By Sam Ast, Re-Entry Workforce Development Specialist, Goodwill of Western Missouri & Eastern Kansas
Self-care is often referred to in relation to workplace stress, but what is it? This blog will cover a variety of self-care questions. How can you integrate this concept into your daily life at home and work? What does self-care look like? What are the benefits of self-care?
If you’re looking for ways to improve your health and well-being, prevent burnout and improve your work performance, keep reading.
What is Self-Care?
Self-care is a very important aspect of maintaining your physical and mental health. Care techniques can be implemented both at home and in the workplace. Having good self-care habits can improve your workday and lead to a more positive outlook as well as better health overall.
For instance, a major element of self-care is getting a good night’s sleep. Not only is this crucial to how you feel when you wake up, but more and more research is pointing to adequate sleep affecting health, stress, the immune system and chronic illnesses.
The Benefits of Self-Care at Work
There is a myriad of actions you can take that will lead to positive benefits at work. For instance, self-care can help you be more constructive, clear-headed and organized.
For starters, make sure to eat and drink plenty of healthy items. A well-rounded breakfast has the potential to provide you with the energy to start your day. You can also think about using part of your lunch break to go for a walk or get some fresh air. This is not only a good way to get exercise but also an avenue to potentially reduce stress.
Next, try to leave work at work. Depending on your profession, this may not always be possible. Teachers, doctors, various law enforcement, military personnel or those serving in government may experience work that consistently follows them home. However, for those of us who work more regular hours, it may be a good idea to set clear boundaries for when and where you take your work. This is especially relevant for those in stressful positions. If you’re in a high-stress environment, you likely have experienced or witnessed traumatic, depressing or upsetting events. To carry this weight 24/7 can be debilitating and perhaps not leave enough room for you to take care of yourself.
How to Bring Self-Care to Work
Try meditating to decompress. Meditating doesn’t always have to involve hot yoga classes or personal shamans. For beginners and advanced practitioners, deep breathing and mindfulness remain paramount to any self-care regimen.
Additionally, don’t hesitate to celebrate your successes. If you have a great class, week, day, conversation, quarter, sale, surgery, etc., recognize your achievements! Doing this can help raise your spirits and give you motivation to continue working. When you face setbacks, learn from them instead of dwelling on your mistakes. Reframing your thinking can change your entire outlook on what it means to be a positive and productive member of any organization or company.
Lastly, try to keep your workplace clean. Doing so can assist efforts to stay organized as well as look good to management and the public alike. Reducing physical clutter might also clear up the headspace needed for clarity on projects, scheduling or other work functions.
As always, keep your head up and check back for more career and job advice.