Self-Care For Wedding Planners

The subject of self-care is something that’s vitally important in any industry, but for wedding planners in particular, it’s something that often gets overlooked. We build ourselves up to peak wedding season and power through, then as the summer comes to an end we’re often left reeling, exhausted and running on fumes. Sound familiar?

It’s so important for you as wedding planners and business owners to build in your self-care to your weekly plans, not to see it as something to tackle only when you’re already feeling at a low ebb of energy. It’s a way of life, not a last resort.

Thankfully, today we have some wisdom from fabulous wellbeing and empowerment coach Val Mattinson for you. Val will be speaking at our November Planning Redefined workshop (check out all the details right here), and she’s here today with some top tips on how to build in those all-important self care systems into your routine. Over to you, Val.

Five Top Tips to Keep Burnout At Bay

I love this time of year – that back to school feeling, the change of the seasons and a sense of re-invigoration and motivation. However, the onset of autumn, the nights drawing in and the temperature dropping can mean a feeling of gloom, of tiredness and of apathy. If this sounds like you, it’s likely that you’ve pushed yourself that bit too hard over the summer months. If this is ringing lots of bells in your head, then it’s time to act – not tomorrow, not next month, but right now.

1: Change Up Your Mindset

The first thing to do is probably the most difficult, but it will make a big difference. I want you to repeat this to yourself as often as you need to: Necessity, not luxury. Adjustment, not denial.

So many times, I hear people list things like ‘spa retreats’, ‘massages’, or ‘diets’ and ‘detoxes’ when asked what self-care means to them. Don’t get me wrong, these things can sometimes form part of it if they’re something that’s important to you, or something that you find calming and therapeutic, but they’re absolutely not the definition of self-care. Self-care is about those small, simple and seemingly insignificant actions that help you to make consistent time for yourself. Things like sleeping properly, eating regularly, enjoying long baths and hot showers, turning off your phone and not feeling like the world’s going to end. Your self-care measures shouldn’t be things you need to add to a to-do list and then stress about not finding the time to complete. See? Necessity, not luxury. Adjustment, not denial.

2: Set Boundaries At Home and At Work

Working from home means it’s so easy for the line between work life and family life to become blurred. Be strict with yourself (and with your clients, partners and children).

Set your working hours and stick to them. Put an out of office on outside of them or make them clear in your email signature, and don’t feel beholden to your clients to answer emails at all hours of the day and night. Similarly, if you’re working from home, then make sure your family are aware that you’re at work. You’re not in mum mode or dad mode here – keep home and work as separate as you can, so you devote your best self to each of them.

3: Switch Off

Following your dream and becoming a wedding planner means a commitment to working weekends. When a free weekend does come along, recognise it for what it is – a rare and precious commodity. Never underestimate the power of doing nothing. Put on your pjs. Binge watch that boxset. Unplug your phone. Allow yourself to switch off and recharge every once in a while. No guilt.

4: Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy

This is as true in matters of self-care as it is in the rest of your business. In the same way that you should never compare yourself to others’ perceived success on platforms like Instagram – don’t hold yourself to others standards of self-care. Find your own rhythm and work out what works for you. You don’t have to be up at 5am working out, or hitting the gym 4 times a week if it’s not right for you or your lifestyle. Get some fresh air by walking the kids to school or taking the dog for a run through the fields. The way you live your life and the way you run your business are unique – don’t set yourself up to fail by piling on the pressure when it comes to self-care, which should be beautifully simple and instinctive.

5: Don’t Compromise

You spend your life being there and being excellent for others. You go the extra mile for your couples to make their weddings perfect. So why is it so hard to show up for yourself? Self-care is not something that you rationalise away; it’s not something you don’t have time for. Think back to why you started your business in the first place. Chances are your motivations involved words like ‘flexibility’ and ‘freedom’. Give yourself the best chance to make those things possible and don’t compromise on time for yourself.

Setting these actions in place and getting used to making self care an instinctive part of your routine now will set you up for a happier, healthier wedding season next year. I guarantee it.

Thank you so much, Val. There are tips in there that everyone needs to action, right now (us included!). We’re so lucky to have Val join us for our three day training extravaganza later this month. She’ll be sharing more wisdom on how to strike that all-important work-life balance, the importance of goal setting, and a whole lot more to get you feeling empowered and in control of your business.

Find out more details about our workshop and the epic line up of speakers who will be joining Val right here. We still have a couple of tickets available, so if you’re a wedding planner looking for modern, honest and engaging training that will help give your business a boost, get in touch and grab yourself a ticket.

Credits