DAY EIGHT
In her book, Self-Care at Work, mindfulness coach Melissa Steginus says, “Remember that work and life coexist. Wellness at work follows you home and vice-versa. The same goes for when you’re not well, fuelled, or fulfilled. Work and life aren’t opposing forces to balance; they go hand-in-hand and are intertwined as different elements of the same person: you.”
I grew up hearing my parents and other adults complain about work like it was this unpleasant but necessary evil. It became a narrative that I picked up myself, that work is this thing you have to tolerate and not something you should enjoy — other than the paycheck — and you might complain about that too! It was a place to escape from on Friday and drag yourself back to on Monday.
When I left my corporate career to go full-time as a writer, I learned what it meant to be passionate about my work and to not see it as something I needed to escape. I was filled with purpose I’d never felt before, and I thought I could power through the journey without an intentional self-care plan.
I didn’t even realize how crucial it would be to everything I was setting out to do. When you think about your career goals, do you think about your physical and mental health? Do you think about your spiritual foundation and your personal relationships? Are you applying the same principles across the board and are you in alignment with what you value?
Self-care at work means having a growth mentality, even if you are not yet where you truly want to be. It’s about bringing your whole self to work and finding unique ways to learn and use your gifts. And of course, it includes finding healthy ways to manage stress and deal with your emotions through it all.
bring your whole self to work
All the ways we practice self-care in our personal lives apply in our careers as well. We have to know that it’s okay to do what it takes to feel whole, no matter what environment we’re in.
When we cut off parts of ourselves and show up with feelings of disconnection and resentment, it’s going to affect the work in some way. The energy we bring to work, school, and our professional development in general, sets the tone to either help us grow or keep us in a state of inertia.
The stories we tell ourselves will expand when we speak life into our careers and invite possibility instead of restriction. To take care at work, we want to be emotionally aware to decrease stress and keep our creative juices flowing. We also want to protect our energy and navigate our ups and downs mindfully.
Steginus says, “Just remember that if what you’re doing lacks purpose or intention—if you don’t know why you’re working so hard to move in a certain direction—then all you’re doing is losing energy.”
What does self-care at work look like for you in action? In other words, what do you do to bring the best version of yourself into your career? I look forward to reading your reflections in the comments! Feel free to share at any time.
reflection questions:
What have you learned about yourself through your career journey?
What mental, emotional, and physical burdens have you experienced through work?
What is your ideal work routine? How can you make that a reality in your life?
What drains you about work and what energizes you?