Quite recently our fabulous Henna4You leader, Bhupi, missed the last step walking down into her basement. We’ve all done that, but perhaps not as spectacularly as Bhupi: she broke one ankle and sprained the other. While recovering from eye surgery.
And a family destination wedding was mere weeks away.
This was also at the height of Henna4You’s busiest season!
What do you do when your body insists that you take a step back from your responsibilities for a while? It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small business owner who hit the unlucky windfall like Bhupi did, or you’re a stay-at-home parent with a cold and a reliably short recovery time, taking a time out can cause a ripple effect of consequences. You’ve got to stop and think!
Once you’ve made it through any emergency-type situations (in Bhupi’s case it was a trip to the ER that resulted in surgery a few hours later), your first move is to delegate. In order to do this responsibly, you’ve got to 
have a clear mind, so take a day or so to rest and plan. If that means the kids eat chips for lunch, or you’re going to be a few days late fulfilling an order, so be it. It’s one day, the world can wait for you for one day.
Make a list of what you need taken care of while you’re down: childcare, customer service, deliveries, social media posts, etc. Reschedule whenever possible, but also don’t be afraid to let someone else on your team handle it. Your team may include your staff, sub-contractors, or family and friends. Be upfront with clients, bosses, co-workers, and your family about what’s going on – you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised at how compassionate people can be when you’re honest and let them know that you physically cannot complete a task right now. Have some faith in the people you’re calling for backup. Because the next step is the most important.
You have to take care of yourself. Pushing your body, and your mind, will delay your recovery. If you’re physically injured, your tissues need time to regenerate and strengthen. This might mean light exercise and physical therapy, but anything outside of that – possibly even sitting in a chair at your desk – might cause your injury or illness to plateau, or worse, regress. The same goes for recovering from a cold – your body needs you to rest so that it can use more energy to fight the illness. Give yourself time to recover properly to ensure you’re back to work as soon as possible, rather than forcing the issue and dragging recovery well beyond the expected end date. Always follow the directions of your health care team!
Keep your stress over this sudden loss of control manageable with meditation, art therapy, reading (or listening to!) an inspiring book, and be sure to drink plenty of water or herbal teas. Caffeine is not your friend right now. You will have good days and bad as you wander the road to recovery, and by taking care of yourself you can recognize those days and work to reduce your risk of relapse.
Bhupi was well on the way to recovery within a week after her surgery. She rebooked meetings, had the most important ones via phone so she could elevate her ankle, and even got to the family destination wedding!
Got some downtime? Learn to draw mandalas! It’s fun, something to do when you can’t do much else and can help promote relaxation and positive thinking. Contact Henna4You for more information.