How Leaders Who Practice Good Self Care Are More Successful
Do you ever find yourself trying to balance being an awesome leader with your other obligations in life? If so, you’re not alone! It’s hard to be successful in your career without learning how to prioritize self care. In fact, leaders who practice good self care are significantly more successful than those who don’t. To learn how to start practicing good self care today, read on!
Why companies should promote self-care
Research shows that when leaders practice good self-care, their teams are motivated and better equipped to succeed. And, taking care of yourself doesn’t mean neglecting your responsibilities; it simply means carving out time each day to do things that nourish you both physically and mentally. So, if you want to be a more effective leader, build a stronger team, and make a positive impact on your organization—start prioritizing self-care today.
What self-care is
When we talk about leadership self-care, it’s important to note that self-care is more than just a stress reliever or relaxation technique. Instead, it’s a holistic process of making conscious choices to take care of ourselves and our bodies every day – even when we don’t feel like it. These choices can include eating right, exercising regularly, practicing mindfulness and meditation, setting boundaries with others who drain your energy and so on. The list is truly endless!
Why leaders should practice self-care
All leaders need time to recuperate and restore, whether from a string of sleepless nights caused by a sick child or sudden staffing crisis, or from a longer-term pattern of overwork and stress. If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take care of others.
Why self-care can be particularly hard for leaders
Everyone wants leaders to be compassionate, caring, and attentive—especially in today’s world. But what happens when these characteristics are stretched to their limits? What happens when a leader becomes so caring that they begin to neglect themselves? The results can be catastrophic. That is why it is crucial for a leader to practice self-care. If leaders are going to inspire and care for others, they must also take care of themselves.
Ask yourself if you’re doing enough self-care
The first step to making self-care a priority is recognizing that it’s important. But it’s just as important to make time for self-care, whether it’s going for a run or meditating at home. One survey found almost half of workers don’t get enough sleep on weeknights—and more than two in five don’t take all their vacation days each year.
Ways leaders can practice self-care
Sleep deprivation and burnout can kill your career, so be sure to take care of yourself. Schedule time for self-care in your calendar like you would a business meeting or conference call. Your mental health is just as important as any other aspect of your life, so don’t put it on hold when there’s work to be done.
Your coworkers might not understand the need to take time to recharge, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep good self-care habits as a leader. These habits will also help you lead more effectively, as well as set an example for your employees and help them make good choices about their own self-care practices. There are many things you can do to take care of yourself and improve your leadership skills, and this guide will show you how to get started. Here are six ways leaders can practice good self care that will benefit themselves and others in the workplace.
1. Set boundaries
Good boundaries don’t isolate us, they are healthy rules for navigating time, health, money, energy and relationships. These limits keep us safe, prevent us from overworking (or oversharing), and properly balancing our priorities. Be strategic about your agreements, because saying “yes” to something means saying “no” to something else. Overwork is no longer a badge of honor, nor is it realistic or sustainable. Set limits where you spend your time, money and attention, delegating where possible and letting go of perfection.
2. Take care of your body
Physical health helps you be more stress resilient, focused, energized and happy. Incorporate small steps into your daily routine to move regularly, drink water, eat healthy foods, and get good sleep and rest. Keep it simple, like starting your day with a nutritious breakfast, or going for a short walk at lunch.
3. Refuel yourself
Recharge your energy by taking breaks and incorporating fun and joy into each day. Experiment with micro-breaks to refresh yourself like walks, a few deep breaths, exercise, playing games, reading a magazine, etc. What brings you joy? Prioritize these activities in your life. Love golfing on weekends? Set boundaries to make sure you get out on the course!
4. Reflect
Experience isn’t the best teacher, evaluated experience is. Taking time to reflect turns experience into insight, clarity, learning, improvement and growth. Take a few minutes at the end of the day to reflect on what you learned, discovered or observed. Take stock of what could be improved, what worked well so it can be replicated, and new insights to be incorporated into the future. A great team exercise is “What is something we learned today?”
5. Practice kindness to yourself and others
Say a simple “thank you,” share a compliment, show appreciation, or reach out to check in to see how someone is doing. Kindness can be saying “no,” forgiving, doing a favor, smiling with eye contact or lightening someone’s day by making them laugh. It’s also setting realistic expectations and timelines, and being flexible in the face of ever-shifting situations. Give yourself grace by not applying unnecessary pressure to be “always on” or available.
6. Celebrate
Take notice of wins both big and small and celebrate them! Acknowledge both yourself and others out loud for things you did well. Our brains are hard-wired to focus on the threats, what’s going wrong, what needs to be fixed, what has yet to be done. Making a conscious effort to refocus on what’s going well fuels motivation.
