Eight Best Self-Care Strategies for Stressed-Out Professionals

514 total views, 1 views today

If you’re a professional with a busy schedule, it’s possible you’ll eventually experience burnout. Unfortunately, being stressed at work can make you feel stressed even when you’re not at work – that’s pretty much the definition of burnout. It’s important to practice self-care to avoid burnout, so below are eight self-care strategies for stressed-out professionals like yourself.

1. Prioritize your tasks

Is your schedule swamped? Do you have many tasks to do? Relieve any unnecessary stress by organizing your schedule and prioritizing important tasks first. This way, your short-term task list can feel smaller even if your long-term task list remains imposing.

2. Meditate in between tasks

Meditation can be very relaxing, even if your session lasts just a few minutes. Closing your eyes and breathing deeply can make you feel rejuvenated. 

Improve your emotional wellbeing by meditating for at least two minutes between large tasks. If you need help meditating, you can try meditation apps, deep breathing apps, and guided meditation videos online.

3. Take care of your eyes

If you sit at the computer all day, your eyes can get strained from blue light, which can cause headaches and fatigue that exacerbate burnout. You can download browser extensions that notify you to take a short break from the computer, or you can use blue light glasses. The latter is a great solution if you truly can’t get away from work but do want to feel better.

4. Eat healthy, delicious snacks

Eating healthy food can help your body avoid the physical symptoms of burnout. That’s because nourishing food can have short-term and long-term positive effects on the brain and the rest of the body. In other words, they prepare you to be healthy enough to make it through even the roughest stretches of your burnout. So eat superfoods and healthy snacks such as blueberries, walnuts, strawberries, and broccoli. Your body and mind will thank you.

5. Stretch when you need to

Sitting at your computer desk all day can make your body feel fatigued, which can contribute to your burnout too. Take a few minutes to get up and stretch whenever you notice you’re slouching or feeling uncomfortable. You can also take a little walk to stretch your legs. 

6. Keep your workspace ergonomic

If you’re noticing you’re slouching or your space is making you feel distracted, your workspace probably needs improvement. Making sure you have an ergonomic workspace is self-care – your comfort is important, even as you work.

7. Get enough sleep

Sleep can have a significant impact on your mental and physical health. Not getting enough sleep can affect your health and your work (and the former can certainly impact the latter). 

Make sure you’re taking care of your health by thinking about your nightly routine. Get at least eight hours of sleep. Additionally, avoid drinking caffeine and eating sugary foods later in the day if you have trouble falling asleep.

8. Appreciate your work

When you practice self-care, your work might improve for the better. Regularly practicing self-care is essential to feeling energized, happy, and confident in every aspect of your life, including work. When you feel confident about the tasks you’ve completed, you might feel less stressed during your job and during your leisure time.

How do you practice self-care as a professional? Sound off in the comments!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *