Best Self-Care Practices to Weave into Your Work Day

A work day can feel overwhelming in itself, but leaving self-care out of the picture is a surefire way of inviting burnout sooner or later. Prioritise yourself and focus on your daily happiness by weaving simple self-care practices throughout your work day. Practice incorporating these habits into even your busiest days until they become second nature and reap significant benefits over time.

Learning Self-Care is Part of the Job

Stress manifests itself in a variety of ways. It can be through how you process emotions, or it can be through your health. It is why learning to take care of yourself is no longer a luxury. It should be part of the job. Failing to do so can be detrimental to your health and well-being.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care involves your attunement to yourself and your needs. It means understanding when you need a break and what you should do to let go of stress and recover.

Do you know what you need to become your most effective, constructive, authentic self? Knowing the answer to these questions is crucial to understanding what you need physically and emotionally. 

Self-Care Tips for Work

Self-care activities don’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. But you have to do it often at work to ensure you perform at your best. 

Keep Your Internal Critic at Bay

It’s easy for us to be our harshest critics most of the time. But whenever our sense of perfectionism kicks in, it’s time to ask yourself what you would say to a colleague in the same situation. By looking at your situation differently, you can quickly get through periods of self-doubt.

Practice Quick Meditations

Learning self-care is about understanding when you need rest. And practising meditation breaks throughout the day is perfect when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Not only does it reduce stress, but it also unlocks creativity and increases patience. 

Meditation doesn’t need to take an hour or more. It’s just about quieting your mind and learning how to focus on the present. Practice one-minute meditations throughout the day to ease stress. 

When you get home, you can also sit in your car before you enter and face a new environment. Remember, sitting in your car outside your house is also a form of self-care.

Move More

Finding time to take a walk can be tricky in a world of virtual meetings and increasing office work. But sitting all day can be hazardous to your health. So, finding a way to move throughout the day to feel energised and alert is essential. 

Stand up and walk around the room every hour or do desk exercises while you’re working. You can also opt to walk around while talking to people in a less critical virtual meeting, but inform the participants first that you’re skipping the video today.

Drink Water

Add this to your list of self-care practices because proper hydration is crucial for your overall health and productivity. Drink your body weight in pounds in ounces of water for optimal hydration. 

Keep a large bottle of water on your desk and fill it at least twice throughout the day to remind yourself that you should be drinking water. Another thing you can do is buy a water bottle with a fun design that helps you keep track of your consumption.

Listen to Your Body

Are you feeling any uncomfortable sensations? Focus on it and ask yourself what you need. You might be thirsty, need to stand up and walk around a bit, or need to eat something. Respond to what your body needs so you can mediate symptoms and prevent yourself from getting sick.

Socialise

Going out with your friends is a great way to unwind. But you don’t have time to do that while at work. An alternative is having a casual chat with your coworkers at the pantry. Offload your stress or take your mind off difficult situations for a bit and have a quick conversation.

If you work at home, you can stay in touch in other ways. Have a casual chat occasionally, but don’t neglect your work.

Eat Well

Plan your day well so you can eat healthy throughout the day. While it can be tempting to run through a drive-thru, eating junk food won’t be doing your health any favours. Pack healthy snacks like baby carrots or yogurt to keep yourself energised and alert.

Set Boundaries

Another way of learning self-care is knowing when to separate your work from your personal life. Don’t let your job bleed into your identity because it creates resentment towards your work, boss, and colleagues. It can also cause strain on your relationships. 

You can do things like ensuring you work only the required hours. Commit to taking your allowed breaks each day. Don’t check your emails outside of work. By sticking to your boundaries, you can create a much-needed space between what you do at work and your personal life.

Take a Victory Lap

Look at all the things you’ve achieved during the past week. Have you completed all of your deliverables on time? Have you gotten yourself through a rough patch? All those successes are things you should celebrate! Pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself on a job well done. 

You can even do it with your team. It will help you stay connected and boost your morale, knowing that your actions add value to your team.

Create a Morning Routine

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? Pick something that you enjoy, and that helps you be your best self throughout the day. You could meditate, go out for a quick walk or run, or you can do some home exercises. If you feel good starting your morning, you’re bound to have more success at work. You will also be able to handle and respond to stressful situations much better.

Not Sure How to Start Your Self-Care Practices?

It’s not always easy learning self-care on your own. Sometimes, what you need is professional help from a life coach. Hire Daftein’s life coach services today and work out the kinks in your life to discover how you can live more meaningfully even amid a busy day at work.