Check out this quote by writer Anne Lamott… Personally, I find it amusing and also surprisingly true!
There is more of a buzz around self-care lately and it’s something I’ve been thinking about for quite a few months now. When I first heard about it, I thought that the phrase sounded rather self-centred and narcissistic. After all, surely we should be outward looking rather than inward looking?
Upon reflection, I changed my mind. When I look back on recent years and my previous job, I was pretty stressed for a long time. Feeling stressed for a significant amount of time completely de-sensitised me and it just became a way of life. The pressures of targets, expectations and responsibility all weighed down on me and I found it difficult to let go. I smiled less, laughed less and I’m not ashamed to say my family and friends noticed it as well.
Sometimes it’s worth a complete change of direction, however not everybody can escape their circumstances. This is where self-care and resilience become so vitally important. Take steps to preserve your wellbeing; whether that’s exercise, planning a break, taking a bath, fun with your family… It’s ok to prioritise time for your own refreshment. In fact, it’s necessary! From my experience, it’s difficult to make a positive impact on the world or in other people’s lives if you’re not in a good or healthy place. If you look after yourself, you’re likely to be more productive too… that’s win-win!
Several of our experts regularly promote self-care and we’ve even got a lovely workshop full of practical techniques which will help you and your staff. If you are planning your next INSET day, or you’ve got some time where you can gather staff together – give us a shout! I promise you it will be worth it.