How To Encourage Self Care In The Workplace

 "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you." – Anne Lamott.

So, making sure that you've allocated enough time to look after yourself will actually help you in the long run.

Why it’s time to shift up your priorities

Your health, both mentally and physically should always be your number one priority. You simply can’t pour out of an empty cup, so make sure you know when you feel like you need to fill yourself back up again and take a moment for yourself to reset however that may be for you.

If you're not allowing yourself the opportunity to take a break, you're almost guaranteeing physical or emotional exhaustion. Think about it like this, how can you expect to continue giving your energy away if you haven’t taken the time to replenish it?

This is what self-care is

It’s about doing what feels good to you, whether that is simply ensuring you get enough sleep, setting aside time to read a book, cooking your favorite meal, or taking a bath. It’s about taking time to not think about work or stress, to simply catch up with friends or get lost in a good movie.

Exercising, practicing yoga and meditating are also great forms of allowing your mind to clear down the clutter that we accumulate throughout the day from the constant bombardment of information and notifications in the technological world.

But why is this so important?

If you’re stressed, you’re likely to be experiencing irritability, fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, disorganized thoughts, having problems sleeping, noticing digestive issues, among many, many other things…

Your mood also impacts your day, your productivity at work, your relationships and all other aspects of your life, that’s why you have to do everything you can to carve this time out for yourself. The stressed version of yourself will never be the best version of yourself.

Start noticing the signs

It’s clear that our bodies tell us when something is wrong… So if the remedy is to simply close the laptop, turn off your phone and get outside to go for a walk in nature, then why aren’t more of us doing this? And if the side effects of not taking self care seriously are so evidently aligned with poor productivity, inability to focus on work and anger issues, surely workplaces should be doing everything they can to encourage employees to take time out for thems

Self-care in the workplace

The statistics of stress in the workplace are overwhelming. A study conducted by LifeWorks and HR.com found that 71% of HR professionals say their employees need help managing their stress levels. According to the same study, employers think employees need the most help in finding a work-life balance.

How to promote ‘me-time’ away from work

It can be difficult to remind employees to slow down without sending the wrong message… It’s even more challenging to know how to promote self care in the workplace when the majority of it is to do with time away from work. For example, it might not be considered particularly professional to suggest your employees take a relaxing bath that evening or indulge in a spa day on the weekend… It could also insult them if you start to tell them that they need to exercise!

Instead, we’ve made it easy for you

Send a gift to show you care, while also gently nudging them to treat themselves. Our multiple choice gift card makes it simple to encourage a whole array of self care activities. The recipient gets to choose the gift they want from a list of top brands (the selection of which options can be chosen by you), so that the wrong message is never sent, while the right gift is always delivered…

If you’re not sure about where to start

Exercise, yoga, hiking and just generally getting outdoors, are all fantastic ways to get your employees practicing self care. Not only do all of these activities benefit mental health, but physical health too. So send them a ‘Hiking & Workouts’ gift card where they can choose from leading brands for sports wear or active gear. Alternatively choose an Amazon gift card for them, so that they can make their own choices when it comes to bath bombs and online film purchases!

It’s the little gestures that count the most

Sending this gentle reminder in the form of a thoughtful gift card can only lead to positive changes in the workplace. Not only will your employees feel appreciated, but they will come back to the tasks at hand with a fresh perspective, feeling renewed, revitalized and ready to get back to being productive.