Self-care - what does that mean
Good Morning Planet Fames!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
You know I usually add something like "I hope you had a chance to recharge your batteries" or "I hope you all had a chance to relax and are ready to take on the weekend". That's the topic for this blog actually. What does it mean to recharge your batteries? What does it mean, for you to relax so you can take on the weekend? That's right people, this weeks blog is talking about the concept of self care, and what self care looks like for you and for me!
I can admit it. My name is James, and I am a workaholic! I guess you could say I always have been. I am one of those sick and twisted individuals, that truly enjoys working. No matter what job I have had at the time, I take a great sense of pride and self worth from working and doing a job to the best of my abilities. Now that I am self-employed and running my own company, I can honestly say it has gotten much more intense! HAHA On a lite week, I easily clear 50 hours a week, and on the heavy weeks it is not uncommon for me to average 60+ hours a week.
Now some of you are reading that and thinking to yourself, "Man this guy is nuts!", which is probably a true statement...haha! I hope you find my crazy to be the good kind of crazy though, where you want to invite me to the party because you never know what's going to come out of my mouth! haha! Others of you reading this, can relate to the number of hours, but you unfortunately don't love your job like I do. Very few of you reading this, and very few people in general, work this much AND get to love what they do. God has truly blessed me in this, and I am forever grateful for the privilege. I don't share this to brag, simply to give a little context of where I am coming from on this topic.
Even though I love my job, and I am a self proclaimed workaholic, I believe that making sure I am giving myself enough self-care outside of work is VITAL to not only my success, but also my overall happiness and satisfaction.
So what does "self-care" look like? I mean, we talk about it, but have you ever sat down and given it thought? What does the abstract concept of self-care, mean to you?
To me, self care is not simply down time or "me time". Yes of course it can include that. A lazy day on the couch watching, watching netflix and relaxing. In reality though, self-care needs to be something that engages you, and your mind, in a different way. For example, one of the things I do for my self-care, is I workout. I got to the gym 2x a week and workout with my trainer. It is a totally different activity from my daily routine, that engages different neural pathways in the brain. It also gets me some much needed physical activity, for the obvious health reasons. I also make plans to spend time with non-work related friends, because while I enjoy my work, self-care for me mean making an effort to be well rounded socially and intellectually.
In other words, self-care to me is more than simply taking a break from what you normally do, but it is taking time and energy to be active in other areas of your life. Self care is about balance, and making sure that you don't go too overboard one way or the other. Without that balance, I end up getting stressed out and irritable. It also starts to impact those around me, and my overall performance when it actually does come down to work.
I actually require that my employees take a minimum of 2 hours a week engaging in their hobbie. Whatever their hobbie outside work is, so that I know they are at a minimum giving themselves that needed care. Without it, our lives can become miserable... and life is way to short for that!
So what are some of the things you DO for yourself? What are some of the activities that you engage in? Remember, your activities should be something OUTSIDE your normal routine! If you work at a gym, WORKING OUT IS NOT SELF-CARE! I mean it is...but it is only partially helping you. You need to challenge yourself to expand your mind, body and spirit. Once you do that, I think overall you will find yourself feeling and thinking better.
Take some time, read a book, go for a walk, see a movie, do something for yourself that is outside your normal routine. You'll thank me for it later! :-)
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
You know I usually add something like "I hope you had a chance to recharge your batteries" or "I hope you all had a chance to relax and are ready to take on the weekend". That's the topic for this blog actually. What does it mean to recharge your batteries? What does it mean, for you to relax so you can take on the weekend? That's right people, this weeks blog is talking about the concept of self care, and what self care looks like for you and for me!
I can admit it. My name is James, and I am a workaholic! I guess you could say I always have been. I am one of those sick and twisted individuals, that truly enjoys working. No matter what job I have had at the time, I take a great sense of pride and self worth from working and doing a job to the best of my abilities. Now that I am self-employed and running my own company, I can honestly say it has gotten much more intense! HAHA On a lite week, I easily clear 50 hours a week, and on the heavy weeks it is not uncommon for me to average 60+ hours a week.
Now some of you are reading that and thinking to yourself, "Man this guy is nuts!", which is probably a true statement...haha! I hope you find my crazy to be the good kind of crazy though, where you want to invite me to the party because you never know what's going to come out of my mouth! haha! Others of you reading this, can relate to the number of hours, but you unfortunately don't love your job like I do. Very few of you reading this, and very few people in general, work this much AND get to love what they do. God has truly blessed me in this, and I am forever grateful for the privilege. I don't share this to brag, simply to give a little context of where I am coming from on this topic.
Even though I love my job, and I am a self proclaimed workaholic, I believe that making sure I am giving myself enough self-care outside of work is VITAL to not only my success, but also my overall happiness and satisfaction.
So what does "self-care" look like? I mean, we talk about it, but have you ever sat down and given it thought? What does the abstract concept of self-care, mean to you?
To me, self care is not simply down time or "me time". Yes of course it can include that. A lazy day on the couch watching, watching netflix and relaxing. In reality though, self-care needs to be something that engages you, and your mind, in a different way. For example, one of the things I do for my self-care, is I workout. I got to the gym 2x a week and workout with my trainer. It is a totally different activity from my daily routine, that engages different neural pathways in the brain. It also gets me some much needed physical activity, for the obvious health reasons. I also make plans to spend time with non-work related friends, because while I enjoy my work, self-care for me mean making an effort to be well rounded socially and intellectually.
In other words, self-care to me is more than simply taking a break from what you normally do, but it is taking time and energy to be active in other areas of your life. Self care is about balance, and making sure that you don't go too overboard one way or the other. Without that balance, I end up getting stressed out and irritable. It also starts to impact those around me, and my overall performance when it actually does come down to work.
I actually require that my employees take a minimum of 2 hours a week engaging in their hobbie. Whatever their hobbie outside work is, so that I know they are at a minimum giving themselves that needed care. Without it, our lives can become miserable... and life is way to short for that!
So what are some of the things you DO for yourself? What are some of the activities that you engage in? Remember, your activities should be something OUTSIDE your normal routine! If you work at a gym, WORKING OUT IS NOT SELF-CARE! I mean it is...but it is only partially helping you. You need to challenge yourself to expand your mind, body and spirit. Once you do that, I think overall you will find yourself feeling and thinking better.
Take some time, read a book, go for a walk, see a movie, do something for yourself that is outside your normal routine. You'll thank me for it later! :-)
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