How can you identify when to prioritize self-care?

Maybe one helpful and uncomplicated way to look at self-care is first thinking about ‘care’ more generally, along with concepts of compassion and empathy, in relation to the people who matter most to you. Ask yourself how you might feel, and what advice you might give one of your friends or loved ones if the tables were turned and you noticed them looking exhausted or run down, or unhappy, or seeming increasingly anxious about work (for example). You would probably experience feelings of compassion and want to jump in to support and advise them in taking care of themselves, and you’d probably have quite a few tips! Self-care is about tuning into and honouring yourself in a similar way.

Self care is not a one time act. It is a continuous daily ritual that we perform in order to take care of ourselves - be more present to our people and surroundings. Apart from all the signs mentioned in the article, I have seen early signs of irritability also as one such indication that you need self care. At that point, it might be as simple as you-need-a-break. Or it could be something that is bothering you that is surfacing as an irritation towards anything unrelated. It is good to pause, take a deep breath in the moment and if time allows, do some reflection or come back to it later in the day.

One thing I discovered useful was taking conscious control of my calendar and not necessarily attending all meetings to which I was invited unless my input was essential. Meetings can sometimes overwhelm us, leaving no time to perform actual work or plan; this can require you to spend extra hours to catch up. Another thing to do is to take advantage of the flexible work option if you have it. It provides a good balance Take ordinary leaves. Don't wait until you're completely exhausted before taking a leave of absence.

When work becomes depleting versus fulfilling - that's when you know your engagement and alignment with your work is off. That's when it's time to refuel, recharge and take the time for yourself. Practicing self-care allows us to give the BEST of ourselves versus what's LEFT of ourselves.

In my opinion, you should prioritise self-care when feeling emotionally or physically drained, experiencing decreased productivity, noticing a decline in mental well-being, or facing prolonged stress. Additionally, prioritise self-care when neglecting personal needs, experiencing mood swings, or finding it challenging to focus on tasks. Being stoic doesn't have longevity and sooner or later something will give. Often it can be like a house of cards when everything comes crashing down at once, so self-care is the foundation of being able to perform and live your life at your best self.

Self-care is love and you deserve it. When you take care of yourself first, you will have enough to take care of others; your family and your team. You can only give what you have, self-care will enable you to be your best every time.

One thing I have found helpful is taking breaks. Sometimes you need to fill your cup after pouring so much into others. Taking a step back not only improves perspective but also gives you time to take care of yourself.

As a life coach, it has been my experience that if you don’t prioritize one’s self care your effectiveness will be hindered. As simple as it sounds, many of us pay little attention to self-care. You need to be conscious of your well-being before you can achieve true self-care. It starts from the simple acts like not checking emails at night when you know it affects your sleep and extends to more important decisions like going for a vacation or booking a massage when you feel you need one. Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transmit the good feelings to others. You cannot give to others what you don't have yourself. While some may misconstrue self-care as selfish, it's far from that.

Here is an example of what self care can look like. You’re settling down for a 20 min guided meditation when your child comes home from football practice. She wants to talk about what happened on the field and she is probably hungry. What do you do? It’s the role conflict that makes self care hard, especially for people who are hardwired to be caregivers. So my suggestion is not to deny that self care is selfish. It is just a necessary and good kind of selfish. The kind that reboots us. Happy, relaxed and healthy caregivers can give more love and time to loved ones. That is what makes self care and switching off from caregiving a good kind of selfish.

I think self-care is important because by taking care of yourself, you are more likely to feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. When you feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally you can show up more consistently and be of service to those that matter the most to you.

Self-care should always be prioritised. If one of your goals is to be there for others (work, family, friends, community), you limit your capacity when you give first, then look after yourself next. If one of your goals is to be productive / achieve specific outcomes, then proactively managing your internal pharmacy (cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, GABA for example) through self care activities like mindfulness, exercise, laughter, socialising, deep breathing & time in nature, will allow you to be more focused, more optimistic, to see more connections between ideas & be more positive when working with others. There will always be urgent situations however, avoid living predominantly in fire fighting mode.

Ideally self-care occurs proactively rather than reactively. We are already working on it so we don't reach a state when it becomes an urgent priority. Unfortunately in the real world this doesn't always work out. One time to prioritize self care is following a big project or a period of hard work. Just like a professional athlete has recovery sessions post a big match, we also need recovery time. Self care, or recovery, is imperative to sustainable performance. It's hard to stay on top of our game in any area of our life if we are not looking after our wellbeing. Noticing when your performance starts to slip is a great indicator that you might need some more self care time in your schedule. For me a sign is when I am less patient.

El autocuidado viene de la mano del autoconocimiento. Muchas veces repetimos patrones familiares -como el tener que estar para los demás antes que para nosotros mismos-; por lo cual es muy importante comenzar por preguntarnos si eso que estamos haciendo (y nos resta tiempo para nosotros), es algo propio o estamos cumpliendo con mandatos/lealtades invisibles. En generaciones anteriores, el “sacrificarse” por los demás miembros de la familia (las mujeres, especialmente) era un valor. Hasta hace poco, el trabajar más de la cuenta -incluso hasta “quemarse”- era no solo lo esperable sino también recompensado. Y la salud mental era taboo. El autocuidado empieza por reconocer mi propio límite y decir “hasta aquí”, en el contexto que sea.

If you aren't currently making self-care a priority, regardless of your situation, yesterday was a good time to start, today is an even better day to start. We are all unique individuals, so identifying when to prioritize self-care is going to vary from person to person. It will take courage, but, if you think you are off, ask a friend, family member, or co-worker if they have noticed anything different about you recently. Become knowledgeable about signs of distress or imbalance.

Self-care is not a luxury. It is a necessity. The pace of modern life has required us to push ourselves harder every day. In order to achieve this we have had to either ignore or mask, signals from our body. Pain is feedback, as is fatigue however the advent of painkillers and uppers conspire to block the messages. As I said to someone recently 'If you ignore the signals from your body' it will eventually shut you down'! It is normally at the early signal stage that we need to first notice and secondly act on the signal. A short break at this stage may save you from a debilitating condition later. Build habits and routines to support breaks. Nothing is more important or urgent that your health, mental or physical.

It's not that most people don't want to look after themselves. The challenge for many high performers is fitting practices into their already overloaded schedules. Shifting our approach to selfcare is helpful. To be sustainable with self care it needs to be individualized to us and our context. What I find works well - Set a strategic direction. - Understand your current wellbeing status across all the facets of health (there are lots of tools to help with this, or message me and I'll send through one) - Define what "good" looks like in each facet of health for you. - Select 1-2 priority areas to begin with - Identify 1 easy action that you can put in your schedule this week for each action Start and build from there

Nach meiner Erfahrung ist es hilfreich, einen festen und verbindlichen Termin einmal pro Woche mit sich selbst zu machen. Am besten immer am selben Tag und zur selben Uhrzeit. Für dieses me-date sollte man sich Aktivitäten vornehmen, die einem gut tun. Der Vorteil des festen Termins liegt darin, dass sich daraus eine Gewohnheit herausbilden kann. Und die Menschen im sozialen Umfeld lernen, dass jetzt me-time ist. Wichtig ist, dass das Zeitfenster für die me-time realistisch ist: also besser 2 Stunden als direkt ein halber Tag.

As a certified child psychologist and career counselor, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of self-care. It's not just a luxury, it's a necessity. In the fast-paced world i had navigated, neglecting well-being can profound consequences on both our personal and professional lives. Remember, a well-cared-for mind is the bedrock of a successful career... Some practical tips for busy professionals: - Boundary Setting - Tech Detox - Hobbies and Passion

Our self-care and our well-being should be an ongoing process. Consistently doing the self-care things and well-being things over and over is the key to maintaining our self-care and well-being. We must absolutely celebrate our victories and also strive for excellence instead of perfection.

We should know the difference between self-care and self-soothing. Self-soothing is a response to a challenging state of mind. Get a massage or take a trip to get away from your world. Self-care is the way you show up in the world on a regular basis. The self-care lifestyle is emotional veganism - organic, transparent, and authentic. Self-care actions are love-based rather than fear-based. Personal development is the goal rather than weaving in and out of perpetual stress patterns. You don't prioritize self-care as a response. You adopt a lifestyle of self-care.

Self care is not a panacea for a stressful life. Sometimes it is worthwhile to see why we feel drained and stressed by our environment. If your family, work or home are your sources of stress it may be necessary to make permanent changes. Self care increases well-being when you’re living a good life. It cannot help if you’re in a toxic place.

I tell my clients that self-care is healthcare. Reach out for professional help when you're ready to prioritize your needs. I work with a lot of clients who are in an advanced stage of burnout. Many of them have been contemplating a career change for years, and they've been struggling with their indecision about how best to move out of burnout land. I use motivational interviewing and values-based discussions to elicit change talk with my clients. I gently try to bring awareness to my clients' personal values and see how well they line up with their daily lives. With this personal discovery, they can then begin to align their actions with their values. The recovery from burnout can take a long time, but you'll get there in your own time.