Here’s one thing that’s been top of mind for us and our clients: burnout. A recent Deloitte survey found that 77% of respondents have experienced employee burnout at their current job, with more than half citing more than one occurrence.
Now, there are a variety of factors that can lead to burnout including a lack of support from leaders or unrealistic expectations about workloads. An area that is often overlooked when we think about burnout is the lack of self-care. Carving out time for your rest and recovery is one of the most important things that you can do to ensure your professional success.
With that in mind, here are our top six self-care strategies for successful leadership.
Celebrating Global Diversity Awareness Month
Did you know that October was Global Diversity Awareness Month? Understanding the values of other cultures helps to strengthen our understanding and appreciation of the world, and is critical to living in a multicultural society. The ability to open your mind to new views and ideas and appreciate cultural differences gives you the ability to view the world through new perspectives and is a critical skill for team members and leaders alike.
If you and your team celebrated Global Diversity Awareness Month, we’d love to hear from you. Leave us a comment below.
Jackie’s Thoughts
Burnout is real! I notice that staying in tune with my body is key to my self-care practices. If I go too hard for too long, my body will gently nudge me to slow down. And when I don’t listen, I suffer the consequences which largely involve becoming physically ill.
No fun! I worked with an amazing coach, Catherine A. Wood, and she helped me prioritize and cherish self-care. I was very resistant at first because I have prided myself on being able to accomplish, accomplish, accomplish, without noticing the cost to myself and, at times, to my relationships. When self-care becomes a habit, we look forward to slowing down and honoring ourselves, even if it’s for a moment.
There are many ways to practice self-care. I recommend starting with setting boundaries. Give yourself permission to create an ideal schedule and stick to it, for example. Another great practice is to put yourself first and learn to say no. Some may think this is selfish, but it most certainly is not. In those times where I did not practice self-care, my work and personal life were most certainly impacted. After all, it’s hard to give it your all when your cup is empty. Here are some other self-care practices to consider:
- practicing mindfulness
- exercising
- pampering
- taking an afternoon off work
- turning slack notifications off on your phone
- taking a vacation and completely unplugging
- hiring a house cleaner
- using taskrabbit to find someone to run your errands or do household repairs
Until next time,
Jackie Kindall
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