BizBuzz BizBuzz November 2023 | Page 31

TAKING SHORT BREAKS DURING THE WORKDAY CAN HELP RECHARGE THE MIND AND PREVENT BURNOUT . USE THESE PERIODS OF DOWNTIME TO REFLECT AND REFOCUS . NOT DELIBERATELY PLANNING AND EXECUTING SUCH BREAKS WILL ADD TO STRESS LEVELS AND LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY , WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY NEGATIVELY IMPACT SELF-CARE . EFFECTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT WE ALL EXPERIENCE STRESS , BUT MANAGING IT IS CRUCIAL . STRESS-MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES , SUCH AS DEEP BREATHING OR JOURNALING , HELP . HOWEVER , MANY LESS OBVIOUS TECHNIQUES WILL ASSIST IN EFFECTIVE STRESS MANAGEMENT IN THE WORKPLACE . CREATING A TO-DO LIST AND PRIORITISING TASKS IS NUMBER ONE , BUT THEN BREAKING DOWN TASKS INTO MANAGEABLE CHUNKS CAN REDUCE FEELINGS OF OVERWHELM AND STRESS . SETTING BOUNDARIES WHILE MAINTAINING A HEALTHY BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE IS ESSENTIAL , THERE IS MORE TO SETTING BOUNDARIES . IN ADDITION TO SETTING CLEAR BOUNDARIES BETWEEN WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE , INTRA-BUSINESS BOUNDARIES ARE ALSO CRUCIAL . LEARN TO BE ASSERTIVE BY RESPECTFULLY COMMUNICATING YOUR NEEDS AND BOUNDARIES TO REDUCE WORKPLACE STRESSORS AND SAY NO WHEN NECESSARY TO AVOID OVER-COMMITMENT . REFLECTION & GOAL-SETTING REGULAR SELF-REFLECTION AND PERSONAL GOAL-SETTING HELP US STAY FOCUSED ON LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES AND ENSURE WE ARE ALIGNED WITH OUR VALUES AND PRIORITIES . THE OPPOSITE OF THIS IS BEING SWEPT UP BY THE BUSINESS OF EACH DAY , WHICH QUICKLY LEADS TO FEELINGS OF BEING OUT OF CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE AND WORK . BEING ABLE TO MEASURE YOUR PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE GOALS YOU SET WILL NOT ONLY IDENTIFY GAPS , WHICH WILL HELP YOU FOCUS BUT ALSO CREATE A SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT WHEN GOALS ARE MET . BOTH THESE ASPECTS WILL GREATLY SUPPORT YOUR SELF-CARE DRIVE . “ REMEMBER THAT SELF-CARE IS NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL . HIGH-AGENCY , SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE TAILOR THEIR SELF-CARE ROUTINES TO THEIR UNIQUE NEEDS AND CIRCUMSTANCES . THE KEY IS TO CONSISTENTLY PRIORITISE SELF-CARE PRACTICES THAT ENHANCE PHYSICAL , MENTAL , AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING , WHICH CONTRIBUTES TO SUCCESS AND EFFECTIVENESS AT WORK , AND WELLBEING AND FULFILMENT OUTSIDE OF IT .”