Despite increasing awareness of how crucial mental well-being is in the workplace, many leaders often struggle to practice self-care, according to Harvard Business Review. To do your job well and to be a healthy, efficient leader, you must take the time to care for yourself.
A change in mindset can help set you up for success and lead you to practice self-care. You should be sure to give yourself permission to extend care and empathy inward; avoid all-or-nothing thinking and give yourself some grace; follow the example of colleagues who practice self-care; prioritize small, reasonable changes; and find an accountability buddy to ensure you are taking time for yourself.
Harvard Business Review shares the following checklist of five key components needed for your self-care.
- Taking care of your body. This may involve reducing the number of late-night or early-morning Zoom meetings you take; delegating travel to a colleague if you need a break; making healthy choices whether you are at home, in the office or traveling; staying hydrated; and incorporating micro-workouts into your day.
- Emotional health. There are two main areas that significantly affect leaders’ emotional health: the ability to regulate emotions and the ability to relax. When you feel strong emotions regarding events at work, become aware of whether you are in the best state of mind to solve problems; identify the source of your strong emotions; and consider the best way to communicate those emotions. Additionally, time spent in nature, time spent with family and gratitude practices can help with relaxation.
- Relationships and collaboration. Consider your relationships with others and how they affect your energy and well-being. Think about the type of collaboration you want to model as a leader; the type of relationship support you want or need; relationships you want or need to let go of; and how you want to connect with loved ones.
- Choice points. Autonomy and choice often are crucial to happiness. You can take control by creating more choice points, which are moments where we recognize choice is available to us. This could include choosing whether to ask for help or to have a difficult conversation.
- Growth and nourishment. Focus on what feeds you at this point in your life and career. It could include more time for parenting, learning something new, mindfulness or spending time with parents. It may feel daunting to try to find more time to do these things, but you can start with small chunks of time devoted to something that will help with your personal growth. Learning, creativity and meditation are all beneficial to brain health.
