7 Self-Care Habits at Work

The workplace can be draining and grueling. You may be exhausted even if you work in a positive and healthy environment. Whether you are your own worst critic or the people you work with are hard on you, it’s never good to be drowning in criticism. If you’re dealing with a lot of negative energy regarding your occupation, your job performance will start to suffer.

That’s why practicing self-care at your job is so important. You may think that being compassionate toward yourself at work may make you selfish or lazy, but that’s not true. What you may not realize is that beating yourself up is undermining your performance. Being miserable doesn’t lead to positive outcomes. On the contrary, being kind to yourself will improve your job performance. Plus, it can do wonders for your mental and physical wellbeing.

Loving yourself is just as important–as being kind to others. If you’re finding it hard to be nice to yourself, practice these self-care habits.

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

It’s easy to get caught up in a stoic and isolated mindset. As a professional, you may believe you need to do everything yourself. Don’t believe the myth that asking for assistance is a sign of weakness. You must realize you can’t do everything alone. Give your co-workers and supervisors the opportunity to support you. You’d be surprised at how much people actually want to help you achieve your goals.

2. Enjoy Your Lunch

Your break is the perfect time to start caring for yourself. Rather than powering through your lunch or surviving through the day on multiple cups of coffee, allow yourself to truly take a break. Take time to eat something healthy and enjoy some deep breaths. Nourishing yourself physically will let the positivity flow through your body and mind.

3. Treat Yourself Like a Friend

Being your own friend may sound corny or even foreign, but it’s a useful habit to form. When you’re putting yourself down, try to imagine someone you care about dealing with the same issue. Think about how you’d respond and support your friend. Try responding to your own struggles in the same way you’d respond to a friend’s. You’ll start to realize this is a much more constructive way to resolve problems.

4. Deal with Imposter Syndrome

You may find yourself suffering from imposter syndrome every now and then. It’s common to feel like you’re inadequate or just pretending. You may even believe the people around you are somehow being tricked and will someday find out that you’re a fraud. The truth is that everyone feels like this. Even the people who seem most self-assured deal with self-doubt. Everyone’s just trying their best and struggling with self-deprecation. You’re not alone.

5. Make Time for Family and Friends

If you’re a perfectionist or workaholic, you may stay late to try and accomplish more than is actually necessary. This may start to take a toll on your valuable relationships. Whether you’re married with a family or single with a few close friends, it’s important to nurture these relationships. Don’t let work become the only thing you care about. When you constantly miss family dinners or friendly outings, you’ll notice your happiness start to disappear along with the quality of your work. Make sure you start leaving work in time to enjoy dinner with your friends or family.

6. Get Used to Delegating

Depending on your position at your job, you may have the power to delegate. If you have this power, use it! Don’t keep thinking you need to do everything yourself. You’ve worked hard enough to get where you are, so it’s time to delegate tasks to colleagues and employees. There are people who look up to you and respect you! When you assign responsibilities to others, make sure they have the tools and resources to succeed.

7. Learn to Say No

You don’t need to please everyone. Don’t keep taking on new duties simply out of the desire to be accepted. It’s okay to turn down tasks if they do not meet your goals or aspirations.

If you integrate these self-care habits into your daily routine, you’ll start to notice a difference in your attitude and your work. If you have any other self-care recommendations, leave them in the comments!