Work can just be stressful sometimes. And for employees, there is a lot of time we have little control over how we can manage our day and the tasks that are required of us. These five tips we use at Diamond Media Solutions to make sure all of our employees are making the most of their day while keeping their sanity during crazy deadlines!
5 Tips for Selfcare In The Workplace
- Prioritize and sticky notes! – All too often people don’t let themselves decompress with multiple mini brain breaks a day following a 52-17 model. While this strict timetable is not always easy with deadlines, the idea is to get up from your desk for a few minutes every hour will not only help you stay more focused but think of it as a reward for accomplishing a task! We like to use this time to send teacher memes, flip laundry, go outside, or enjoy the art of creating the perfect cup of coffee!
- Don’t feel guilty about not working – Taking your lunch break or a quick brain break throughout the day are necessary to avoid burnout and your health. And if someone is burnt out or gets sick, productivity will drop even further than the 5-10 minute break. Make a list and sort by priority and make sure to plan in your breaks as you wrap up different tasks throughout the day. We have started to keep each other accountable to our health goals by working out on our lunch breaks, so every day we let the team know on slack that we are leaving so we know why there might be a delay in our otherwise quick response back.
- Recognize employees – No one wants to make a mistake, but there is no way anyone is flawless 100% of the time. The pressure we put on ourselves isn’t sustainable, especially when we apply these same standards across every area of our life. That means, taking a day off from the gym, ordering take-out instead of cooking, or realizing that you might not make that deadline and need to ask for a little more time. We like to tackle new projects or issues together and we find it even more beneficial to openly discuss where the mistakes or potential mistakes might come from so we can come up with ways to fix them.
- Learning to say “no” – We have a REALLY hard time saying no to anything or anybody and if you are like us, requests from a superior, friends, or family are especially hard to say no to. But figuring out that balance on how and when to say no will save your sanity. We have made it a point to get into the habit that if we are not comfortable with a project or know we will not be able to get something done we effectively explain why you can’t do something and provide alternatives solutions that we know we will be able to meet. This has gone along with not only our team members but also with our clients.
- Asking for help – Help can come in many forms and doesn’t have to be just for more time or an extra set of hands to finish a project. Asking for some personal time or bringing you a drink and a snack while you power through a project can go a long way. Mental health is extremely important to us and so that can mean not just taking some personal time but actually using a mental health day which is included in our paid time off, so no more faking sick or lying about needing a “me” day.
The Domino Effect states that one small action will create a ripple effect resulting in profound results. And as we make a few small changes every day, putting our mental health at the work place the forefront of our decisions will create that larger rolling impact on our mental health at home, especially as so many of us work at home happen at the same street address.
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