Reconnecting with our Bodies

It’s Friday! Another week has flown by and boy has it been a busy one!

I started working with a new client, I had plenty of work to do with an existing client, I interviewed people for my new web site design, I blogged, I networked, I attended a forum chat, and so on and so forth. We all have so much going on these days, it’s hard to take a minute to rest.

But resting is so important to the life of our business. When we relax or rest, we re-energize. We give our mind some downtime from the daily decisions; we give our eyes a rest from the computer; we give our bodies a break from sitting in the chair all day.

As VAs, we tend to continue the business process throughout the weekend. We continue checking our emails; we check our forums to make sure we’re up-to-date with what’s going on; we listen to voicemail and make sure we haven’t missed any important calls. But we need to do a better job of taking the weekend and breathe. If we end up sick and worn out, we won’t be any good to any of our clients. A colleague of mine was so sick this week, yet she felt she had to continue working. We did finally get her to take a little break (and gave her lots of nasty remedies to help kick her sickness).

I’m sure virtual assistants aren’t the only ones who stay at their computers day and night. When we’re small business owners, we know that the buck stops with us. We have to get it done or it won’t get done. But we will not be the best we can be for our clients if we don’t take care of ourselves physically.

So take a little time this weekend and connect with those important people in your life. Take a walk with your family or dog; go to the park; ride your bicycle; do something that it totally unrelated to work by getting some exercise. You will come back with fresh ideas, a renewed purpose, a refreshed spirit. And most important, you’ll feel better.