Weaving Self-Care into Your Workday
The concept of self-care is no longer relegated to a spa setting, it is something both employees and companies alike are paying keen attention to create a more balanced, more productive, stress-free environment throughout the workday and beyond. Once considered nothing more than self-indulgent behavior, self-care has come a long way and now sits prominently center stage in importance as the world and business is conducted with ever-increasing rapidity. Luckily, both employers and employees can unite to promote the mental and physical health involved in a functional work-life balance with self-care as a major part of this equation.
Why Is Self-Care at Work Important?
Attempting to get work done when you are stressed or mentally frazzled or over-tired can seem fruitless, pointless, and at times impossible. This has repercussions on both the employee and the employer throughout the workday. The employee is not working to their full potential and that has a negative effect on the business. That is why it behooves both parties to get onboard and find solutions.
Ways to Effortlessly Weave Self-Care into Your Workday
Remember, self-care is a personal thing, it is literally taking the time to prioritize the care of yourself. What that means to an individual can vary greatly. The list below is meant to help, to guide, to churn the idea wheel so you can come up with your own way of instilling self-care into a typical workday.
- Take the Time to Pack Yourself a Nutritious Lunch
Breakfast might be the meal that revs the engine in the morning, but lunch is what keeps you going throughout the remainder of the afternoon and into the early evening. What you choose to eat at this time can make or break your workday, causing you to feel lackluster, mental/physical exhaustion, or even fall asleep at your desk. This is the time to eat unprocessed foods, things like fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, and nuts. A banana is a great way to give yourself a boost when you feel drained at the end of the day.
2. Increase Your Water Intake
When you’re dehydrated, your ability to concentrate is decreased and cognitive function is impaired. So, stop piling on the coffee and instead drink lots of water, other non-caffeinated beverages, and perhaps take some vitamins and supplements while you are at it.
3. Make Yourself a Cup of Tea
Taking a moment to give yourself a warm, stimulating cup of herbal tea sometime throughout the day can be something you look forward to. This is a time to say “I care” to yourself. Buy the fancy brand, the kind you love, and take a second to inhale the scent and warmth the tea holds.
4. Breath In, Breath Out
Speaking of breathing…deep breathing is easy to do anywhere and can lower anxiety and stress levels and decrease blood pressure. It can also increase your energy and improve digestion and immunity. Try it after your healthy lunch! There are so many apps out there now to help you find an exercise you enjoy, and it takes as little as ten minutes out of your day.
5. Redecorate Your Workspace
Being in an environment you enjoy removes stress because you are more relaxed and comfortable. Go ahead! Dress up your desk! This can improve productivity levels and increase the feeling of connectedness to your workplace which can make you feel more engaged with what you are doing. Include an ergonomic chair for reduced stress and pressure on the pelvis and spine, optimized spinal support, and an increase in circulation. Eradicate lower back pain and neck pain simply by getting the right chair. Experience self-care in a seat!
6. Dress for Success
What you wear might not seem important to some, but how you look is an important part of self-care. Well-dressed bolsters well-being by building confidence. The expression “dress for the job you want” exists for a reason. It shows your employer you have confidence, professionalism, motivation, and attention to detail—all highly coveted traits in an employee.
How Can a Business Create a Culture of Self-Care in the Workplace?
Employers can make a huge difference in the level of self-care they provide for their employees by making a few simple changes throughout the workday. These affirmative actions will encourage employees to take time for self-care but also increase productivity, lower stress levels, and heighten the overall physical and mental health and well-being of the staff.
- Offer Your Employees Health & Wellness Benefits
Did you know employee wellness benefits can be used to pay for health, fitness, and more to help your employees’ general health and well-being? Creating Lifestyle Spending Accounts can have a positive impact on both employees and employers, helping reduce stress and increase morale and productivity in the workplace.
2. Buy Your Staff Ergonomic Chairs
The importance of ergonomics can’t be stressed enough because without them your employees’ physical beings are stressed in all the wrong places. One purchase can prevent arthritis, realign the spine, lower work-related injuries, and rectify the posture of the people who work for you.
3. Walk the Walk and Talk and Walk
Have you ever considered taking a stroll while you are having a meeting? Take a call and go for a walk. Encourage your employees to do the same. Walking not only increases energy, has a positive effect on the mood, bolsters productivity and creativity, and allows for a bit of decompression, but it also reduces stress and staves of depression. Everyone will sleep better too!
4. Promote Biking to Work
The health of the planet and the health and well-being of employees can be promoted with a small policy change. Help your staff commute in a way that is modernized and green by giving them micromobility options. Your company and employees can reap tax incentives while bolstering the health of Mother Nature.
5. Offer Healthy Lunch Options
A good employer thinks about the well-being of their employees and providing nutritious lunch options is one way to do that. Discourage your employees from working at their computers and make it a standard practice to take a lunch break, switch off, and disconnect. Providing them with meal perks for a healthy lunch from a local establishment is one way to increase their self-care.
6. Create Well-Being with Well-Chosen Decor
Utilizing inviting decor in the office can optimize the experience of both employees and clients. Allow the design to enhance the image the company is trying to project to clients while at the same time making your employees feel healthier, happier, and more productive in the workplace. When you spend all day in one space, don’t you want it to be nice?
For more information on how to incorporate self-care into your workplace, schedule a meeting with us and we’d be happy to discuss all your options with you.
