So many of us leave self care until the weekend, or if we’re lucky, weekday evenings when we can squeeze it into our busy lives.
This is usually due to the fact that we dedicate so much time to working that we don’t feel like we have time for self care throughout the week. This is so wrong!
Self care may be easier to practice during those precious moments of downtime, but it is perfectly possible to practice self care during working hours too – here’s how:
Do work you love
Okay, so this may not be possible for everyone, at least not immediately, but if you can find work you truly love, each and every second you spend at work will be like an act of self care, enriching your life and helping you to live fully.
So, what’s stopping you from doing that Online Hypnotherapy training or training to work with animals?
If there’s any chance you can get into a career you’ll love, you should take it!
Get organised
If you are organised, then you can complete your work more efficiently.
You can plan your day so that you have sufficient time to do all of the necessary tasks without having to rush, thus reducing your stress levels significantly.
Being organised at work really is the simplest form of self care there is, and it will probably boost your productivity and effectiveness at work too, which will please your boss!
Do something special in your lunch hour
First of all, if you’re one of those people who regularly work through their lunch hour stop!
I know just how difficult this is because I’m one of those people!
Firstly, taking time out not only helps you to relax and enjoy work more, but it also makes you more efficient at what you do.
Secondly, don’t think that you need to spend your whole lunch hour eating lunch.
Once you’ve eaten a healthy meal, there is no reason why you should not spend some of your lunch break meditating, reading a good book, going for a walk or whatever it is that helps to make you feel good.
I’ve found that walking the dog before lunch and then diving into my latest read is the perfect self care activity for my lunch break.
What are you waiting for? Start a new self care routine today!
Ask for feedback
So much work stress comes from not knowing where you stand or how your boss thinks you’re doing.
If this sounds familiar, be brave and simply ask your boss for feedback on your performance.
Whether it’s good or there’s room for improvement at least you won’t have any more sleepless nights wondering, and if necessary you can come up with an action plan to make things better.
Say no
Sometimes, in order to protect your mental health, you have to say no; not to overtime or picking up a colleague’s slack for example.
If you aren’t obligated to do something, it can be nice to offer anyway, but you should not just accept everything that’s thrown your way if it will make life harder for you.
A good boss will understand and respect your boundaries should you decline a request.
This simple sentence is so powerful. When I came across it, it made me stop and think but more importantly, make changes:
If you are saying yes to other people, you are saying no to yourself.
Self care is for the whole of life, so be sure to incorporate it into your working day!
