I had been in business five months. I felt energetically fine and professional with what I was offering. My Instagram following increased constantly, and I got lots of positive feedback.

And still, I wasn’t signing paying clients. I thought about the reasons, asked friends and other female entrepreneurs. But no advice helped to figure out the root of the problem. Before I started turning my freelance business into my online business, I thought about taking a break for a month, not doing anything. But the desire to become a female entrepreneur was stronger.

With time, there was this tiny inner voice that became louder and louder. Was it really the solution to take a break? During the first six months? I somehow decided I didn’t have anything to lose and allowed myself two weeks of vacation. In the end, two weeks became four, for different reasons. And something else happened: I attracted new, paying customers. Coincidence? I don’t think so. More a combination of letting go and self-care, resulting in a higher frequency.

Taking breaks from your business

Taking breaks is not just a nice gesture to yourself, it is essential. And not only two weeks per year but regularly. They should be an integrated part of our lives. Still, for most of the people they are only a small part. Our society is trained to be productive and efficient all the time. To do more and more and find success and appreciation when we get something done.

Consciously not performing, finding silence, being playful and enjoying doing nothing is not always appreciated. It means, to be okay with the fact that others might not understand us, or don’t give us respect for the moments of doing nothing. And: it means to be okay to not perform, but to just be. Even in our own business.

Small details show that taking breaks as a female entrepreneur is part of having a successful, sustainable business. For example, we do feel much fitter if we spent our lunch break outside, off the laptop, instead of eating while reading our emails.

Self-care and your frequency

How do you feel with doing nothing and just being? Do you find it difficult to step into that empty space? Or is this connection with yourself, with your soul, already something essential for you?

It is a fact that by creating a space for silence, play, and time off from your business, you are giving yourself the chance to step into your full power and creativity. You can realize your own needs much clearer and nourish them. This again raises your frequency. And with this frequency, you attract more abundance into your life and business.

Self-care exercises: 5 tips to increase your frequency

1. Have fun, smile, sing, dance – whatever brings you joy!
2. Surround yourself with nature, breathe consciously and let yourself be nourished.
3. Eat food that aligns with your body type and really nourishes you.
4. Observe your thoughts. Which ones create positive feelings, which negative? By focussing on the positive ones, you increase your frequency.
5. Reiki, massages, sound baths… There are many healing modalities that influence your frequency positively. Treat yourself more often with a session.

Mindfulness as female entrepreneur

For many of us being mindful is nothing new. We are aware that we would like to work AND have time for our family, friends and ourselves. Eating mindfully, going for a walk and continue working super focussed is our ideal setting. I don’t know about you, but by knowing about mindfulness and the desire to practice self-care, sometimes new pressure can come up.

Fixed rituals can help to automatically integrate mindfulness for female entrepreneurs in your daily life. Of course, it takes some time until they are established, but once you embody them, you shouldn’t feel any pressure to do them.

4 tips to create more space for mindfulness

1. Switch off the phone at certain times, e.g. during your meals
2. Schedule 20 minutes for meditation, going for a walk, Yoga, etc. each day
3. If you meet other people, consciously look into their eyes and smile at them.
4. Stop several times during your day and breathe. If you feel like it, try the following breathing exercise, which I learned during my breath work training with Seraina:

An easy and effective breathing exercise is the triangle breath. Sit down and relax. Imagine a triangle upside down, inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds and exhale for 4 seconds. Repeat 12 times. This exercise helps to focus and to return to the present moment.

During the exercise, make sure you pay attention to a deep abdominal breathing. Place your hand on your abdomen. During your inhalation your abdomen expands, during your exhalation it contracts. Always breathe through your nose.

Mindfulness is the beginning of self-care. You are giving yourself the chance to be in the NOW. You can use mindful moments to check in with yourself, to ask how you feel, what your body and soul need at that moment, and act accordingly.

How to learn self-care

I am aware of the fact, that practicing self-care is not always easy. Believe me, very often I prefer sleeping in instead of practising yoga in the morning, and in the evening I am too tired. Since I started to allow and celebrate moments of doing nothing though, despite my business, it is so much easier to take care of myself in mini details.

This does not mean that breaks are always moments of wellbeing. Often times fears can show up, worries and our shadows. But they open a portal to heal and grow. To allow. And that again results in more creativity and clarity for our business.

Learning self-care also means to say no to people we love. It sometimes means, to reject a new project. The fear of rejection or “loss” should not stop you from taking time for yourself. If you want to build a sustainable business, you need to take breaks. You will serve your clients better if you are in your full power and time with your family and friends will be more enjoyable, if you are balanced, too. Another benefit: you will realize that with time you will attract more dream clients.

It is important that self-care becomes no “To Do” but a “To Want” and that you also appreciate small moments for yourself. They are the beginning and many small moments sum up, too.