Regardless of what you do, as Americans we have difficulty just taking time to rest and relax because we live in such a fast paced world. And as a small business owner, taking time off isn’t always an option because you have to work when the clients are available. So the idea of being able to rest and relax is pretty far fetched for some of us (points at self).
However, this year has been interesting for me when it comes to my business because I’ve done some things differently and realized that there are things that need to change so I don’t get completely burned out. That’s why I was so excited to take a mini vacation with my family and spend last weekend at a beach house on 88’th Street.

I’ve talked before about doing a mini business retreat with yourself so you can plan out things for the coming year, and I highly recommend planning time into your schedule to relax and not work.
That means don’t take on any clients!
At all!
…..
I’ll wait for you to get over the shock and let my advice sink in before moving on 😉

I don’t give this advice lightly, I turned down a job photographing a wedding in order to be able to go to the beach house and spend time with my family!
Money is important, but it’s definitely not everything. And you can’t put a price on time spent with family making memories. There is absolutely no amount of money that could replace that!

I realize that it might not be feasible to get away for a weekend (or longer) and take a vacation right now, so what can you do in the meantime? The thing about relaxing is that since we don’t necessarily think it’s essential, it will forever get pushed down on the to-do list. So here are some quick things you can do to help boost your mood, rest and relax in 10 minutes or less!

• Take a walk for ten minutes (great excuse to get up from your computer)
• Crank up that new rock and roll album
• Sit up straight and drop your shoulders, good posture allows you to take in more oxygen
• Browse YouTube for funny videos (I’m partial to AFV)
• Snuggle with your pet (come on, you know you wanna love on Fluffy!)
• Get your zzz’s by having a set time that electronics go off for the night
• Change up your morning cup of joe for green tea
• Take 5 minutes to clear your head and be alone: no cell phone, no tv or computer, just you