5 Unusual Ways to Practice Self-Care at Work
They work extremely well for remote workers
When we think about self-care, most people typically think about the ways we take care of ourselves.
There’s everything from going to bed early, visiting a spa, getting a massage, taking time away from screens, hydrating, eating well, not overdoing sugar, alcohol, late nights, or even having a cup of tea or taking a bath.
All this self-care is related to taking care of our bodies, or our animal selves.
But what about at work?
Is self-care at work different from self-care at home? I think it is.
Work is for most of us a collaborative process.
Seeing self-care through the myopic lens of how do I take care of myself is limiting and doesn’t include all the “others” that we need to work with, even when we are working remotely.
After all, we can’t always walk away from stressful situations, difficult people, and even drudgery.
As someone who has spent over ten years working in the heart of the wellness world, I’ve learned that self-care at work is often not about the self but really about us-care.
The more we can take care of each other at work and our relationships, the better we will feel.
After all, don’t you feel better when you’re getting along with everyone? There’s nothing worse than being afraid of checking your inbox because you don’t know what type of response you’re going to get from that rash email you sent to the sales team.
According to Robert Waldinger, director of the study, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School:
“The surprising finding is that our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships have a powerful influence on our health.
Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships is a form of self-care too. That, I think, is the revelation.”
We can do all sorts of things when we work remotely, do our laundry during calls, make elaborate meals, dress comfortably but without the easy intimacy of sharing physical space, distance can grow and misunderstandings fester, which we may feel as a general uneasiness at work or on certain calls.
Self-care includes healthy relationships and strong ties with the people around us, not just in our personal lives but at work.
Without trust, work is especially difficult. Therefore, I’ve put together my favorite 5 ways to take care of yourself at work (and this works especially well if you are a remote worker).
Just like a good night’s sleep tonight improves your performance tomorrow, these tips will help you cultivate trust today so that your tomorrow will feel even better.
1. Acknowledge your teammates.
Even the most difficult of us are trying hard and nobody really knows the troubles that our colleagues are enduring.
Especially if all we see is them from the shoulders up during a 60-minute conversation on zoom.
Acknowledge that they’ve shown up or something that you appreciate that they’ve done, even if it’s small.
They’ll feel better for it and you will too because you’ll experience a micro-moment of positivity and often, that can go a surprisingly long way to reinforcing or repairing connections.
2. Bring yourself to a meeting
Instead of starting meetings with everyone checking their phones, go around the room and have people share something that matters to them.
We are humans and sometimes when work gets too work-focused, we forget that we’re people.
The more we can share our humanity, especially our values by talking about what matters in our lives, this will help us connect in real ways. Then, the better we’ll feel in our teams and the stronger the bonds.
And every boss should know that if you have a friend at work, you are most likely to stay. So, bosses who care about retention should be open to this.
3. Zoom lunch
I know you’ve been in front of your computer all day and you want a break. But all those calls have probably been very work-related.
Think about someone with who you work regularly but your conversations are always tactical. Invite them to a zoom lunch.
Take a half-hour, pull out the leftover chicken from last night, and have a work-free zone where you can catch up on the things that matter to you besides work deadlines and goals.
You’ll be amazed at how refreshing and energizing real human connection can be.
4. Take a Shared Phone Walk
My boss often is on a walk when we have our biweekly check-ins.
Wendy Suzuki, New York University neuroscientist, has shown in her research that exercise makes us smarter as well as fitter.
Even a 40-minute walk leads to real improvements in cognitive ability and emotional regulation.
I know, you may feel like you don’t have time but if it’s going to make you smarter, isn’t that good for your work?
And if you bring a social component to the walk, even better. You don’t need to go to the gym.
You can go for a walk but why not plug in your headphones and schedule a shared walk with a colleague?
For most of us, we live in wifi zones where we can carry on a conversation as we walk down the street or through the words if you live in the countryside.
You’ll be amazed at the difference in the quality of conversation you have when you’re both active and walking while you’re talking.
Remember Sigmund Freud, a famous psychotherapist, did his sessions on foot around Vienna with his patients.
He felt that walking helped his patients clean their minds and speak more freely than they would have in the office.
5. Your Phone
This one actually is just for you.
Having good boundaries is just as important a part of healthy relationships as cultivating connection.
Recently and by accident, I screwed up my work email app on my iPhone and I couldn’t get my work email. I could have called IT and gotten it fixed but after a day without work on my phone, I was amazed at the mental health benefits.
When I’m working, I am full-on and working but now, when I’m out — at the grocery store, waiting for a friend at a restaurant, or going on a walk in the afternoon — I really am away from work. And that time away from my work emails means I can return refreshed.
Final thoughts
Yes, you do need to do all the obvious things to take care of your body like hydrate, eat healthy, and exercise.
At work, though, the stronger your ties and alliances, the happier and healthier your self will be.
And the more likely you’ll be to achieve your goals and your team’s shared goals together.
Remember, self-care at work is better if it’s we-care.
Try this out and let me know what happened by commenting below!
