Recently, a new coach asked me this question:

How do you slack when you’re building your business and not making any money? I’m so stressed but stuck in inaction and know I’m not trusting the process. 

Great question!

Let’s quickly cut to the root of the issue: Fear. 

It’s normal to feel fear when you’re an entrepreneur and working to make ends meet. Especially when you’re just starting out. 

The only problem is that fear often tells the nervous system to freeze, just like you would if a bear had you in its jaws. At that moment, your safest strategy is to play dead, and your body knows it. 

Unfortunately, playing dead in your business is NOT a good strategy. Often I see new entrepreneurs either immobilized by fear or scurrying around without taking time to rest and restore. Sometimes it can be a mix of those two strategies because the nervous system is sending signals to flee or freeze then rinse and repeat.

In order to use Slacker Magic for building a business (tuning into inner wisdom, taking time to slack so ideas can flow in, and following inner wisdom’s guidance for your action steps), you’ll need to help your nervous system release the fight/flight/freeze cycle. 

Telling your body not to play dead isn’t possible with words. You’ll have to speak the language your body understands: sensation. 

Here’s what you do:

1. Take a few minutes to run in place, go for a walk, or move in some way to help your body release some of the adrenaline. (Even if you’re in a freeze state, this is a good idea. It helps you find your sense of aliveness again.) 
2. Find an animal, thing, place, or memory that is reliably comforting. (It can be as simple as a time you snuggled on a couch with a cup of tea.) 
3. Get yourself into a comfy position in a place that does feel safe. (Don’t do this exercise in your car or out and about.) 
4. Think about your animal, thing, place, or memory until you feel the sensation in your body that matches it. (You might notice yourself breathing easier, sighing, yawning, feeling more comfortable, or feeling a sense of the weight of your body as it rests on your chair/bed.) 
5. Hang out with that memory for a while. Revel in it. 
6. Do this process regularly throughout the week. 

After a few days, you’ll notice your body starting to be less freaked out and more open to you slacking, playing, and resting. You won’t feel so immobilized or stuck. 

If you need an extra boost, add this breathing exercise once or twice a day.

Pretty soon, your nervous system will stop thinking you’re in the bear’s mouth and will let you have a lot more fun building your business. 

Need more Slacker Magic tips? Join the Mind-Body Magic Facebook Group!