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5 self-care fundamentals for freelancers

This is a post from a member of the Freelancers Union community. If you’re interested in sharing your expertise, your story, or some advice you think will help a fellow freelancer out, feel free to send your blog post to us here.

I am proud of myself for taking a skill I have and turning it into a business. The skill is writing, and the business is a freelance writing business. I call myself a Content Writer, Copywriter, and Journalist.

My projects are generally freelance, but I think that language is important, and “freelance writer” doesn’t quite pack the punch. So I developed another term that fits how I’d like to be perceived.

Well before developing a title, which I did in early 2018, I’ve experienced roadblocks and successes. I continue to learn about writing, entrepreneurship, myself, how to set boundaries, my strengths, my weaknesses, what project is a good fit, what isn’t.

The list continues.

One area I have become an advocate for as I have grown is the area of self-care. Practicing self-care and putting yourself first is very important. By showing yourself how to treat yourself, you are by default providing a blueprint for how others should treat you.

Here are 5 types of self-care that I have begun to implement into my life and plan to practice moving forward.

Sleep

Most days I wake up at 6:30 or 6:45 a.m. Yet if I get to bed by a certain time, I can wake up earlier more consistently while still feeling well-rested. So I’ve created a schedule for a night routine as well as a set bedtime of 11 p.m. I will start with 11pm. Blogs I’ve read suggest being kind to yourself and starting with baby steps because of the difficulty of changing sleep habits. So 11 p.m. will be my first early late-night start to allow for 7 hours of sleep. I would like to cross this first milestone before attempting another.

Meditation

After sharing how I felt stressed on some days, a friend suggested I try meditation. So I’ve started to listen to YouTube’s meditation audio when I wake up. My goal is for this practice to reduce anxiety and bring more calm throughout the day. I have been practicing this for about a month now, and a few days, I have felt more calm in my approach to challenges. I hope to see more results from this practice.

Journaling

I wrote a guest post for Foundr magazine about the benefits of expressive writing, something I do for myself as a way to interpret different experiences and release pent up energy. I think that it also helps to rid me of emotional toxins; confront my fears, insecurities and shortcomings; understand that I am stronger than I think; and develop a picture for my goals, making them more real through the written word.

Staying hydrated

I have started drinking more water throughout the day. This practice is actually one of the more difficult ones for me, but one I am vigilant about because of the need for 8 cups of water per day. I would like to function as optimally as possible, and staying hydrated can help me do this.

Establishing a morning and night routine

I’ve written out a routine for the morning and night. My morning routine includes meditation, journaling, brushing my teeth, breakfast, and other steps for prepping for the day. The night routine includes brushing my teeth, taking a shower, prepping clothes for the next day, a few exercises and additional steps to prepare for bed. A routine will be like the beads at the end of a bracelet that tie the day together. Also, they are small ways to keep a promise to myself, and make a deposit into my personal bank account of trust in doing what I say I will do. If I don’t have faith in myself, who else will?

In short, these are five self-care actions I’ve started with myself, and plan to implement on a day-to-day basis to bring more order into my life, love for myself and trust in my own abilities. I write this post as a form of accountability, and as a way to become more open to a community that exists for others like me.

Obinna Morton is the Owner of Turns of Phrase LLC. She is a Content Writer, Copywriter and Journalist who works with people and businesses to tell their stories. She's written for Foundr, Lifestyle Business and Women On Business. She has also appeared on SheLeads Podcast.