Emma Reid is the Founder and Director of MUSQ Farmceutical, Australian skincare inspired by her hemp and sheep farm in the Southern Riverina region of NSW.
What does self-care mean to you?
For me self-care is about learning to listen to my body and mind and realise when I need to stop and take a moment for myself. By stepping away from work and taking that time out to re-engage with other aspects of my life such as relationships and hobbies — I find my drive and productivity at work quickly increases again. When I neglect these aspects of my life, often I have stopped caring for myself and if I can’t care for myself how can I truly care for my work and be productive!?
How do you know when you’re feeling stressed or burnt out?
Often when I wake up and don’t know where to start that day and the thought of it exhausts me is when I know I’m either stressed or burnt-out. This is often when I have been at something for too long and need to step away and refocus.
Once stress creeps in is when my creative side shuts down and I lose the drive and enjoyment for my work. This can be really detrimental to my business if I don’t promptly acknowledge where I’m at and make a relevant change.
Do you have a regular self-care routine? If so, what does it look like?
I’m personally not someone who follows strict routines however for me going on a walk out in nature with my three dogs is a self-care essential. Going outside really allows me to ground myself, take deep breaths, zone out and re-centre.
I try to do this for 1hr when stressed, however a minimum of 20 minutes seems to do the trick. I find that having the dogs around really allows me to focus on them and shift my mind from whatever it is fixated on that day. Also, being in the beauty business I can never turn down a good 20 min at home “spa session” to zone out and just chill in silence.
What bumps you off your self-care routine and how do you get back on course?
Trying to please all! To get back on track it is important for me to say NO and carve out time in my diary for things I want to do. Being a little selfish is the key here.
Where do you go for inspiration, ideas or tools for self-care?
I don’t find myself actively seeking out ideas for self-care, however every now and then something will jump out at me (bizarrely often at a time when I need it) in a magazine or on instagram and I will make a note to try that! I also find chatting to my girlfriends and hearing what things they are up to is a great way to discover new ways to unwind.
What do you think you need to improve in terms of your self-care practice?
Routine! I tend to have quite a chaotic life and routine does not fit into that easily. I need to put more effort into making self-care part of my weekly schedule in my diary. There is always an excuse as to why you can skip that walk, however without the consistency of a self-care routine you will soon find yourself burnt out and unmotivated.
