It’s February and the month of love!
In the world of healthcare, we often forget to put ourselves and our health first, so this month, focus on making self-care a priority.
Implementing small changes to your routine can improve your overall mood and protect your mental health. This will make you better at your job and a more balanced person. After all, you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first.
Recognize your value.
Remind yourself that you are making a difference despite all the long days and many challenges. Get in the habit of positive affirmations to remind yourself how important you are. Some steps you can take to get yourself comfortable with positive affirmations include:
- Every morning you should wake up and say to yourself one thing you like about yourself.
- Write something motivational on a sticky note and put it on your mirror.
- Get a friend or family member to repeat these affirmations to you.
Practice self-compassion.
Research shows that the more we practice being kind and compassionate with ourselves, the more we’ll increase the habit of self-compassion. There is no road map when working in healthcare, so give yourself a break. Most days, you are doing the best you can, and that’s ok. Take your situation day by day or hour by hour and take physical and mental breaks from work when you can.
Treat your body well.
One of the biggest self-care moves we can make is to nourish our bodies with all the good things that it deserves. Your body is essential, so don’t fuel it with that discounted Valentine’s Day candy.
Consume nutrient-rich foods to give your immune system a boost, take your vitamins, and drink plenty of water. Taking care of your body and ensuring that you are consuming the right foods will provide you with clean-burning fuel to get you through the day all while keeping a positive mindset.
In addition, be sure to try and fit in some activity and time outside in the fresh air.
Enrich your mind.
While you are working to treat your body well, don’t forget to feed your mind with a little self-care as well! Find a good book about positive thoughts and self-love, read it, and grasp more knowledge.
Whether it’s a book or hobby when your shift is over it’s time to leave your work, at work, and focus on you!
[Healthy employees equal a healthy Rheumatology practice – find more tips here!]
See the positive.
It can be easy to get overwhelmed at work. Try to find the hopeful and positive stories of the medical field.
Instead of turning on the news in the evening, find a movie that makes you happy. You can look for a comedy that will make you laugh or a feel-good story that will give you hope. Having a moment to feel good about something will make you feel better, will increase your mental health, and help you relax.
Seek support.
Sometimes, these things are too hard to do, and that’s okay. Seek out support from family or friends and find other simple self-care tactics that help you.
You can reach out to a trusted friend or family member. However, you might have better success speaking to a therapist; they can relate to what you are experiencing and offer advice to you that pertains to your situation.
Give yourself time and room to grow and change that mindset. These steps aren’t easy, and it’s something that you don’t develop overnight. But once you apply it and make it a part of your daily routine, it can dramatically change your mood – and your life.
Tags: Healthy hacks, healthy living, healthy living for office managers, healthy practice manager, holidays, life hacks, medical office management, medical offices, national organization of rheumatology managers, NORM, office management, office managers, self-care, self-care hacks Posted by
