5 Self-Care Benefits for Busy Professionals
Nancy 
"Our bodies play a huge role in the accomplishment of our goals and our overall happiness. Embodiment... is about tuning into our physical bodies and learning ways to support our health and well-being so that we can do what we need to do, and enjoy the journey."
— Kristi Bowman
Do you sometimes wish you had a 25-hour day?
Yeah, me too.
I know I'm not the only one, but some days, there's more to do than the time available. Competing for our attention are valid obligations like caring for loved ones, dealing with demanding clients, or challenging colleagues and project deadlines. And let's not forget to check our email :-) I mean, isn't that a valid obligation these days? I don't know about you, but an overflowing inbox stresses me out. I shared some simple email management pointers in this post.
Then, we have the optional obligations that, if left unchecked, can be draining. Like scrolling the net, engaging with daily social media comments, and trying to catch up with 125 overnight WhatsApp group notifications. Getting added to random groups and receiving a barrage of unsolicited messages is one of the reasons I stopped using WhatsApp during the pandemic.
But I digress.
The fact is that as a busy professional, juggling life's many balls can leave one stressed out and frazzled. Unless mitigated, sooner or later, something is bound to give.
Enter self-care to the rescue.
According to Wikipedia, self-care "includes attitudes and actions that contribute to the well-being, personal health, and development."
Taking responsibility for one's physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health is an excellent description of self-care. Your partner, children, loved ones, team, and colleagues benefit when you give yourself the gift of self-care. Most importantly, you get to reap the professional and personal benefits in the long term.
Here are five self-care benefits for busy professionals
1. Relieves Negative Stress.
Taking a few minutes for self-care — a 15-minute walk, gratitude journaling, or even an early bedtime—can help us keep stress in check. Integrating micro self-care moments throughout the day can help us stay grounded, especially when the deadlines, meetings, and emails keep piling up. Regular me-time is such a simple way to mitigate burnout.
2. Improves Work-Life Balance.
With the holiday season approaching with deadlines and busyness, scheduling intentional time for self-care makes it easier to set boundaries between work and personal life when things get hectic. Taking breaks lets us prioritize our well-being to reduce overwhelm so that we can show up fully for our careers, family, and friends as we begin to wrap up the year.
3. Regulates the Nervous System.
As a coach and for my growth, I'm always looking to hone my skills. I've discovered there's more that goes into embodying personal development beyond head knowledge and motivation talks. Our internal narratives are mostly running the show on a subconscious level based on past experiences. That's why mindset is not always the answer; ask me how I know. :-) A holistic spirit, soul, and body approach works better for sustainable growth and fulfillment.
So, I'm almost done with trauma-informed training for facilitators and have been enjoying geeking out on the mind-body connection and somatic practices for capacity building. I've learned how the nervous system, mainly its two branches—the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system —plays a crucial role in our ability to manage stress, build resilience, and maintain balance and peace in our tumultuous world.
Research indicates that small, intentional self-care activities, such as journaling, deep breathing, stretching, or even humming, can reduce our body's stress response and regulate the nervous system.
Regulating the nervous system helps us stay calm as we can respond thoughtfully to challenges instead of getting triggered, reacting impulsively, and regretting it later. (Who doesn’t want fewer facepalm “wish I hadn’t said that” moments after a tough day?) Self-care helps mitigate those.
4. Supports Focus and Productivity.
Stepping back to recharge briefly, like visualizing or looking out of the window into green or blue spaces, helps our brain work more efficiently when we’re back in action. These micro do-nothing (niksen) moments also boost creativity and innovation. By practicing simple self-care habits, we can stay sharp, knock out tasks faster, and make fewer mistakes. Self-care is that underrated productivity tip you probably didn't know you needed.
5. Facilitates Healthy Interpersonal Relationships.
When we care for ourselves first, we’re better equipped to engage others. Self-care helps us approach conversations with patience and empathy, turning potentially tense discussions into constructive exchanges. I don't know about you, but it's easier to keep calm with clients or family when my day starts and ends peacefully and gently instead of feeling rushed, overwhelmed, and irritated.
Because of mirror neurons, our inner states affect our interpersonal relationships more than we care to admit. The individual state affects the collective, and that's why I firmly believe self-care is also we-care.
“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” ― Eleanor Brownn
There you have it. Simple yet essential benefits for busy professionals. I invite you to download your free digital resource to implement what you read here today. Support your productivity and well-being with a simple 7-day self-care routine that you can build on gradually.
As always, feel free to share your thoughts below and take a look at the recommended resource on your way out.
Thanks for being here today, and happy work-life balancing!
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