Several years ago we had a client referred to us for back pain that he dealt with constantly. His massage therapist gave him some relief, but he never was able to shake the ache in his lower back. He came to float in hopes of feeling change in his pain level.
At his first float we got him oriented and settled into his float. Ninety minutes later he burst out of his room exclaiming that his float was amazing and he asked for paper and a pen, sat down on the couch and started drawing furiously.
Mark, our float specialist working that day, came to sit with him after awhile and asked what he was sketching. Our floater excitedly told us about a work problem that he and a few colleagues had been on for years! As he was floating, the solution to the problem came to him, clear as day and he was sketching out a draft and making notes to take back to his office.
When Mark asked him how his back was, our floater paused before a huge smile spread over his face. He realized in that moment he was pain free. A happy addition to his creative burst.
That floater now has a float center closer to home and continues a regular floating practice, using it to maintain a creative edge in his career. While floating can be used to help anyone in their career ventures, the benefits of floating seem to be custom made for those following their passions without the structure of the daily 9-5 job.
Entrepreneurs have a lot to gain from floating.
Help your hustle
Whether you have a side hustle or a full time venture, being an entrepreneur can test the limits of your energy with late nights, early mornings and often seven days a week. This schedule can wear you down and you down.
Stress and overwork is a creativity killer. New businesses thrive on flexibility and innovation. But no space for rest works against you and your ability to maintain your resilience, grit and resolve.
An article in the Harvard Business Review notes that the condition of being overworked is often exacerbated by a false interpretation of what it takes to be resilient. Grinding it out, working through exhaustion just leads to burnout. The true key to resilience is working hard, the experiencing true rest before resuming the push forward. Internal (cognitive) and external (physical) breaks are needed to sustain productivity.
Floatation therapy allows you to rest deeply, giving your brain a creative boost and getting you the rest you need to keep your hustle strong.
You don't have time for sick days
One thing I miss most from my corporate days are sick days. But for an entrepreneur those unplanned days off can wreak havoc on your schedule. And you don't get paid. Floating in water, with no pressure points on your body except the gentle push of water can stimulate your lymphatic system.
Our lymphatic system works tirelessly to keep us alive and moving fluid through our system, but when we increase the amount of lymph through our lymph nodes, the amount of lymphocyte production can increase up to 30%. These lymphocytes are part of our immune system that helps us fight off sickness.
The simple act of being in water can give you a boost that can help protect you from bacteria and virus that can hold you back.
Get focused
If you're running your own business, you know the work is never done. Often you are in the position of taking care all aspects of one project and making sure nothing slips through the cracks.
To do lists can grow to long lengths and the feeling of overwhelm is very real. The feelings of overwhelmed can leave your paralyzed, not sure where to start. Or at its worst, overwhelm can have you reacting to every issue that comes along, moving you from task to task without completing anything.
When you are stressed or worried about a problem, the body continually releases cortisol. Chronic elevated levels can "suppress the immune system, increase blood pressure and sugar, decrease libido, produce acne, contribute to obesity and more." Floating has been shown to decrease the stress hormone, cortisol.
Without cortisol, the fight or flight feelings are decreased. After floatation therapy the overwhelm fades away, leaving behind a clear mind ready to work through any task that comes your way.
Do deep work
How often have you sat down with the intention to write an article or finish a project without distraction only to hear the buzz of your phone or click on a website that leads you down a rabbit hole of information irrelevant to what you've been working on?
In his book "Deep Work" by Cal Newport, he delves into the argument that deep work is increasingly rare in our society and yet so important to our economy. Finding people who can perform this deep work, which is described as professional work performed in a state distraction-free concentration , pushing cognitive abilities to their limit, is difficult.
Multitasking has been shown to decrease attention and productivity. According to an interview with NPR's Ira Flatow, "People who multitask all the time can't filter out irrelevancy. They can't manage a working memory. They're chronically distracted."
Working deeply, diving into complex problems, requires a focused mind for a long period of time. It's a skill that must be trained. One way to do this is to embrace boredom. Ween your mind from distractions.
The float tank is one tool to help you separate from distraction and begin the process of letting go of the external and re-directing the focus to mindfully meditating with focus. Protect your value as an entrepreneur who can push cognitive limits and solve problems.
Being an entrepreneur can be tough, but rewarding. In an increasingly competitive and complex business landscape you need every tool available to help you be at your peak every day.
A floating practice can be a worthwhile addition. Challenge yourself with a multi-float package that will allow you to experience the difference of a focused, clear mind can affect your work.
Are you an entrepreneur who has experienced the benefits of floating? We'd love to hear more! Contact us and let us know the results!