Written by Minette Geyer for Modern Hair & Beauty
Stylists, it's Minette here from Modern Hair & Beauty. In my role as a senior educator for the company, I love to inspire, uplift, and educate other hairdressers. Normally, I share my knowledge about hair and colour, but I wanted to write about something equally important to your business – self-care.
In the article, I'm going to talk about the value, misconceptions, and the benefits of self-care.
And, more importantly, why I think it benefits your business when you have 'me-time'.
What is the most valuable asset in your business?
You're asked what the most valuable asset is in your business. What do you say?
Whether you own a salon or rent a chair the answer is often something like, "my stock, my staff, my services, and my reputation". Rarely, is the answer, "ME".
But all the things you might mention are meaningless without YOU. And this is exactly why you need to take care of yourself. Your business will not survive without you steering it with a clear vision, drive - and energy. All of which will quickly fade when you are exhausted or worse, burnt out.
The question then, what is self-care?
You may say, "I take a bath, brush my teeth, take an interest in my appearance: I take care of myself."
It’s part of it, but not quite.
"Ok, it's the glass of wine I reward myself with at the end of the day, right?"
Although rewarding oneself is important, sadly not quite that either.
Before we get into what self-care is, let's look at a few common misconceptions.
Common misconceptions about self-care
It's selfish
Sometimes we take it on ourselves to be there for everyone. And one thing people don't like to hear (or we don't like to say) is, 'NO'. But take time to refill your emotional tank, make sure that you get rest and exercise because this will ensure that you will feel more energetic, and you can then give more freely of yourself.
It doesn't mean you must refuse to do anything for anyone. Simply set healthier boundaries.
For example, to take a whole chocolate cake to work, and not share is selfish. To make time for yourself, not so much.
It's indulgent
Indulgences are little pleasures we allow ourselves when we feel we deserve it. But self-care is actively changing your behaviour and attitudes to positively influence your life; to make you feel good.
"So, it's that glass of wine after all?" Nope sadly not, that is an indulgence.
An indulgence has short term effects. Retail therapy is another great example: it spikes your serotonin when you buy something, and then the inevitable drop when you see the bank statement.
Self-care, rather, has long term benefits and comes in the form of positive affirmations and positive self-talk:
Go ahead call yourself a sexy beast in the mirror every morning.
It's a one-time thing
The ultra-relaxing dream holiday is a one-time thing, but to keep your emotional tank full should be an ongoing process.
The service industry can be a thankless one, and it's sometimes hard to stay positive as our ability to process negative encounters are quickly drained. It's why we need to practice self-care daily. When your tank is empty, you're driving the car straight to a proverbial padded room and a straitjacket.
In other words, healthy self-care habits build immunity to burnout.
It's time-consuming
"Ok, lady, I'm a working mom of two rambunctious toddlers. How do you want me to take time for myself?"
Self-care is about routine. A routine ensures that your day is more streamlined and therefore more stress-free.
Have a 5-minute quiet time with your morning coffee, or on your drive to work. Everyone can't go on a two-week silent retreat. So, build healthy habits into your routine like, eating healthy and cultivating positive thoughts.
Great expectations…are great… but not at the expense of self-care
We're expected (or place it on ourselves) to be the perfect partner, stylist, boss, or employee. However, to successfully step into those roles, we need to be able, and present.
Hey, I understand the rent needs to be paid!
Taking time out to rest or pull yourself toward yourself – especially after lockdown – is scary.
But what's scarier is not having a choice. Being forced to take time out because of burnout or illness.
There are many benefits to practising self-care
A healthy relationship with yourself
Feeling good about yourself prevents feelings of resentment and grumpiness. Then it’s much easier to have a positive disposition. In other words, you’re easier to be around.
Positivity
A positive disposition helps to create good self-esteem and in turn, helps you to be less of an eggplant emoji. No one wants to hang around a Sulky Susan.
More productive and motivated
Self-care leads to focus, and this lets you achieve your goals on time. You’ll then have more time to focus on the little joys of life.
Higher levels of engagement
Your energy levels are similar to RAM in your smartphone, the more you have available the more you can do simultaneously. Which means you feel more connected to the world around you.
Fight fatigue and illness
Your immune system is what keeps your body going. When you're feeling iffy and tired all the time, you'll find it difficult to manage all your responsibilities.
So, Minette, really, what is the value of self-care?
The value of self-care is YOU.
Your body is the only tool that you can’t replace.
We’ve not yet exited the rocky terrain of COVID-19, but rent must be paid. We take such care of our procedures; being compliant and trying to make money that the thought of not spending time in the salon is inconceivable.
These are tough times we're living in, so take control.
The value of self-care is being able to pay the rent and to do so for a long time. How much value self-care brings to your life is visible in the quality of your business, your relationships, your health, and your family.
We spend so much excessive amount of energy to ‘make ends meet’, we forget that without us the ‘ends’ are meaningless.
The methods of self-care are different for everyone, the most important thing to remember is to make yourself and your wellbeing the priority.
For example, you don't have to run a marathon to get exercise. If you're anything like me, a brisk walk around the mall or the block is as good as its gonna get.
The lives we live are so busy that it's easy to get caught up in the chaos. But, if anything, remember to stop and smell the perm lotion.
*Sources: Introducing the 5 benefits of Self-Care https://thehappyjournals.com/benefits-of-self-care
Image: What Is Self-Care? My Mind Oasis https://images.app.goo.gl/MPPFzok9oDZMFo6R9
Have an enquiry about Modern Hair & Beauty or our education seminars? Contact us.
About Minette Geyer
A girl of many talents on the South African Hairdressing scene! With her 18 years in the Hairdressing industry she has worked as Assistant HOD for multiple Fashion weeks, worked on shoots for big media houses such as MNET and SABC and has a great love for working on independent fashion shoots!
Her career has taken her many a great places, but being the eternal hair geek, Minette has an ever growing passion for education and has found herself in education for the last number of years.
Her role as a senior educator for Modern Hair and Beauty inspires her to uplift and educate the industry and the people in it with knowledge about hair and colour alike.
A born and bred Pretorian, Minette took to Cape Town like a fish to water, and has been based here for the last 12yrs.
About Modern Hair & Beauty Education
We're inspired when we witness stylists sharing ideas, skills, and a commitment to their craft. Even more so when these moments of collaboration produce renewed creativity and excitement.
It's precisely why our Modern Hair & Beauty Education team facilitate an environment where this is possible.
They inspire, challenge, and encourage stylists to try new techniques; to bring their own creativity to the training room, and provide their clients with a service that goes beyond the standard salon offering.
Our team ensures that stylists are up to date with new trends, know the latest colouring and cutting techniques and have expert technical knowledge of our products.
We are passionate about empowering our stylists and believe the key to sustainable career and salon success is through education.
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