Self-Care at Work: How to Get Started?

Partaking in self-care is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. The world has just woken up to mental health, and it’s about time that you do too. Self-care isn’t just about giving yourself breaks. It’s about mindfulness and paying attention to your own needs. 

For many of us, work culture, and bringing your work home with you has brought little comfort. It has led to an increase in anxiety and a non-existent work-life balance. 

While self-care isn’t the antidote and answer to your troubles, every little bit helps. And that’s the point of self-care. Doing that little bit so it adds up in the long run.  

So, here are some self-care ideas that you can use to improve your work life. 

Self-Care At Work Means Spacing Out Your Work

It’s important to remember that you’re not a machine. You need to take time for yourself to not just relax, but to decompress. What that means is you need to stop exhausting yourself. People build extremely stringent timetables and can’t stick to them. That leads to very little work being done throughout the day. 

Self-care won’t just improve your mental and physical health. It will also improve your work ethic and charge you up for the next task. 

Take a Break Between Major Tasks 

When you finish a major task, it’s a good idea to get up from your desk and stretch out your muscles. You can go for a small walk, or take a few bites. Instead of spending time on your phone, you can try to pick up a book, or just take a breather. 

These small breaks will rejuvenate you for the next task.  

Deactivate Social Media During Work Never Skip Lunch 

While social media is a very important tool and a way to cool off, it has morphed into an addiction. 210 million people are officially addicted to it, and its most prevalent in teens. That’s why it’s important to give it a rest every once in a while. 

It’s not enough just to keep yourself away from your phone. It’s better to delete your social media apps altogether. Your accounts will still remain active, and you can login if there’s an emergency. 

A more permanent solution is to get rid of the accounts which you don’t use. Presence on just one social network is enough. Go one step further and deleted all messaging apps but one aside from your default phone messenger. This will give you a notifications detox as well as a social media detox.

You won’t be dreading or looking forward to the next notification if you do this. 

Create a Support System

Being great at your job and delivering on deadlines makes you a model employee. However, you need to do interact with others and build a support system as well. You can either do this with your co-workers or build a support system outside the workplace.

People usually do the latter because they have friends from university or school, or their neighborhoods. That being said, it’s important to do something to de-stress from work by going out or doing some fun activities.

You can go to restaurants, bowling alleys, escape rooms, and even paint-balling if you want. It should just be a fun activity that you can enjoy with your friends. It could be laser tag or gaming for all anyone cares. As long as you’re having fun and are away from the stress of work, you’ll do fine. 

Some people find it relaxing to just go to the gym or jogging in the park with their friends. You can also do these activities with your spouse or with your significant other.

The support system you build should be sustainable and should involve something you love doing with others. If those requirements are met, then you’re halfway through the self-care for busy people program. 

Work On Yourself to Improve Mental and Physical Health

Let’s get to the actionable, and simple things you can do to ward off burn out and initiate self-care. Here are self-care ideas you can adopt without needing other people, any significant resources, or even much time. 

Dress to Impress…Yourself and Others 

Dressing up before going to work is one of the most basic things you can do to feel good. When you spend time on yourself to look good, you can feel the difference. Even something as little as putting on a tie, or getting your hair styled, or getting a new pantsuit can do wonders. 

You don’t need to do it to impress others. You need to do it for yourself. Once you do that, others will take notice. This doesn’t just reflect on your personal style, it also creates impressions on people. Clothes make statements, but they also inspire confidence. 

Treat your outfits of the day like suits of armor which prepare you for the challenge of the day. 

Pack a Lunch For Work

Don’t head over to the cafeteria every time. Instead, pack a lunch for yourself. While this is a healthier option, it will also give you some time to work on yourself, quite literally. Packing or preparing a lunch will help you decide what kind of foods, tastes, and food groups you’re most comfortable with.

You can experiment with different condiments, spices, and flavors. More importantly, you won’t be dependent on take out all the time.

This is also important because take out can get you sick a lot of times. Even ordering form well known franchises doesn’t preclude you from getting food poisoning because of bacterial infections. 

Instead of getting diarrhea because of a bad mayo roll, make one yourself so that you can be sure of the hygiene. 

Of course, you can order once in a while. However, staying off fatty foods and fizzy drinks helps you live longer and feel more energetic. Which brings us to our next tip. 

Bike to Work or Exercise Before Work 

Take time out to exercise before work or bike to work if you can. While some people commute to work using public transport or just by catching a cab, you should try biking. This will save money and improve your physique. 

This doesn’t mean you need to forgo the train ride or the bus ride. You can ride to the nearest bike lock from your bus or park your bike near the subway station. Every little bit helps. 

You can make this a routine and follow through, so you strengthen your own body.

The alternative is to exercise before work. This is a personal favorite, but you can switch it to after work if you want. Giving yourself at least 45 minutes to an hour of a work out is a necessity. This isn’t just to tone your body, but also to keep you healthy and active.

Working out releases serotonin and keeps anxiety and depression away. While this isn’t the antidote to all your troubles, every little bit helps.  

Drink More Water

Drinking 8 glasses a day was something that our teachers taught us in elementary school and middle school. However, while it’s not necessary to follow that to the letter, it’s important not to ignore it either. 

You need to drink before you get thirsty and you need to drink often. Not only will drinking water help you keep healthy, it will keep you alert and looking good. 

Drinking water helps you store enough to keep essential processes going in your body. This doesn’t just involve digestion, it also involves muscle movement, your circulatory system, and your nervous system. 

Water is literally involved in processing so many essential minerals and salts to keep your body in perfect working order. This is also the reason that staying hydrated is the best way to keep your body looking good.

You’ll look fresh throughout the day and through the rest of the night. You will also be more alert since your nervous system and muscles are working at their maximum capacity. 

Coupled with the right diet and the right water intake, and exercise, you’ll feel right as rain. 

Take the Stairs Whenever You Can 

This is another great idea for penciling in exercise in to your routine. You don’t need to take the stairs all the time, and you don’t need to take them all the way up to your office. You can take the stairs down for your apartment or up to your house, or down from the 5th floor. 

This is about taking the time out to focus on your health. And taking the elevator all the time is a detriment to your health. Taking the stairs every once in a while and every few flights will help you maintain your physique. It will also increase your step count and your stamina. 

Climbing the stairs pushes your body against gravity and turns kinetic energy into gravitational potential energy. This induces far more sweat than walking in a straight line or even running up a slope. This means that you’ll be able to build up more stamina by walking up and down stairs than you will walking once around your own floor. 

Now multiply that by the flights of stairs that you climb up or down every day. You’ll be building up stamina all the time. 

Bring A Plant For Your Desk 

While this may be a cliché that you’re not willing to adopt, it’s a good idea for your health. First, you’ll be responsible for a living thing that you can nurture and take care of. It will be a nice, organic distraction from work and can employ your energy in a way that gives you peace. 

Remember that the human race evolved into its current form by taking up agriculture. We became civilized by taking care of plants and animals. There’s no reason that we should stop doing that at any point in our lives. In cities and modern metropolises, we forget that. 

Also, keeping a plant at your desk will also give you all the free oxygen that you need. Whether it’s a bonsai or a rose or a cactus, you can count on it to supply you with fresh air.

If that’s not a great pick me up, nothing is. 

Use a Blue Filter for Your Computer Screen

This is a really important practical tip to safe your eyes from strain. Blue light is a major component of the screens that you’re always looking at. Whether it’s your computer screen, or your tablet or phone screen, blue light is always there. 

You can apply a physical or a virtual filter to increase the “warmness” of the display. Virtual filters are built into most operating systems now as either night mode or eye-strain mode. You can find them in your display settings no matter which platform you’re on. 

This will ensure that you don’t get tired too often while staring at your screen.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should continuously stare at screens all the time. It’s important to take a break every now and then and get away from the screens as a rule. 

These self-care ideas may seem very simple and obvious, but ask yourself why you don’t do them. These ideas will help bring some semblance of peace and calm to your life as well as keep you healthy. These will not only help you prioritize your physical health, but also your mental health. As a result, you’ll be able to work better, and play better.

Not only that, you’ll feel more refreshed and enjoy your fun activities more. Whether you’re gaming or out with friends, you’ll feel the difference. So, apply self-care for work today and feel the difference.