But what do you do now to make sure that your cup is full and stays full? The team take self-care pretty seriously, so here are our best tips for managing wellness:

Occupational

• Plan with your team. Use a whiteboard to map out the key event or task dates for each month or quarter so that everyone prepared for and aware of what’s coming up.
• Engage in positive conversations with your co-workers. Share success stories and celebrate wins (no matter how small they may seem).
• Keep track of your daily tasks in a notebook or diary and prioritise them from most to least important. Cross them off as you complete them.
• Always take a break during the workday (e.g. lunch) and aim for it to be at the same time each day.
• Make time to complete tasks. Let your team/colleagues know ahead of time that you need undisturbed time to get work done.
• Identify projects or tasks that are exciting and rewarding and participate in them regularly.
• Set limits with clients and colleagues. Be clear around how much time you can allocate to meetings and consultations.
• Try to balance your caseload so that no one day or part of a day is ‘too much.’
• Arrange your workspace so it is comfortable and comforting. Keep it clean and organised.
• Ask for regular supervision or consultation from your manager.
• Negotiate for your needs (benefits, pay raise).
• Develop an area of professional interest that sits outside your key work role (if time allows).
• Review your week at 5.00 pm each Friday. Give it a ranking – good, bad, indifferent (whatever works for you), then leave it at that so you can head into the weekend with a clear mind.

Physical

• Eat regularly (e.g. breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and nourish yourself with good food.
• Aim to drink at least one and a half litres of water each day. Keep a water bottle at your desk and sip it regularly.
• Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes, five time per week.
• Try booking yourself into a regular weekly class to keep yourself accountable. Invite a friend to make it more enjoyable.
• Get regular medical care for prevention purposes. If you’ve been feeling unwell, don’t put off a visit to the Doctor. Be proactive and keep on top of your health.
• Take time off when you are unwell. Rest is the best form of recovery.
• Book yourself in for a regular massage.
• Get plenty of sleep. Aim to go to bed at the same time each night, even if it takes time to fall asleep. Your body will gradually adjust to the routine.
• Wear clothes that you love and make you feel great. Treat every day like it’s a great day to wear your best clothes!
• Take holidays. There’s no point in having weeks and weeks of annual leave owing. Make sure you take time off every year.
• Make your bed every day. If you feel like you haven’t achieved anything significant for the day, at least you can climb into a beautifully made bed.
• Stay on top of housework. Housework can become overwhelming, but doing a little every day, and every week will help keep it in check.

Emotional

• Make time for self-reflection. If you’ve experienced a difficult conversation or faced a big challenge, take some time to review what you said and did, how you felt, and how you could do it differently next time.
• Notice your inner experience. Acknowledge your thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, feelings and become aware of how they impact you and those around you.
• Write in a journal. A journal is a great way to practise reflection.
• Do something at which you are not expert or in charge. Feel what it’s like to have less control and responsibility and enjoy the experience.
• Be curious, creative and explore new opportunities.
• Get comfortable with saying no. It’s easy to feel guilty or that you may be letting others down, but if it doesn’t serve your purpose, then it’s most likely going to have a negative impact.
• Give yourself positive affirmations and praise yourself for the positive work you have done.
• Re-read your favourite books or watch your favourite movies. You can find real connection and comfort in things that you know make you feel good.
• Allow yourself to cry.
• Find things that make you laugh and do them regularly.

Social

• Make time for activities with your partner that you both enjoy.
• Make time for activities with your family and children that get you out of the house and into the fresh air.
• Make time to see your friends and work colleagues out of work hours.
• Call, check on or see your relatives.
• Spend time with your pets.
• Make time to reply to personal emails and letters, or send Christmas cards to people you don’t have regular contact with.
• Allow others to do things for you. If someone offers to pick your kids up or drop them off, take them up on the offer. You don’t have to do everything yourself all the time.
• Ask for help when you need it. There will always be someone that can assist you; you just have to ask.
• Share a fear, hope, or secret with someone you trust.

Spiritual

• Make time for reflection.
• Spend time in nature. Sunshine, fresh air and beautiful scenery (even if it’s just in your backyard) is wonderful for the soul.
• Be open to inspiration and cherish optimism and hope.
• Practice kindness and gratitude every day. Random acts of kindness, no matter how small, will have a great impact.
• Be aware of the non-material aspects of life and how much emphasis you put on them.
• Be open to not knowing or having all the answers.
• Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life.
• Meditate or practise deep breathing every day. It’s a great way to centre yourself and clear your mind.
• Pray.
• Sing.
• Have experiences of awe.
• Contribute to causes that you believe in passionately.
• Be inspired. Read inspirational literature or listen to inspirational talks and music.

Intellectual

• Be open to learning new things. If there’s something you’d like to know more about or try, read a book, search the internet or watch a YouTube clip and have a go at it!
• Put the things you’ve learnt into practice. Write about it in a blog, re-create it visually or talk about it with others.
• Engage your intelligence in a new area. For example, go to an art show, a sports event or the theatre. If you’ve never tried something before, how much you enjoy it might surprise you.
• Read, listen, watch! There are so many ways to gather new information – books, podcasts, TedTalks. If you haven’t tried one of these before, give it a go.
• Take a course. There are so many different ways to learn. Be prepared to up-skill yourself, instead of relying on your workplace for professional development. Check out www.udemy.com for low-cost online learning.

Our Very Best Piece of Advice:

You can knock three or four activities off in one go if you are consciously aware that you are practicing self-care.

For example: Take a 30-minute walk in nature and listen to a podcast. Or share a success story with a work colleague over a healthy lunch.

It’s simple really. But the key is awareness, and this is how self-care will become a consistent part of your life.