Self-care is extremely important for establishing and maintaining mental and physical health. It’s commonly associated with weekend rituals involving indulging in food, enjoying alone time, or taking a relaxing bubble bath. Self-care looks different for everyone and will evolve over time based on personal needs.
Here at Mad Fish, we know self-care is an important part of our professional life. Taking time for yourself can combat stress, burnout, and lack of inspiration. Self-care should be a part of our everyday life extending far beyond a weekend or planned vacation. Incorporating self-care into the professional side of your life is about practicing self-care at work. By doing so, you can adopt self-care practices that lead to a healthy work-life balance. Check out some self-care tips to take into your professional life!
Ask for Help
During busy and stressful times, it is important to reach out for help. Here at Mad Fish we value honest and genuine communication. We encourage our team to discuss any challenges or “stucks” they may have. If asking for assistance in front of a larger group feels difficult, managers integrate this feedback into meetings with departments and team members. We have found that allowing our team to express difficulties or stucks they may have really fosters collaboration amongst us. It is important to our company’s purpose that we support and take care of each other during trying times.
Invest in Your Workspace
Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the typical working space is ever changing. Having a comfortable workstation is crucial not just for physical health but mental stimulation as well. You can invest in a fancy office chair or try out an adjustable standing desk to help mitigate the negative impact of sitting all day. But that’s not all! Incorporating a small house plant, family and friend photos, or a coffee mug that inspires you to get through the morning are all small but really important things too. Self-care during the workday is all about what inspires you. So keep things in your workspace that do just that.
Use Your PTO
Unfortunately the agency burnout is real, so here at Mad Fish we are offered unlimited PTO as an incentive to take time for ourselves whether it’s for fun vacation plans or a mental health day. Making the space to take time off, even if it’s just for free time to hang out around the house, is an important step in anyone’s self-care journey. Give yourself the time off to relax and recharge you won’t regret it!
Find Your Playlist
Listening to music triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin in our brain—the neurotransmitters that cause you to feel happy and relaxed. This means that when under pressure or stress, music can have a calming effect and boost your mood to make you more patient, cooperative, and collaborative.
And while there are a number of ways to inspire creativity when you’re in a funk, queuing up a solid playlist of your favorite songs may just be one of the easiest. There’s so much research that shows listening to music while you work can have major benefits on productivity.
Set Boundaries
It’s ok to say “no.” In a work setting that can look many different ways, whether it’s letting your teammates know you have a hard stop for a meeting time, or being realistic with your current bandwidth to help with other projects. It’s important to think about setting professional limits within and between people at your workplace and the work environment.