Stress in America™ survey finds parents, younger generations and lower-income households have higher stress than others overall and this includes many Healing Artists. In every self-care book we have read, the importance of self-care to your business is highlighted. We believe it is because as a practitioner, your bottom-line ultimately determines if you eat or not. It also influences your quality of life.

You make an investment of time and money to study and perfect a set of specialized skills in the healing arts; certainly you want a ROI (return on investment) that affords you a life that you love. So why is it that the majority of healing artists who complete their training, “retire” after the first year or so? What is happening to the longevity in this industry?

Research suggests injury due to poor use of body mechanics among massage therapists is a huge retention issue. Similarly, physicians may suffer from physical exhaustion caused by working long hours treating patients back to back. Our clients who are primarily holistic health professionals report that their greatest challenge is taking on the energy and pain of their clients. There are remedies for each of these examples, however failure to implement on-going preventive and maintenance self-care practices into your daily lifestyle can and will halt the success of your business.

So what does it look like when a healing artist’s business is being adversely affected due to a lack of self-care? Sometime it’s not so obvious to see the cause, but the affects can be devastating. Below we would like you to check the box of each item that applies to you and in the following chapters we will look at ways to self correct, improving your performance and productivity .

1. Chronic late arrivals to the office
2. Cancelling or rescheduling appointments often
3. Complaining to and challenging clients
4. Conversations about personal problems during client sessions
5. Wearing inappropriate attire to work
6. Poor grooming and hygiene
7. Chronic back and neck pain
8. Feeling fatigue or exhausted during the work-day
9. Skipping lunch and not taking reasonable breaks during the day
10. Financial obligations managed inappropriately

You don’t need to worry about anyone else seeing your answers so please be honest with yourself so that you may adequately self-correct and enhance your business outcomes.

If you did not identify with any of the above statements, congratulations! You are likely enjoying a very productive and prosperous career.

If you identified with 1-3 of the above statements, congratulations! You have identified a few areas which you can re-evaluate and begin to self-correct.

If you identified with 4 or more of the above statements, congratulations! You have identified a serious issue that with immediate action can be corrected to improve your customer satisfaction and revenue generation.

Author's Bio: 

Versandra Kennebrew is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Co-Author of "I Love Me: The Ultimate Self-Care Guide for Healing Artists." She has been a holistic health expert for more than 15-years and enjoys supporting healing artists in their careers and on the path to optimal health and optimal performance.