10 ways to practice self care at workhttps://fullysara.com/self-care-at-work/

saraanderson·Jul 08, 2020

I used to think of self-care as the things I occasionally did to make myself feel good. It was something that I squeezed in on my own time, not something that had a place in my professional life. Over the past couple of years, something shifted for me. I discovered that self-care isn't just about bubble baths and guilt-free Netflix binges. It's a mindset that we can adopt to help us balance our life and make us more effective in our careers. It's about planning, prioritization, valuing our own time, and setting boundaries +It's so important that we normalize these things, for ourselves but really for the sustainability of our businesses. Esp in tech. Given that I'm posting this in the mental fucking health section, you probably have already thought about this some. I'd love to hear what ways you have practiced self care at work, and how it has impacted your work. Also, if you are interested in diving deeper, I wrote a longer piece on this here: https://fullysara.com/self-care-at-work/

ara206·Jul 09, 2020

"Schedule work blocks on your calendar" - this one is super important to me! I block off a 4-hour chunk every day where I'm not meeting with anyone, checking my phone/email, etc."Take moving breaks." - this one too. Taking a short walk or doing some stretching in the middle of the day always helps me clear my head and I feel like my brain is better prepared to solve problems afterward.

saraanderson·Jul 11, 2020

Good for you! The work blocking took me a long time implement in my own life. So many of work cultures in tech expect people to fit their work in around their meeting schedule. It can be hard to tear away from the screen but I always feel so much better after taking a moving break.

saskiahill·Jul 10, 2020

This was a great read, thank you! :) I've also passed it along to my colleagues, as the more people do these things, the better for everyone. I particularly like the 3 mins between meetings and moving breaks - will definitely try to stick to these!

saraanderson·Jul 11, 2020

Glad you got something out of the article! Yes, it's so important to normalize these practical self-care behaviors so that we can begin to transform into healthier, more sustainable businesses. Thanks for passing it along! :)

Iynna·Aug 29, 2020

I came across this thread (thank you @saraanderson for starting it) and it is just very timely!

saraanderson·Sep 01, 2020

Absolutely! Such an important topic for us to keep in mind, esp right now. Glad you found it. :)