15 Self-Care Tips for Hustlers and Entrepreneurs (and Anyone)

9 min readAug 17, 2021

When was the last time you felt stressed out? Yesterday, this morning, right now? I am guessing that it is one of these. Feeling stressed is an awful sensation that most of us have learned to live with and have become so accustomed to that we don’t always recognize it as something we can actually control.

Stress is related to the six major causes of death in the United States, along with 120,000 work-related deaths each year (SLMA). It is no wonder why the self-care industry is a $450 billion dollar market that has many people believing that self-care is a good massage, a mai tai on the beach, or a weekend in front of the couch watching Netflix and eating junk food. “Treat yourself!” Right? Well, yes, but you don’t need to go to a fancy spa or take a vacation to practice self-care. In fact, try this… Close your eyes, plant your feet firmly on the ground. Take a deep breath in and hold it at the top for 3 seconds, then let it out slowly. Now open your eyes.

Congratulations, you just practiced self-care!

Self-care is most commonly defined as deliberately taking care of your well-being through restorative activities and it is not always the easiest thing for me to be consistent with. Over the years and especially the last few, I have come to learn that self-care is essential for my happiness, health, and wellbeing. I have not cracked the code and there is no secret sauce, but after practicing consistent self-care for my physical, mental, and spiritual health I have found what works best for me.

Like most entrepreneurs and hustlers, I tend to put work above all else, which I know all too well inevitably leads to system overload and shut down. So after years of going hard and crashing harder I have come up with a self-care system that works well for me and maybe it will for you too. I should also mention that most of these “self-care tips” come from reading, watching, and absorbing how others have successfully created their own self-care routines. In this blog post, I talk about how to make time for you so that you can continue working hard without burning out!

Finn’s Self-Care Tips

Self-Care Tip #1: Get an Early Morning Start

Wake up early, go to bed early, and get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep. Now I recognize that this one is not for everyone. Knowing myself, I am my best, most awake and productive self early in the morning, so this works for me. Pay attention to when you feel the best each day. When are you able to knock out the most work and feel overall energized? Consider when this is and adjust your wake and sleep schedule around that.

Self-Care Tip #2: Hydrate

This one is pretty self explanatory, but in case you didn’t know, there are a boat load of benefits to drinking at least half your weight in ounces of water per day, my favorite reason is that it significantly affects my energy levels and brain function! One thing I cannot recommend more is to start every morning with 32 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon water!

Self-Care Tip #3: Daily Meditations

This one is possibly the most difficult for me to be consistent with, but when I am I find that I am much less stressed, am able to let go of my moments of deep frustration throughout the day, and breathe easier. My favorite type of meditation is listening to binaural beats while focusing on breathing and repeating affirmations.

Self-Care Tip #4: Diet

Being that I am so busy, eating foods that help me stay energized throughout the day is a must. As a vegan I eat a lot of fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, and legumes. Here is a typical day in the life of my food consumption:

When I wake up I drink 32 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon water
About an hour after I wake up I eat a piece of fruit (usually a banana or apple) and a vegan protein bar.
At around 9 AM I eat a chia bowl with chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, blueberries, majora dates, cinnamon, and slivered almonds.
For lunch I drink a smoothie with fruits, greens, spirulina, and hemp powder
As a snack throughout the day I eat nuts, fruit, and usually an avocado
I eat an early dinner at around 4:30 or 5 that always consists of a minimum of 20 grams of vegan protein and includes, veggies, leafy greens, and some type of grain (usually quinoa, farro, freekeh), and a lot of the times some type of legume.

One thing I want to point out is that vegans have every if not more opportunities to have plenty of protein in their diet… In fact, this vegan gets nearly 200 grams of protein each day (a common misconception about having a vegan diet).

Self-Care Tip #5: Physical Exercise and Deep Stretching

This is one type of self-care I cannot go without, even on days that I do not feel up to it, I always find time to at least walk a few miles and hang on my pull-up bar. Here is my weekly exercise routine that I rarely skip out on:

Hang for 1–5 minutes on my pull-up bar each morning
Run four miles 2–3 times per week
Cycle and lift weights 2–3 times per week
Yoga 1–2 times per week
Daily walking

Being that I exercise regularly I find it especially essential to spend about 15 minutes each day rolling out my fascia using a foam roller, roller ball, and my massage gun in order to support my body’s mobility, elasticity, and overall well being.

Self-Care Tip #6: Sobriety

For me personally, this one could easily be the number one way that I practice self-care. Before I was sober, I used alcohol to alleviate my stress. It worked like a charm in the moment, but as that moment passed it always left me feeling more anxious, stressed, and mentally cloudy. I do not in any way think that people need to be sober to practice self-care, this is just something that works for me.

Self-Care Tip #7: Time Management

Time-management also includes taking short 10–15 minute breaks to stand up, move my body, and even have a small snack. One way I am able to manage my time is by having a daily prioritized checklist.

Self-Care Tip #8: Sunshine

Vitamin D is no joke, our bodies thrive with it and starve without it. No seriously, vitamin D not only gives you energy, but it also supports a healthy immunity, and makes you overall happier.

Self-Care Tip #9: Connection & Closeness

This is another must for my self-care. Finding time each day to snuggle, pet, and play with my dogs and cats not only brings me a lot of joy, but it also eases my stress and anxiety. I also require some time each day to be close to my partner as we unwind and decompress together after our long work days. Nearly every night we eat dinner together, spend time sharing about our day, and simply spend time being close.

Self-Care Tip #10: Say No

I am a people pleaser who has alway struggled to say “no,” and while I am still not perfect at being able to, I find that as I learn more about myself and my boundaries, saying “no” comes easier. One thing that helps me say “no” more often is considering what benefit it will have for me and my family. I know that sounds selfish, but hear me out. Part of what makes me happy in life is being able to support others, so naturally I want to say “yes,” but I have found that when I give myself permission to say “no” when I truly do not have the time or energy to invest fully in the way I would want to, I am not only much happier, but the person I thoughtfully decline respects and appreciates my honesty. Here is the thing about me, I do not half-ass anything that I do. When I say “yes” you better believe that I am coming through full throttle, when I say “no” it simply means that I am not able to perform to my standards and need to spend that time in other ways to support myself.

Self-Care Tip #11: Read for Pleasure

For me, there is not much better than chalking out time reading a novel that helps me escape my own thoughts and travel to different places, times, and lives. Reading for pleasure is one of the few times my hamster wheel brain shuts down and has the freedom to play.

Self-Care Tip #12: Never Stop Learning

There is rarely a time that I am not enrolled in some type of course, reading a book, or watching videos to help me fine tune particular skills. Continuing to learn in order to become closer to being an expert at something brings me immense satisfaction, confidence, and joy.

Self-Care Tip #13: Stop Working

I set a NO WORK time every day for two hours minimum to spend time with my partner, pets, or simply being with myself doing something mindless that I enjoy.

Self-Care Tip #14: Spend Time Alone

If you are like me, having even a few moments throughout the day to be alone helps you recharge. During my moments of alone time (seperate from working), I enjoy listening to podcasts, reading, or taking my dogs for a walk.

Self-Care Tip #15: Unplug

No screens in bed!

In today’s fast-paced and often stressful society, many people are looking for ways to reduce anxiety, stress, and/or depression. The practice of self-care has been clinically proven to help improve one’s mood, increase happiness levels, and minimize frustration and anger response time leading the way towards a better quality life overall. Speaking from experience and after living with pretty extreme anxiety my whole life, I rely on daily self-care to keep my anxious thoughts at bay in order to be more productive and support my positive mood. I hope that you found value in my self-care tips and create a self-care plan of your own!

Finn’s Top Book Recommendations to Help you Practice Self-Care (Not Sponsored)

Dare to Lead by Dr. Brené Brown

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

Letting Go by David R. Hawkins

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Check out my YouTube channel where I go discuss these self-care tips in detail.

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