The Importance of Self-Care

In order for leaders to be able to put their best foot forward each and every day, it’s important that they incorporate self-care into their daily routine. Now you may be saying to yourself ?I literally have no time for all the things that already must get done. How on earth do you expect me to be able to add self-care to that list?? 

Here?s the thing, self-care doesn?t need to take hours. It can be as simple as taking five minutes during a very busy day to sit in silence with your thoughts. Or, taking 15 minutes in the morning to practice affirmations and gratitude. There are plenty of time-friendly and free ways to reduce your stress levels, get centered, and be ready to make the critical decisions your team needs you to make. 

To start with, we suggest these helpful resources that specifically address the needs of leaders.

Self-Care Strategies for Leaders During Stressful Times– Insperity 

Multidimensional Self-Care for Better Leadership– Forbes Leadership Council 

Self-Care for ?Serious? Leaders– Harvard Business Review

Consider the self-care needs of your Team

In addition to taking care of their own needs, leaders may also want to consider tangible ways they can work to better support self-care for their team members.

“Of course, now we understand more clearly the link between employee happiness and outcomes like higher engagement, increased productivity, and business growth. We also know that there?s a link between workplace stress, burnout, low productivity and employee turnover…Company leadership that fosters a work culture of self-care is more likely to find itself with happier people and higher employee engagement.? (15Five.com) With employee turnover rates at an all-time high, focusing on employee wellness and self-care may be one way that companies can better retain team members. 

Here are three simple strategies that can be implemented in the workplace to encourage more staff to practice self-care.

1. Encourage employees to take PTO: One of the easiest ways to prevent burnout is by insisting that your staff take time off. With many organizations moving to unlimited PTO policies, it?s clear that leaders understand the importance of time away from work. 
2. Build in physical wellness into your policies: Whether it’s reimbursement for gym memberships, bringing a yoga practitioner into the building for weekly sessions, or chair yoga during zoom calls, maintaining physical wellness is a critical part of self-care.
3. Know your staff as individuals: As a leader, one of the best ways to support self-care is to get to know your team members. When you know your team well, you will begin to get a sense when someone is ?off? and perhaps starting to show signs of burnout. Leaders can then take action to ensure staff members get the support they need. 

Additional Resources for Workplace Self-Care

Ways to Weave Self-Care into Your Workday– Harvard Business Review

How Leadership Can Reap Big Rewards by Creating a Self-Care Culture– 15Five

We?d love to hear from you. How are you prioritizing self-care in the workplace? Drop us a comment below!