How do you champion self-care at work?

A key component of self-care is being able to recognise your thought patterns and reactions. As your awareness develops you have a greater chance of knowing which thoughts to respond to and which ones to let go of. This can be a great strategy to support you in being less reactive at work.

Self-care is fundamental to healthy workplaces because if you can’t look for ways to manage your own behaviours then you can’t bring those skills into the workplace. The more you learn to recognise your unhealthy behaviours [yes, we all have them], the more likely that you will be less critical when you see them in others.

Many of the stressors generated in the workplace come from reactive workflows. This can create feelings of panic and pressure cascades across the business. As a one-off this is manageable, but when it happens regularly it compromises people’s wellbeing. The next time you decide to move the goalposts – consider what sort of impact this will have – how can you manage this change request with a wellbeing perspective?

This month’s self-care project

Pay attention to your behaviours at work 

How are your current work demands impacting you right now? Take some time to reflect on how you behave at work when you are under stress.

Pick one characteristic or common habit pattern and get curious about what happens   

Examples could include:

• • How do you communicate with your peers?
  • How do you respond when someone interrupts you?
  • Do you make time for a lunch break – and/or do you book yourself into other people’s break time? 
  • Do you email people during out-of-work hours?

You may recognise patterns such as

• • The way someone at work annoys you (– this could be an opportunity to notice where you behave similarly)
  • Skipping breakfast before coming to work and running yourself on empty  
  • Stress and tension building up in your body
  • Anything else that irks you  

Start small and keep it simple. Choose one habit pattern and become curious about what happens to your body, breath and mind when you take notice of your reactions.

You may find it helpful to make notes – but try not to start analysing.

The key is to become aware of your thoughts and actions. None of us are perfect, be kind and caring towards yourself. When you practice awareness with self-compassion – you are more likely to able to communicate clearly and honestly with others.

To find more information on how you can incorporate self-care and workplace wellbeing practices into your organisation, contact me today at charlotte@sagepractices.co.nz