Self Care For Your Career

"Self-care is your fuel...Whatever the road ahead or the path you've taken, self-care is what keeps your motor running and your wheels turning."

― Melissa Steginus

How hard have you worked to get to where you are today? Think about the long nights, the extra hours and the hard work that you’ve put into your career. With all that groundwork put in, it’s now time to nurture it and let it grow. One element of this nurture is self-care, whether that is relaxing with a book, jogging off your worries or losing yourself in meditation. If you are a young professional, then it’s important to prioritize self-care for your career.

It is essential for our physical and mental well-being we need to stay healthy to ensure that we are able to stay productive both at home and at work. Taking time to care for ourselves is a vital part of the career-building process.

Tip 1 - Have a work-life balance in your career

Work-life balance is a term used in business management to describe the ideal balance between one's personal and professional life. It can be defined as "the extent to which an individual maintains a balanced lifestyle that includes both professional and personal commitments" (Merriam-Webster). This definition emphasizes the importance of balancing professional and personal life which is why we must see it as a priority, both when building our careers and whilst maintaining the professional levels we’ve reached.

Ask yourself these questions to see how well your work-life balance is currently:

• How often does your job interfere with your family life?

• Do you have enough time at home for yourself, or do your family and career activities take up all of your free time?

• What are the implications of your choice for your family life?

• Do you have a healthy attitude towards money?

How have you fared? Have you answered positively or negatively to these questions? Positive answers will show that your work-life balance is working well, negative answers will highlight areas that need to be improved.

Tip 2 - Ways to manage stress in the workplace

Knowing the signs of your own personal stress can be a tricky thing to master. The feeling of overwhelm and the physical side effects of stress can really take its toll. But while this stress is present, try to use it as an opportunity to grow. Use it to understand yourself better and find out what your trigger stress points are. While it’s inevitable, we can be in control of it.

Take some time to relax. When we are stressed, it is important to take some time to relax and remove the daily worries of our workday behind. A healthy way to relax is to find a hobby or an activity that you enjoy. As well as this, make sure you get some rest. You will be more productive at work and less stressed if you are well-rested.

Try not to let stress affect your work. When we feel stressed, it is easy to get distracted or single-minded at work. We often end up spending more time than we should on tasks that are not important to us. If a stressful period is coming up at work, then be prepared and work on techniques to help manage this.

• Delegating to others is one way to help manage stress, you don’t have to do everything yourself. There are always other people who can help you.

• Create a to-do list of all your tasks and deadlines. Check it daily. Keep it at hand so you can see all the deadlines you have to meet. Set aside time each day or each week to complete tasks. Use the Pomodoro Technique if you want to—setting a timer for 25 minutes, then breaking for 5, and continuing this cycle as many times as necessary.

• Adjusted your schedule so that you can avoid the times when your workload is at its peak and your stress levels are at their highest.

• When you are feeling stressed, it's important not to make rash decisions. Instead, take some time to cool off and unwind from the situation.

Focus on stress triggers and identify them in advance where possible. This will help you to avoid them or reduce them to help manage your stress levels. Once you have the hang of this kind of foresight, you should see your stress levels reduce and your work-life balance improve.

Tip 3 - Taking care of yourself

Some people have the misconception that their productivity at work will suffer if they prioritize their wellbeing at home. That is not true. People who take care of themselves at home usually become more productive at work. They can focus better and can do their jobs more efficiently. And it’