Save Yourself Before Saving Others: The Importance of Self-Care

Have you ever been on a flight and before take off a safety video plays? In the video, passengers are instructed to put on the oxygen mask before assisting another person. It may seem obvious that in order to save someone else, the passenger already wearing the mask needs to save themself first. However, if we applied this scenario to our everyday work lives, many people would put their job first before themselves.

I am a social worker, and it is an extremely emotional and physically draining career. The reason I am able to continue in this career and do what I love everyday is because I put my needs first and practice self-care. According to an article in PsycCentral.com, self-care is defined as “any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.” Below are self care activities that have helped with my mental, emotional and physical well-being. The self-care activities include actions I participate in during work hours and outside of work hours.

Self-Care during work hours:

• Take Breaks!

After taking a lunch break, most of the time I come back to work feeling much more refreshed, and motivated to take on the work day. While taking regular breaks is a must in the work environment, according to Forbes.com, many American workers do not take regular lunch breaks. The reason employees do not take regular lunch breaks is because they are worried their bosses will think they are not working hard enough. Isn’t it upsetting that American work culture has come to this? Research suggests that breaks increase employee productivity throughout the work day, lessens stress, and could help workers develop fresh perspectives on challenging tasks. I mean who doesn’t need a brain reboot every now and then!

• Socialize with Coworkers

Whether you are a feeling stressed or just need someone to talk to, make sure you take the time to be with a coworker. You can go for a walk or eat lunch together. For me, when I am stressed, I take a drive with a coworker to get coffee and we both talk about our our difficult cases. Having someone who listens and understands the job allows me to feel more supported and much less tense.

• Practice Mindfulness

I realized, that when I am doing a report for one of my cases, my mind begins to wonder, and I begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed. To help me get back on track, I relax in my chair for about 5 minutes and focus on my breath. I listen to mindfulness guided breathing exercises. These exercises help me become more aware and focused on completing the work project or task at hand.

Self-Care outside of work hours:

• Take Vacations!

According to Forbes online magazine, “47% of Americans didn’t take all of their vacation time last year and 21% left more than five vacation days on the table.” My husband and I are culprits of not using all our vacation days or paid time off. I have come to realize that I do not need to take 2 weeks off, taking off for 1 or 2 days here and there has helped me tremendously. During short periods off from work, my husband and I take day trips to the aquarium, the zoo, or local farms to pick out fresh fruits and vegetables. We also take time to walk by the river and go out to eat, or we relax at the beach.

• Eat Healthy and Prep Food for the Week

As many of you are aware, eating healthy is crucial for our mind and body. When we eat healthier we feel feel better. For me, when I eat healthy foods, I feel less fatigued and sluggish during the day. When I prepare healthy lunches and dinners over the weekends for the following work week, it becomes one less thing I need to stress about.

• Take a day to catch up on errands

Catching up on errands or doctor’s appointments is extremely important for one’s self-care. I recently took a day off from work to go to a doctor’s appointment, and I discovered I had a health issue. My health issue could have turned into something much worse if I did not take the time to see a doctor. As a result, taking time off to complete personal tasks will help employees stay healthy, focused, and accomplished, which in turn, allows for employees to perform better at their jobs.

As you can see, in order for employees to save their careers, they must put their needs first and save themselves. I hope this article helps readers understand the importance of self-care and provides useful self-care tools and tips. In addition, I hope this article stimulates a discussion around the integration and promotion of self-care in the everyday work environment.