Bring Your Self-Care to Work (Every) Day

Alicia Stevens, BA

Self-Care & Relationships Writer

As we kick off the start of the new year tis the season for renewed acts of self-care. Normally acts of self-care are scheduled around work hours, maybe a run beforehand to clear your mind, yoga after work to unwind or a weekend massage to release the tension of the week. 

​But over the years that has changed as more organizations are finding it imperative to incorporate self-care into the workplace. It’s not only long overdue, but in today’s world it has become a necessity.
 
In the last few years my employer has begun to provide employees with five-dollar chair massages, group and one on one sessions with a nutritionist and preventive care campaigns to name a few. All of which aid in maintaining a balanced and healthy well-being. As a commuter and someone who sits for hours a day, those chair massages surely do come in handy. However, these services aren't provided on a daily basis. In order to ensure that we have the healthy balance that we need in the workplace, we must do the majority of the work for ourselves.
 
The ways of practicing self-care can vary depending on the person, but I think most people can agree that proper rest is essential to having a productive day whether you’re going into work or not. Getting proper rest the night before an early day can help you stay alert and ready for whatever the day may bring. Lack of sleep can make you sluggish and unable to concentrate on the tasks that you are responsible for in the workplace. This could lead to errors and other counterproductive work behaviors. Therefore, setting a realistic bedtime and sticking with it consistently is critical to your workplace self-care process.
 
Most of us spend a large amount of time in the workplace, so it’s helpful to establish a healthy rapport with your coworkers especially when at times you will be working together to complete tasks. Working in hostile environments doesn’t serve anyone and can be severely unhealthy to your wellness. Creating a space at work that promotes healthy working relationships will surely increase your chances of being successful.
 
It took me a while to accept the fact that nutrition is very important to self-care. Often times your day can become hectic and before you know it you’ve missed lunch, so you grab anything to eat without thinking and most times it’s not the healthiest of choices. Lately, more companies have started providing healthy options in the workplace. If this isn’t true in your situation, consider bringing healthier options to work. Replacing a burger or fries with a salad or chips with an apple as well as staying hydrated can make a world of difference in how you feel throughout the day. Good brain food is essential to your ability to focus and function effectively at work. In addition to exercise, it can help keep weight off especially if you don’t move around a lot in your position.
 
Speaking of moving around, regardless of your position it’s important to take breaks. If your able, try to take that break outside by going for a walk, running an errand as long as you’re moving around to keep your blood circulating and getting fresh air you will feel at your best. Also essential to self-care is taking time off from work. Whether it’s simply taking a day to regroup or taking an extended vacation. Hitting the pause button to relax and recharge prevents you from feeling burnout and overwhelmed in your position.
 
Another way to achieve this is by setting boundaries, this could be as simple as not making a habit of working when you're not in the office. Once you leave the office and go home to your personal life, make sure you are leaving work at work. Blurring lines and practicing unhealthy work habits can lead to resentment which enhances mistakes, calling out from work or leave you looking for a new position altogether.
 
We are all familiar with the phrase work smarter, not harder. As someone who likes to keep things simple, this has always been a motto of mine. There are no rewards in wasting valuable time and energy. If you are prone to being disorganized and scatterbrained when it comes to completing tasks, I would suggest writing out exactly what you need to do in order to visualize an ideal strategy. Most times when we see things written out, it helps us to organize more effectively. At the end of the day, your employer hired you to get the job done in an orderly fashion so never slow down your productivity and self- sabotage by making things harder than they need to be.
 
These suggestions only begin to scratch the surface when it comes to how to create self-care in your workplace and should be customized to your liking. The important thing to remember is that any space where you spend your time should encourage and promote you to be the best version of yourself.
 
“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what's left of you.” – Katie Reed, Blogger.
 
Be well

Alicia Stevens, BA

Alicia Stevens holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Hunter College. She has been an Executive Assistant in Finance and in charge of planning the Firm’s social events for the last 10+ years. In her free time, Alicia has always enjoyed writing blogs and short stories. She first started writing in her journals during her childhood as a coping mechanism. Years later, while processing a setback in life, writing became her therapy once again in the form of blogging. She is passionate about self-care and its importance in relationships. As a woman that didn’t always practice self-care, she has come to learn the significance of putting your own oxygen mask on first and wants to stabilize this act for other Black women as well.