1: The challenge of Emotional and Energy ups and downs for Calm & Quiet loving Solopreneurs

There is nothing more exciting than following your heart and doing what you love for a living.

But at the same time it can also be exhausting and nerve-wracking when you’re the one that has to do everything in your business…  And in reality, no-one can be “on” all the time…  especially when we bring in the emotional rollercoaster that is LIFE… 😏

Being a solopreneur comes with the freedom to pursue your passions and build a business that aligns with your values. But it also means navigating the unpredictable emotional and energy fluctuations that can arise when you’re solely responsible for every aspect of your company.

For calm & quiet loving solopreneurs, emotional ups and downs and energy fluctuations often go hand in hand and can be very intense. One day you might feel inspired, full of energy and ready to take on the whole world. The next day your limbs feel like lead and you’re feeling drained, overwhelmed and pessimistic about whatever you felt so excited about yesterday.

I’m no stranger to this rollercoaster of emotions and energy, and I know how disheartening and stressful it can be when things like consistently turning up on social media or maintaining steady progress every single day feels like mission impossible.

All of this can leave you frustrated and even doubting your ability to succeed with what you love doing SO MUCH! It can be heart-breaking to consider the thought that you maybe can’t make it work… 😔

Fortunately, there are many ways to support yourself when you’re feeling this way, and it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t make your heart-shaped business a success.

Before we dive into strategies and tips for navigating the highs and lows of being a self-employed solopreneur, let’s first explore why you might be experiencing these ups and downs.

Navigating unpredictable emotional and energy fluctuations
can be challenging for Solopreneurs.

2: Why emotional and energy fluctuations might be extra challenging for you

As I mentioned before, emotional and energy fluctuations are a normal part of life that we all experience. But there can be specific reasons why these ups and downs are more intense or frequent for you.

Understanding the why can help you adopt strategies tailored to your unique needs and how you’re wired.

Let’s look at some things that might make life feel like a rollercoaster on steroids 😉

Your energetic and neurological make-up

If you’re an empath, a highly sensitive person (HSP), or an introvert, you might experience the world much more intensely than most other people.

Not just a theory but scientific fact

These neurological differences are not just a theory, but have been validated by scientific research. Studies show that highly sensitive people (HSPs) and empaths often have more active mirror neurons. These mirror neurons are responsible for empathy and emotional response, and if you have more of them, you are more attuned to others’ emotions.

Brain scans of introverts show more activity in areas of the brain involved in deep thinking and processing thoughts, which suggests they naturally spend more time thinking about their own thoughts and feelings, and are more sensitive to what’s happening around them.

Processing emotions and impressions costs a lot of energy

Your brain is an energy-intensive organ, and it uses up about 20% of the body’s total energy, even though it only makes up about 2% of your body weight. This means that intense emotional experiences can be very taxing on your energy, especially if you are highly sensitive or empathic. When you’re processing emotions deeply or dealing with overstimulation, your brain is working overtime, which can easily lead to mental exhaustion.

Maybe you already know you are an empath, Highly Sensitive Person, or introvert, or maybe you hear about these things for the first time. In any case, these neurological traits can make emotional and energy swings more challenging, such as managing to be consistent in showing up on social media, or finding daily energy and inspiration to work on your business.

The gifts of introversion and sensitivity

On the other hand, being more sensitive also comes with many gifts, such as heightened empathy, deep insight, creativity, and a strong intuition. These qualities make it easier for you to build deeper connections with your clients and support you in bringing your unique gifts to the world through meaningful and impactful work as a solopreneur.

But to thrive as a more sensitive solopreneur, you need to recognize and embrace your unique needs and make choices for your life and business that are perfect for how you’re wired. We’ll talk more about that in a bit!

Neurological traits such as heightened empathy, sensory sensitivity and introversion bring challenges but also many gifts for Solopreneurs.

Your physical health

Physical health plays a huge role in how we feel emotionally and energetically. Conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, autoimmune disorders, and even nutrient deficiencies can lead to unpredictable energy levels and mood swings.

If you’re dealing with ongoing health issues, your body is already using up extra energy to cope, which can make emotions feel more intense for you. So if this is your situation, it’s important to recognize that, be gentle with yourself and adopt life practices and business strategies that give you maximum support. I hope things will get better for you soon and that the strategies I share here will make it easier for you ❤.

Trauma Triggers

So many people are dealing with trauma, and this can have a big effect on how you respond to stress and emotions. Trauma can create hypersensitivity to certain triggers, causing intense emotional reactions in your body and mind that may seem out of proportion for what’s actually happening in the moment, but that’s because they tap into old fears and feelings.

Running a business and personal growth & healing

I’m familiar with this myself, and I’ve started to realize how much this can impact me when working on my business, because of the emotional shifts it causes. They say that entrepreneurship is a journey of personal growth, and I would like to add that it is maybe even more a journey of personal healing as it requires you to step out of your comfort zone and step into your authentic self and out into the world as who you are, something that can be intense when you have emotional scars.

Trauma can be any experience that is “too much, too soon, too fast, or too little for too long”. And it can range from childhood neglect and abuse, both physical and emotional, to an intense relationship break-up or losing a loved one while you are already an adult, and everything in between.

Trauma healing is often a long and intensive process, and if you know you have unhealed trauma that you are dealing with, I think it’s important to recognize that and be gentle with yourself. It’s not your fault, and if you can practice self-compassion and self-love, in combination with adopting strategies to help you on your entrepreneurial journey, I believe you can find ways to thrive.

Also, our personal experiences are often something we bring into our work, helping us connect deeply with our clients, because we know and understand their lived experiences.

Trauma can bring challenges when running a business but our lived experiences are often also valuable for being able to connect to our clients.

We are Cyclical Beings

Hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle can affect your mood and energy levels a lot. Many women experience shifts in how they feel emotionally and physically at different points in their cycle. For example, you might feel more energetic and optimistic in the middle of your cycle, and more reflective or emotionally sensitive towards the end, which can sometimes lead you to feeling more tired or worried.

If you are still in the midst of the hormonal ups and downs, then it may help to keep in mind they can have a big impact on your productivity, emotions and inspiration for your business. 

Life Stage Challenges

Another reason you might experience variations in your energy levels and emotions is a life stage challenge you might be facing. For example, balancing a business while raising young children, supporting a teenager through difficult times, or caring for an aging parent can be *very* demanding.

These responsibilities often come with their own set of emotional highs and lows, from the joy and pride of being there for loved ones to the stress and exhaustion of juggling multiple roles. These added pressures can really impact your emotional well-being and energy levels, but strategies to help you relax and thrive can support you in moving forward with your business even during such turbulent times. 

You’re Human …

The bottom line is: you’re human, and maybe even
a uniquely wired one at that!

When you find it challenging to consistently show up in your business, it’s important to remember that these fluctuations in energy and emotions are normal and natural, and could be because of your unique neurological gifts or your personal circumstances. I hope that reading about these different reasons for ups and downs reassures you and reminds you that there’s nothing wrong with you or what you’re doing. It’s simply part of being a solopreneur and a human with your own personal set of strengths and sensitivities.

And by combining awareness with self-compassion and strategies, tools and practices that honor your genuine needs, I’m sure you can grow and blossom a business that supports you in living life on your own terms, doing exactly what you love.

So let’s explore these strategies, tools and practices that help self-employed Calm & Quiet loving Solopreneurs like you and me thrive!

3: Strategies, practices and tools for Calm & Quiet loving Solopreneurs

Here are my 12 tried and tested strategies for dealing with emotional ups and downs in your business!

#1 Self-compassion = key

Be kind and gentle with yourself. In the past, a lot of the stress I experienced came from feeling frustrated and being hard on myself for not doing what I thought I should be doing. My inner critic and perfectionist were running the show, making me feel even worse with their relentless criticism.

If you can truly understand that your emotional and energy ups and downs are not your fault, you can focus on restoring your energy and calming your system, instead of getting caught up in a negative inner dialogue about what’s wrong with you.

This is energy much better spent, as it helps you avoid sinking deeper into negative emotions and allows you to recover faster by prioritizing self-care and release instead of adding more stress! 

Self-compassion is key so you can focus on on restoring your energy and calming your system instead of wasting precious energy on criticizing yourself.

#2 Your hormones and your business

If you’re still experiencing monthly hormonal cycles, these could very well contribute to how you feel emotionally and energetically. Tracking how you feel throughout the month can help you discover patterns related to your hormonal changes. For example, if you notice that staying motivated and inspired is harder in the week before your period, you can try planning less intensive work during this time. Personally, I feel less outgoing just before and during the first days of my period, and for me engaging and posting on social media can feel more challenging during these days. If you experience this too, a solution may be to schedule your social media posts or newsletters ahead of time to ease the pressure during these days while still moving forward with your business. We are cyclical beings! It was a real eye opener for me when I realized that the times when I feel more anxious and introverted are linked to the time in my cycle. Also, what really helps me personally is taking magnesium and primrose oil supplements. I feel these take the edge off the intensity of my feelings during the phases of my cycle when I’m more prone to worries and anxiety.

#3 You’re doing more than you think

It can be very disheartening to have a big to-do list, only for unexpected things to pop up and make it impossible to get much done. Meanwhile, you see a steady stream of seemingly successful entrepreneurs sharing their social media value posts with you, saying that consistency is key, and that showing up every day is the only way to succeed. This can feel stressful, especially when your emotional rhythm often makes consistency feel out of reach for you.

Focusing on what you are getting done… 

But what if you could shift your mindset? What if you believed that your best work gets done during your high-energy inspired moments and that these moments far outweigh any mediocre work during your low-energy days? What if you embraced both your creative moments and your quieter, more reflective times? That way it could be not about the quantity of what you do, but about the inspired quality of your work!

I love this quote by Christina Rosalie from her book Field Guide to Now. It makes such an important point:

‘It’s easy to look at what is achievable in a single day and always come up short. But it is just as easy to underestimate what you can accomplish in a year.’

 When I feel discouraged because I didn’t accomplish what I set out to do, it can feel like I’m stuck in one place. But when I reflect on what I’ve achieved over a year, the story looks completely different! The important thing is to keep moving forward, because small, consistent steps in the right direction will definitely get you where you want to go. Slow but steady wins the race! It helps me to keep my eyes on the horizon and simply focus on doing what I can in the moment.

#4 Your energy matters

With everything, getting to the finish line is important – but so is enjoying the journey. The kind of energy you put into things matters. Because I believe it gets embedded into your creation and it can be felt by whoever interacts with what you create. There are people who believe that your results are a direct result of the amount of labour and sweat you put into something. And there are people who believe that it’s more about allowing than toiling. And that when you’re in good frame of mind, results can just flow to you. I’m definitely in the second camp. Of course you need action, but it needs to be inspired action.  When I feel that I’m not doing enough, I remind myself about being. Being grateful, being in service, and being in love with what I do and create for the people I can help.  Remember that clients can come from all sorts of places, including word of mouth, organic traffic to a blog post you published years ago, or a chance encounter. It’s not only possible through email newsletters and hustling on social media. Whenever I get too stuck on doing and forget about with what energy I’m doing, I like to say to myself:

“Clients come to me when I’m happy and relaxed and enjoy what I’m doing.”

This can help me to relax and get to inspired action, and I hope it helps you too!

#5 Be savvy about your marketing and messaging

Being efficient and effective in your marketing is important for any business owner, but especially for calm & quiet loving solopreneurs that need lots of time on airplane mode. With being efficient and effective I mean you have done what you can to make sure you connect on a deep emotional level with your clients. You have thought very well about the problems your clients face, and how exactly you help them overcome those problems.

It’s very important that you spell it out and connect the dots for your clients.

That you tell them exactly what the problem is and how your offer helps them overcome it. And what results and benefits they will get when working with you.

The more you articulate these things in a way that makes them say: YES this is ME and this is exactly what I need help with, the easier it will be to get clients.

An opportunity to Uplevel your Business

If you haven’t done this kind of work it is much harder to find clients, even if you post lots on social media every day, or write 2 newsletters each week.

It’s all about thinking deeply about who you are, who your ideal clients are and what they need, what your offers do for them, and pouring that all into your magnetic messaging.

If you have not explored this yet, there is a real opportunity for you to uplevel your business and make your marketing much more effective!

I love helping my clients with this, and in my Divine DIY website pack there’s a step by step process that guides you through getting clear on your marketing copy and website strategy.  Creating your website with me is much more than “just” creating a website. It’s a nurturing process that not only helps you create a professional, beautiful website yourself (a website you’ll be proud to share), but you’ll also dive deep into your marketing and messaging. 

On days when things aren’t flowing well and you’re feeling tired, remember that slow and steady wins the race. Have goals but be flexible with them.

#6 Have a plan and goal but be flexible with it

The secret sauce to keep moving forward in your business is to have a plan and set goals, but also to stay flexible. Goals give you direction and commitment, helping you achieve amazing things. However, the real magic is not in meeting your goals at all costs, but in staying engaged with the process and moving forward, step by step.

On days when things aren’t flowing well and you’re feeling tired, remember that slow and steady wins the race. It’s better to work at a relaxed pace with positive energy than to push yourself to the point of exhaustion. When you feel tense and notice you’re forcing yourself through what you need to do, take a pause. Step back and give yourself a break—go for a walk, have a cup of tea, or simply take a moment to breathe. Often, when you return with renewed energy, tasks that seemed impossible become much more doable. Computers and electronics can have this really annoying habit of responding to our vibes—trust me: I’ve learnt my lessons about this too!

So if things aren’t going well, give yourself a short breather and come back when you feel a bit better. This way, you’ll find that progress is not just about working hard, but working smart and with your well-being in mind.

And this leads us into the next two points…

#7 Working in 45 minute blocks

For me, excitement and inspiration can quite subtly shift to overwhelm. I notice it when I start to feel agitated and impatient instead of elated. At some point I get to forcing instead of flowing… when I can’t stop and unglue myself from my screen… I call this zombie mode 😉 Of course there are times when I just need to finish something. But most of the time I do much better work when I give myself breaks. One of my most valuable and simple tricks is to work in 45 minute blocks.

I just set a timer and get up to do something around the house or walk around the garden. So super simple but it works really well for me! I give my eyes a break from the screen, and my blood starts flowing… And when I get back to my desk, I’m fresher and more productive. Plus when I do a small chore around the house, folding laundry, or do some weeding in the garden, I have this great sense of accomplishment that not only work, but everything in my life is getting done. It’s a win- win!

#8 When you notice you’re feeling
triggered or anxious

Another thing that can help you be more consistent in your progress is to notice when you get anxious or triggered about something, and to do something about it! Sounds revolutionary, I know 😉 As an empath I can get deeply affected by things I see online. Someone’s emotional story on facebook, or some news flash about something that gets me worried can bring me in an anxious state, and in that state it’s much more difficult for me to still work effectively.

What really helps me is just taking a few minutes to “reset my system”. A quick way to do that is to spend a few minutes breathing in a relaxing pattern that calms down my nervous system. I breathe in 4 seconds, hold 4 seconds and breathe out for 8 seconds. This type of breathing sends signals to your brain and body that all is well and the all systems can relax. I can almost always feel the shift. And I can also see it: I have a HeartMath sensor and I can see my body move into coherence through my HRV (heart rate variability). I love it when science supports what I feel J

Of course you don’t need such a sensor for this to work. All you need to do is care enough about how you feel to give yourself just 5 minutes of calm breathing to reset yourself. The trick is in slowing your breathing down and making your outbreath twice as long as your inbreath. If you don’t already have such a practise, I’d encourage you to try it, because it really works wonders and allows you to get back to your work feeling much better!

Create systems that work for you around the clock,
even while you’re relaxing or focusing on other things.

#9 Create automated systems
that work for you 24/7

As a heart-centered solopreneur, you love your work. It’s your purpose and passion, and it brings you to life. But you also value all the other important things in life, like spending time with your loved ones, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee with a good book, and taking time to reflect, recharge, and relax. You can’t, and don’t want to, be ‘on’ all the time. That’s why it’s essential to create systems for your business that work for you around the clock, even while you’re focusing on other things.

One example of such a system is a lead magnet combined with an automated email sequence. A lead magnet is a valuable piece of content you offer to your website visitors in exchange for their contact details (like their email address and name). It’s a vital part of your buyer’s journey because a well-designed lead magnet can bring people into your world, allowing you to introduce them to your expertise and offerings gently over time. Through your email series you can create the know, like and trust potential clients need to feel confident to buy from you.  And the best part is that this can all happen automatically, without you having to lift a finger.

We also cover setting up a lead magnet and email automation in the Divine DIY Website Pack. I see this as an essential tool in the calm and quiet-loving solopreneur’s toolkit, because it helps you nurture relationships and grow your business, even when you’re away from your screen.

#10 When it’s hard to start…

There are days when it’s just really hard to get started. Maybe you’re not feeling inspired, or you have a challenging task ahead—like starting a big project or writing important copy for a sales page or a newsletter. In those moments, it’s easy to do anything but what you need to do. You might find yourself scrolling through social media or tackling easier tasks first, or sometimes, not starting at all.

What may help you in such situations is committing to just 15 minutes of work (or even just 10 or 5). Something that feels manageable for you. Often, once you begin, you’ll find that the momentum builds. You might even keep going as inspiration starts flowing and you make great progress. It’s amazing what can come from those initial few minutes! From my experience, you can create beautiful writing and come up with brilliant new ideas even when you’re tired or not feeling your best. Because waiting for the perfect moment can be a trap… sometimes starting very small can lead to something big.

While it’s important to honor how you feel, it’s also easy to let resistance take over when things feel complicated. Finding the right balance between motivating yourself to start and respecting your natural energy ups and downs is a skill to develop. That’s why the ‘15-minute promise’ is such a great tool. It helps you push past resistance and get started. And if, after 15 minutes, it’s still not working, at least you know you’ve tried. But quite often, you’ll find that it was just resistance, and a few hours later you look back on some wonderful creations and progress! 

#11 Evergreen no-hustle strategies

As a calm and quiet-loving solopreneur, the constant hustle of social media marketing can be exhausting and not quite suited to your natural rhythms. Social media requires constant effort—posting and engaging to please the algorithm gods. While it can be effective, what you share often disappears from view quickly after it’s posted, making it a high-maintenance strategy that demands continuous work.

Luckily, there are also evergreen strategies that align perfectly with a more relaxed, sustainable approach to marketing. These strategies focus on creating content that continues to bring value and attracts attention for a long time after you’ve published it. One such approach is blogging as a marketing strategy. Search engine optimized (SEO) articles and posts can drive organic traffic to your website over a longer period of time, bringing new potential clients into your world without ongoing effort from your side. Blogs can also help you clarify your marketing messaging and clearly articulate your client’s pain points, and the results and benefits of your offers. Sharing your own personal stories and experiences can create the know, like & trust factor that is crucial for getting clients.

Putting together SEO blog posts with platforms like Pinterest can be a golden combination. Unlike social media posts, content on Pinterest can remain visible and relevant for months or even years, continuously bringing in new visitors and potential clients. Evergreen strategies like this allow you to build a steady flow of traffic and subscribers without the need to hustle every day. Perfect if you’re a calm and quiet-loving solopreneur.

Having a website that you own and control is a key part of an evergreen, no-hustle marketing strategy. A self-hosted WordPress site is ideal because it allows you to create all that valuable content on your own digital turf, creating a long-term asset that grows with your business. WordPress is also perfect for SEO content, because it gives you the tools to optimize your posts and pages so they continue to attract organic traffic over time. That’s why I’m so passionate about WordPress websites for Calm & Quiet loving Solopreneurs. And with my Divine DIY Website Pack, you’ll get all you need to create such a central hub for your valuable evergreen content—an SEO-friendly platform that is the heart of your no-hustle marketing strategy. This approach aligns perfectly with how you’re wired, helping you market your business in a way that feels relaxed and sustainable.

Making nature connection a priority gives you an advantage in your business.

#12 Tap into the power of nature
for your business

My last piece of advice is about making use of a free resource that’s hopefully close-by wherever you live: nature and the outdoors. I believe nature can support us so much in running our business and leading a balanced life. I try to go out in nature every day as one of the first things in the morning. This time spent in solitude and silence helps me to relax, recharge and reset my nervous system and energy. I take a sandwich with a flask of tea, and spend some time meditating and just looking around. I also always take a notebook and pen, because ideas and inspiration very often come when I’m out and about. Complete blog post or newsletter outlines, or a great ideas for social media posts and new offers just fall in my lap during my time in nature. I’m not trying to get ideas, they just come when I switch off, and often they come while I’m walking back – I keep having to stop to jot down new sentences and ideas. So giving myself this kind of quiet time to recharge is very productive time, because it keeps me feeling good and healthy, and it gives me the ideas and inspiration to move forward with my business. Try it out and see if the same starts happening for you, I’m almost 100% sure it will!

~ Closing Thoughts ~

I hope these tips will help you in some way. Navigating the ups and downs of being a calm and quiet-loving solopreneur can be challenging, but with the right strategies, tools, and mindset, you can create a business that thrives without compromising your well-being. By embracing self-compassion, understanding your unique energy patterns, and implementing sustainable, no-hustle marketing strategies, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success. It’s not necessary to constantly hustle or push yourself to the limit.

It’s about finding and choosing tools, practices and strategies that work for you that honor your natural rhythms.

It’s about making mindful and clever choices that align with your own personal values and lifestyle.

And it’s a matter of staying true to yourself and working in a way that feels good for you.

Your journey as a solopreneur is uniquely yours, and by focusing on quality over quantity and building systems that support you, you can grow a fulfilling business that brings your gifts to the world. So take a deep breath, trust in your process, and remember: slow and steady wins the race.

PS: If you are a Calm & Quiet loving business owner and you have any other productivity or self-care tips or insights, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or email me on helena@websiteswithaheart.com, so I can include it in this guide.

Marketing-savvy Web Pages
for Calm & Quiet loving Solopreneurs