejuvenating effect.

Soak your troubles away.
One of the most relaxing feelings there is! There is nothing like a long soak in a warm tub or whirlpool. Even a sauna or hot shower can do wonders to relieve the tension.

Take up a hobby or exercise.
Have you always wanted to build birdhouses? Or, how about joining a gym? Why not start now? It may be helpful to start off slow so, don’t choose something that requires following a schedule. Eventually you can move on to taking classes or joining a sports team. Hobbies and sports can help to get your mind off of any worries you may have.

Spend some time with your pets.
Whether you have a dog, cat, horse or whatever your pet is, take some time to play with them. It is not only relaxing for your but your pet will be so happy to have some time to bond with you.

Put down the electronic devices.
This is a tough one for a lot of people in our current electronic society but even turning off your cell phone or putting it on silent for an hour while you do something else can be a stress reducer.

Even sitting down in a quiet spot to write an article, like this one, can help ease frayed nerves.

So, no matter how you choose to relax, please remember that you are entitled to some time to just put your feet up, at least for a little while. Taking a break can help you to relax and perhaps get a new perspective on things.

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About the author
Janice Byer, owner of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services (http://www.docutype.net) provides professional, creative and affordable virtual office assistance and small business website design. She is a Certified Canadian Virtual Assistant (CCVA) and Master Virtual Assistant (MVA). She is also a co-author of How to Build a Successful Virtual Assistant Business and author of library of Business Building Ebooks. Visit her website for more information.

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