Becoming successful typically requires really good self-care.

Reaching the top of your game doesn’t often happen if you’re feeling out of sorts or sick. Success won’t feel good unless you feel good.

Elevating your idea of self-care is a crucial part of ensuring successful productivity, self-esteem, and solid relationships. Understand and commit to planning and executing self-care as you do your other pursuits. That way, you will continue feeling like an engaged, vital, and capable contributor to your own life.

Consider incorporating these 7 habits to keep you strong and secure your success:

1. Don’t skip the basics

Here we go again… eat right and drink water, exercise daily, sleep well.

Why do you hear it all the time? Because it’s always true that if you sacrifice any of those habits, in no time, you’re in trouble. Its foundational stuff and best practices that are key to optimal physical health and mental stability. Protect your stamina and support your ability to make sound decisions by prioritizing basic physical self-care every day.

2. Make real relationships a reality

Where people are concerned, don’t fake or forgo it. Your business success will be richer for your ability to practice healthy relationship skills.

Ask yourself: Are my relationships and social interactions solid? Do they reflect depth and understanding? Am I willing to make real changes?

Intentional engagement with others is a form of self-care. You are meant to interact, belong, and contribute to other’s lives authentically. People always appreciate being seen, heard and understood.

If you struggle in this area, take a look at how you engage. Consider less time online and devote more time to face-to-face interaction. Also, try life coaching sessions to help you incorporate healthy people skills into your business strategies and partnership dealings.

Finally, developing a therapeutic relationship with a counselor might be an important way to take care of yourself as well. Counseling often provides relationship support that helps you feel emotionally stronger and capable.

3. Examine your strengths and weakness with healthy self-talk and self-compassion.

As you build toward success, you’ll discover that failures and rough periods come with the territory.

You may think you need to “be tough” or “suck it up”. You might want beat yourself up for not being able to breeze through the more challenging times. Don’t make that mistake.

Successful people need to employ a healthy measure of self-compassionate self-talk. Otherwise, you can sabotage yourself by beating yourself up for missteps, pushing yourself too hard to do everything on your own, or expecting unrealistic results.

4. Express yourself

You work hard at developing productive work environments and a solid personal life. Why not use creative expression to develop your inner life too? Interrupt some of the usual routines and responsibilities with creative arts like art or music. Cooking classes, a writing course, or ballroom dancing too might be fun ways to infuse your life with connections to others that are pleasurable, inspiring, and tap into parts of your mind not served by your work.

5. Remember that self-care has a sense of humor

You feel better when you laugh and smile.  Successful people aren’t always serious. Science shows us that laughter is a strong stress reliever. It reduces the hormones that elevate stress, and boosts brain chemicals that make you feel good and connected to others.  Take time to watch a comedy or visit with your funnier friends. Hope and inspiration often seem to accompany humor.

6. Refuse to drown yourself in anything

When you’re chasing success and the pressure is on, you may feel tempted to take the edge off with a few more drinks than you should. Or you might smoke heavily, indulge too many rich meals, or even abuse prescription or illicit drugs to help you feel less anxious or promote relief.

Of course, there a thousand cautionary tales against such behavior. Drowning your concerns never works well as a healthy strategy for ongoing success. Excesses of any kind can, in fact, undo your efforts to succeed quite quickly.

Practice types of relaxation activities that will not exacerbate stress or inflame tough challenges. Deep breathing, mindfulness, and self-awareness practices provide a stronger mental and physical foundation. If substance abuse, an eating disorder, or any behavior is out of control, reach out to someone you trust or a therapist for help right away.

7. Help yourself to healthy life coaching, mentoring, and therapy

Perceptions of neediness, the pressure to be a self-made success, or mental health stigmas may push you to deny yourself services or relationships that could boost your success.

Seeking the support of people who can guide you or provide therapeutic assistance is not a sign of weakness but of strength. Mental strength comes from learning how to productively share your struggles, process them appropriately, and use various insights strategically for your benefit.

Life coaching, especially, can conveniently support and encourage you via weekly phone sessions, web (Skype) calls and emails. Meeting this way may be the routine encouragement you need to help turn your attention back toward quality self-care in a variety of areas and keep your success on track.

Reach out to restart your self-care regimen

Generally, self-care is often the first thing to go out the window when we pursue our dreams and build toward success. We think we’ll get back to it or that it’s a back burner item on our to-do lists.

Unfortunately, poor self-care can snowball and actually work against us before we know it.

You need to be well and have your wits about you to preserve your profits, boost productivity, and meet your responsibilities. Don’t wait any longer to take care of yourself.

Click here to learn more about self-care and success

About the Author

Dr. Stan Hyman is a licensed psychotherapist and Life Coach in private practice in Miami, Florida. He works with individuals, couples and business partners helping them to resolve conflict, stay positive and create great relationships.