Professional Self-Care
Did you know that its estimated that the average adult American will spend one-third of their life at work? That’s over 90,000 if you’re working a typical 40-hour work week. Thus, it’s just as important that we prioritize self-care at work as we do in every other facet of our lives.
Before we look at self-care, we need to look at the idea of “profession.” For some people, this might include a career such as a typical 9-5/40 hour work week. For others, it might include freelancing and gig work. For some it might be working (unpaid) in the home by parenting or caregiving in some capacity. For others, it might be exploring a creative pursuit or education. All this to say, our professional lives are as varied as every other aspect of our lives, and profession doesn’t need to be defined by what we get paid to do. I think it’s high time that we release the idea that our productivity needs to define our worth, and that we are only valuable as human beings if we are making money. Whatever your “professional life” looks like, I hope you are able to take something away from the following ideas.
Again, it needs to be said that there is an element of privilege to meeting some of these self-care ideals. Not everyone has the ability to work and some people have to work jobs they don’t like or where they don’t make enough money to get by. Some people are in abusive and traumatic work situations (if you can, please seek professional help), and getting out isn’t always easy. Taking care of your needs in your professional life will look different for everyone, so please begin by extending compassion to yourself for wherever you are currently at in your professional life.
Professional self-care can include many of the other self-care domains and how those domains relate specifically to your professional life. Below are some of the other domains of self-care that we have explored and how they might offer unique opportunities to foster self-care in your work life. (Please note that for ease of language, the following segments are written in the language of people who work in traditional ways, such as out of the home or in paying jobs, but please know that the following ideas are applicable no matter what your professional life looks like.)
Emotional
Emotional self-care is about becoming more in tune with and honoring of the full range of our emotions. Some questions to consider might be:
Are you mindful of your emotional needs while you’re at work?
How do you honor your emotional needs in your professional environment?
Is there room to honor your emotions more fully while maintaining necessary relationships in your workplace?
Some ways to nurture your emotional needs in your professional life include:
Learning to set boundaries at work (I recommend the book Boundary Boss by Terri Cole for a more in-depth exploration of boundaries)
Using your vacation time or taking “mental health days”
Practice self-compassion
Environmental
Environmental self-care involves feeling physically safe, being in clean and safe surroundings, having access to clean air/water/food, and being in pleasant spaces that support well-being.
Some questions to consider might be:
Do you feel safe at work? (And if you don’t, are you aware of the process for getting support or filing a formal complaint?)
Does the physical environment of your work place feel pleasant and support your well-being?
Some ways to nurture your environmental needs in your professional life include:
If you work or spend much of your time inside, consider bringing the outside in by adding a plant to your workspace
Learn about your work’s safety and harassment policies, and consider joining the safety committee (if there is one)
Surround yourself with things that you like to look at (if you can, given your work environment), such as pictures, smells you like (if allowed), and pleasant lighting
Take a walk outside on your lunch break (if you have one)
Intellectual
Intellectual self-care is about nourishing, challenging, and expanding your mind.
Some questions to consider might be:
Do I feel appropriately challenged at work (and if not, do I have other avenues in my life to fulfill my intellectual needs)?
Does the work I do feel nourishing to my mind?
Some ways to nurture your intellectual needs in your professional life include:
Invest in professional development (or ask your company to pay for it!)
Consider mentoring people in your field
If you work independently/self-employed, meet up with like-minded colleagues on a regular basis
Physical
Physical wellness is about taking care of our bodies and learning to honor our body’s inner wisdom.
Some questions to consider might be:
Is the work I do conducive to how my body is at this time in my life?
Am I physically comfortable at work?
How can I take care of my body while at work?
Some ways to nurture your physical needs in your professional life include:
Set boundaries around what you can and can’t do physically (if you’re able to set such boundaries)
Take breaks to stretch or walk
Wear clothes and shoes that are comfortable
How do you take care of yourself in a professional context? Please let me know in the comments below!
For more information, please see the articles The Essential Self-Care Kit for the Working Woman and Self-Care Mindset Tools for the Stressed Out Career Girl from which some of this information has been gathered.
