For many people, a stressful career is simply a part of working life. However, long hours, tight deadlines, high-pressure targets, and other demands can easily lead to burnout if you don’t take care of yourself. Practising self-care is essential for maintaining your physical and mental health when your job regularly pushes you to your limits.
Look After Your Physical Health
When work has you stretched thin, it’s easy to let your physical health slide. Skipping meals, eating junk food at your desk, and cutting back on exercise are common reactions to an overloaded schedule. However, neglecting your physical health will only make you feel worse mentally and emotionally. Be sure to:
- Eat nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day to maintain your energy levels. Keep healthy snacks like fruit, nuts and seeds at your desk.
- Stay hydrated by drinking water regularly. Dehydration exacerbates fatigue and brain fog.
- Take breaks to stretch, walk around and give your eyes a rest from screens. This boosts blood flow and circulation.
- Prioritise high-quality sleep by keeping good sleep hygiene habits. Turn off screens an hour before bed and cut back on caffeine.
- Schedule time for regular exercise like cardio, strength training and yoga. Exercising reduces stress and elevates your mood.
Don't Allow Work to Consume You
When your job regularly demands long hours and weekend work, it can easily start to take over your whole life. Setting boundaries and keeping space for your personal life is essential. Make sure to:
- Disconnect from work communication outside of working hours. Don’t let yourself constantly check and respond to emails or messages when you’re not on the clock.
- Nurture your personal relationships by spending quality time with loved ones. Keep some weekends and evenings just for them.
- Book holidays and use all your annual leave. You need breaks from the daily grind to recharge properly and York hot tub breaks are ideal for a long, relaxing weekend with friends.
- Have interests and hobbies outside of work that help you unwind and bring you joy. Allot time for them each week.
- Keep up social activities that energise you, like meeting friends or joining clubs. Don’t become isolated due to work overload.
Make Time for Self-Care Activities
Running from one work task to the next often means skimping on essential self-care practices that manage stress and renew your reservoirs of resilience. Be intentional about making time for:
- Relaxation practices like meditation, deep breathing, massage and yoga. Incorporate them into your daily and weekly routine.
- Things that soothe your senses like listening to music, taking scented baths, enjoying nature and savouring a warm drink.
- Reflective practices like journaling your thoughts and feelings. Expressing yourself can help process stress and emotions.
- Fun creative outlets and hobbies that absorb you like cooking, gardening, crafting, photography or playing music.
- Connecting with inspirational or supportive people who uplift you emotionally and spiritually.
A demanding career requires you to be proactive about caring for your needs. By keeping your health, relationships and wellbeing a priority, you’ll be able to handle work stresses without burning out.
