Despite never working at a five-star restaurant, attending a single cooking class, or training under a revered chef, Ray has made a name for herself as one of the industry’s most successful cooks. She is one of Food Network television’s most popular hosts, the author of numerous bestselling cookbooks, and editor-in-chief of her own magazine. More recently, Ray stepped out even farther into the limelight with her own hour-long daytime talk show, “Rachael Ray”. What does Rachael Ray do when she has a break from her busy schedule? She takes time to relax:

“My rule is that whenever I have off 36 hours or more, I go to my home upstate. I like being home. I like a cozy life. The sky is darker, the stars are brighter, and things make more sense to me when I’m in the middle of the woods.”

On Sunday night, after completing my motorcycle course, I headed up to my family’s lake house to relax and enjoy the rest of the long weekend. I have always found spending time there and getting away from my business to be an invaluable experience. It’s a time to reflect on what you are currently doing, step away from the daily grind, recharge your batteries, and spark new ideas.

If you are feeling stressed about your business, here is my top 7 list of things to do to relax.

1) Get Away. As Rachael Ray suggests, getting away helps bring some sense to your life and settles you down. Try not to work next weekend and see how much more relaxed you become. The inbox will never be empty so don’t kill yourself trying to empty it.

2) Take a Walk. Almost every day I take a walk in the middle of the day to get out. It clears my mind, helps me focus and gives me some activity to get me out of my chair.

3) Eat Something Healthy. Bring healthy snacks to the office or stock your fridge if you work from home. Pigging out on junk food will cause mood swings and upsets your body’s ability to regulate its energy. I usually bring two fruits to the office and have a healthy sandwich for lunch.

4) Breathe. A great trick to use if you feel like things are getting out of control is to take 10 deep breaths. Breathe in for as long as you can, hold them for as long as you can, and exhale as slowly as you can. It is guaranteed to calm you down.

5) Focus on Something Positive. Think about what is going well with your business and why you started it in the first place. We too often focus only on putting out the fires and forget about the good things with our companies.

6) Exercise. Find something active to do that will take your mind off of work. I picked up dancing salsa and am usually out two to three times per week. It keeps my body active and helps me remember that there is more to life than work.

7) Avoid Negative People. This ties in to #5. Get yourself into a workplace where the people around you are supportive. An employee / partner /  co-worker with a negative attitude will only bring you down. If you spend most of your day working it should be with people who are positive and will help you get to where you want to be!

Evan Carmichael

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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