They say entrepreneurs don’t have days off, but to achieve cool results, you need to switch and relax regularly. So how do you break out of the vicious cycle? Take a scientific vacation! It’s easy, enjoyable and short – half an hour every day or a few hours on the weekend is enough. To relax, all you need to do is sleep well, eat a good, varied and timely diet, play at TonyBet, and take care of your health – well, you know that.
Have a Good Walk
A relaxed body is the key to a relaxed mind: it sends signals of calm and control to the brain, which help reduce feelings of stress. What entrepreneurs tend to underestimate is movement throughout the day.
It’s scientifically proven that the longer you sit, the worse your attention and memory, and this is not good news for any businessman. Your brain doesn’t even need sports, it just needs you to sit in one place less. It’s no coincidence that different countries have started adding strategies to their health recommendations to reduce “sitting” time. For example, Spanish scientists advise getting up for at least two to three minutes every half hour, and Australian scientists advise traveling standing up on buses.
In other words: don’t sit around, stretch your legs when you have a moment. For example, walk all the way from the office to your home or at least part of it on foot, wander around during your lunch break or when you’re waiting for your child to get home from school (or better yet, spend time outside with them), stop for coffee not in a car but on your own. If some tasks can be done standing up – go ahead, for example, walk around the apartment during calls. You can also make it a habit to listen to podcasts and audiobooks exclusively outside.
Make Sure Your Every Cell Is Rested
The bright lights of smartphones, constant conversations and notifications, the hum of the streets, flavor enhancers and background sounds overload your receptors. Although modern people have adapted and stopped perceiving such “noise”, it’s still easy to get tired of constant sensory stimuli. Sensory rest – a respite for the senses – is the salvation in this case.
This kind of rest is even easier than the previous one: try a digital detox – put away your gadgets and live an “analog” life. Use a weekend at the cottage or in the countryside to get started: put your phone on silent mode, chop wood, light a fire, and grill kebabs. It’s better if the accompaniment for a few hours will be not your favorite hits of the 2000s, but birdsong, rustling trees, and crackling wood.
There are other options to give your receptors a break from routine – go to a spa or bath, try floating or massage, change your diet for a while, listen to a new genre of music or tunes without words at all. In general, refresh yourself from the old sensory cues you usually live with and add new ones. If you like it, you can easily turn sensory recreation into a daily habit.
Do Some Mindfulness
Sometimes it’s hard for entrepreneurs and business owners to stop thinking about products, sales figures, finances, employees… It’s all exhausting. Scientists say that in times like these, intentional not thinking helps you feel better and relax. It has to do with a brain system called the passive mode network of the brain. Studies show that it’s more active in creative people – and all salespeople are a little creative.
It turns on when we’re not immersed in a thought process – when we’re showering, washing dishes, meditating. The benefits are at least twofold: first, the brain rests, and second, it solves even the most intricate tasks in the background. Bottom line: less anxiety, more counter-intuitive, non-trivial, original ideas for business.
Rested People Are More Creative
Stanford researchers found that walking can increase creativity and the number of creative ideas by 60%. The effect is not just during the walk, but extends for several hours afterward. Such a boost can help you creatively design product cards or come up with a new promotional strategy for a store.
Psychologists advise to literally fix in your head the idea that you need to rest. To do this, it’s important to find the right “amount” and type of relaxation and plan it: on weekends, at the end of the workday or on holidays, so that you don’t forget.