Self-care for professionals.

As we know in the workplace, we need to look after our own wellbeing as a top priority before we can look after others. However, it’s not always easy to keep up with self-care when we feel overloaded. OnBundock offers the following tips to keep you on track:

​Take regular breaks. Organise an activity away from work that focuses on your wellbeing. As a general rule of thumb, it’s important to:

• Organise something social (e.g. dinner or movies with friends or family)
• Do something that makes you smile (e.g. hobby or a creative outlet)
• Devote time to an activity that allows you to feel completely relaxed and helps you to ‘refresh’ your mind (e.g. watching an episode on Netflix, reading a book or even just taking a nap)

 
Let go of what you can’t control. Work constantly comes with unexpected ups and downs. Try to let go of that stress and anxiety by accepting what you can’t control and, instead, focussing on the things that you can. Practicing mindfulness can help with this.
 
Laugh often. Although work generally requires a level of professionalism, remember to have fun. Laughing releases dopamine (‘feel good’ chemicals) into the brain which is great for keeping your brain in top shape!
 
Remind yourself to maintain your work-life-home-family balance. It’s important to remind yourself to maintain a balance over all aspects of your life, other than work. Sometimes organising activities to look forward to at home can increase happiness and decrease stress. Planning a small getaway for the long weekend can help you feel happier as you have something to look forward to. 
 
Remember the importance of your work. All work that contributes to society matters, no matter how big or small the task. Knowing and believing your work is important leads to heightened levels of motivation
 
Maintain a brain healthy diet. Certain, or a lack of certain, nutrients can change the way you feel, think and behave. Ensure you are getting enough of the essential vitamins in your diet. If you feel tired, forgetful, ‘brain fog’ or unusually anxious or sad, you may be lacking in an particular vitamin. For example, a lack of Vitamin B can make you feel more stressed and anxious. Seeing the GP or a health professional may help discern the cause of the issue.
 
Real talk. Discuss your concerns with others, whether it be friends, colleagues or a professional, about how you’re feeling. This helps others to understand, clarify and suggest helpful adjustments where necessary. Also, talking it out loud helps with your own understanding. Try it out, you might surprise yourself.
 
Prevent burnout. Burnout is a very real and common issue in the workplace. A lot of people don’t realise they’ve hit it until their work performance has well and truly diminished. Stop burnout in its tracks by prioritising self-care. Prevention is better than the remedy.
 
The more we focus on self-care, the more productive we can be with a higher workload. If you are wanting to increase your own or your teams productivity, contact the professionals at OnBundock.