Video transcript: Learn how to look after yourself

[Visual: Blue screen intro with white text saying: “Brave in business e-learning series headspace”]

[Audio / Visual: As the screen opens, quiet music plays in the background. The music plays throughout the video. The screen opens displaying the title “Looking after yourself is good for business”. Beneath the title is sub-title text: a by-line “Good business looking after you” and the Spark BusinessLab and business.govt.nz logos.]

[Visual: Screen changes to show the presenter in the centre of screen. On the bottom left of the screen, in white text on a blue background, is the speaker’s name: John Eatwell. On the bottom right of the screen in white text is the by-line “Good business looking after you”, the Spark BusinessLab logo and business.govt.nz logo. The by-line and logos remain in place for the entire video.]

[The presenter, John Eatwell speaks]

If you run a business, you’ve probably thought about the importance of looking after your assets – the things that help you generate revenue and add value to your business. Things like machines, vehicles, raw materials, and intellectual property. You maintain them and look for ways to improve them.

Remember your most important asset – you. Looking after yourself is crucial, especially if you’re working alone or in a very small team. You’re the brains of your business. You drive it. If you look after yourself, your business will do better.

[Visual: Graphic on-screen changes to say “what is headspace?” in bold white text]

[Visual: Screen returns to speaker]

Sometimes people talk about being in a good or bad headspace. Headspace is about how you’re feeling mentally and emotionally. If you’re in a good headspace, you think clearly, make decisions efficiently, and do things easily and well. You’re pleasant to be around.

If you’re in a bad headspace, you’re probably tired, stressed, and relying on coffee and willpower to keep going. You might overreact, or you might react to what’s in front of you, rather than planning and prioritising. People might avoid you because you’re impatient and snapping at them.

When things aren’t going well, it’s easy to think that the situation is simply bad. But you often have more control over situations than it seems. How you react can make situations better or worse. Reacting well can depend on mood and headspace.

[Visual: Graphic changes on screen to show, “Looking after yourself” in bold white text]

[Visual: Screen returns to speaker]

So let’s talk about looking after you, starting with your brain. The brain is similar to a muscle: it burns sugar and oxygen, produces heat and waste materials, and needs breaks. Although it makes up only 3 per cent of your body weight, it uses 20 per cent of your body’s energy.

[speaker gestures to his forehead] The front part of your brain looks after complex things like creativity, memory, judgement and relationships.

When you’re working, it needs plenty of high-quality fuel, which your blood delivers.

But blood goes to the back of your brain instead when you’re stressed. Your IQ drops 15 points. The back of your brain is in charge of your emotions. You get grumpy and start reacting emotionally. That won’t help you give good customer service or treat your suppliers well.

To build happiness, resilience and health, you need to look after yourself. Your business does well when you look after yourself, because you think more clearly, make better decisions, and get work done faster.

You’re also more positive. Positivity is more powerful than position. If you’re positive, people are more likely to do what you say than just because you’re the boss. Up to four times more likely!

Your positivity affects you, the people around you, and the people around them. You indirectly affect your team, your team’s partner, your partner, your partner’s workmates. There’s a flow-on effect.

Some people think looking after yourself is hard and takes too much time, but it’s easier and quicker than you might think. You don’t need to take big steps. In fact, doing things in moderation is better.

If you’re stressed and can only think about improving one thing, that’s fine. Start with that one thing. It could be going to bed 10 minutes earlier, or getting more exercise, or taking a walk at lunchtime.

Starting is the important thing! Doing one small thing gives you benefits that means the next thing is easier.

We’ll talk about what you can do in our next two videos, “Look after yourself mentally” and “Look after yourself physically”.

[Visual/audio Display changes to closing screen, displaying the Spark BusinessLab logo and business.govt.nz logo in the centre of the screen, the same music plays in the background]

[Video ends.]