Whether you’re operating remotely or from the office, thanks to long hours and overwrought responsibilities, work life can be stressful and taxing on your overall well-being. That’s why balancing the demands of your job with a set of healthy habits is essential for productivity and your overall mental health. Keep the following ideas from Chopra Living in mind:
Establish a self-care routine. Everyone’s different so self-care routines should be personalized to your individual needs. That said, there are certain key elements of self-care that every plan should include: getting enough sleep, exercise, eating healthy foods and incorporating coping strategies that work for you, whether it’s deep breathing, meditation or talking to a friend. Also essential to your self-care work routine is setting clear boundaries between work time and personal time. If you don’t, the pressure will mount. As will feelings of resentment toward your employer and coworkers.
Put your talents to work. We all have certain talents and strengths that we are best at and that fulfill us when we engage them. So be sure to incorporate the things you’re best at into your daily work routine. Engaging in your key strengths energizes you as opposed to making you feel stressed and exhausted. Find ways to integrate what you love to do and are naturally good at into your job, whether it’s organization, engaging with colleagues or customers, creative skills like writing or graphic design, or crunching numbers.
Foster a collaborative environment. Many of today’s work environments are competitive instead of collaborative, which can take a toll on your mental health. To foster collaboration on the job, create a team vision and clearly define each team member’s role. When everyone has an understanding of the company’s larger vision and feels that they are playing a specific part in overall goals, a collaborative atmosphere is naturally fostered. Be sure to schedule some team bonding opportunities as well, whether it’s a trip to the pizzeria or cocktails over Zoom.
Move every hour. Our emotional state is very tied to our physical state, so scheduling regular movement throughout the day is a critical component of our mental well being. Light activity whether it’s a walk around the parking lot, climbing up and down the stairs, or finding a place to do some stretches, will go a long way toward keeping you calm, grounded and energized.
Get organized. Just like at home, being surrounded by mess and clutter can cause mayhem. A disorganized work space can add to your feeling of being overwhelmed and out of control and distract you from productivity. So take just a few minutes in the course of the day to go through and discard or file stacks of paper, put books or magazines back on their shelves and bring cups and cans to the sink and recycling bin. Take things a step further and add some beautifying elements to your work space, such as a plant, artwork or even a throw and pillow adorning an office chair. Such elements will help cultivate a sense of harmony and warmth within your work area, as opposed to the distraction of clutter.
Remember, if you’re like most of us, you spend a lot of time working, so prioritize the steps that will help ensure it’s a positive experience.
