u/cherrieshere

Ran my shop for about 3 years always feeling like I had to be reachable 24/7, answering calls during dinner, replying to texts at 10pm, telling myself customers expect that level of availability.

Switched to a simple after-hours voicemail with a callback promise for the next business day about two months ago, fully expecting complaints or lost business. Neither happened. Maybe 2 people ever mentioned it, and both were fine once I called back the next morning like promised.

Genuinely didn't realize how much low-grade stress I was carrying just from being perpetually "on" until it stopped. Wish I'd set that boundary in year one instead of year three.

Curious if other owners went through the same thing, feeling like being always available was mandatory until you actually tested what happened when you weren't