September is Self-Care Awareness month.
Self-care has become this buzzword in our culture within the past several years… why it took so long to be something so commonly talked about I haven’t the slightest clue, but that’s beside the point.
But with its colloquial use comes some assumed meaning. Minds instantly jump to things like baths, reading a book, going on a run, etc.
Self-care IS SO MUCH MORE.
Not having adequate amounts of self-care in your life, both personally and professionally, is one of the leading factors of burnout.
Self care shouldn’t just be something you schedule and participate in at home, it should be something implemented at work too.
Self-care plays out differently for everyone, and I believe we can learn a lot about what self-care might work best for our personalities by our Enneagram types.
I wanted to offer you some non-traditional ideas of self-care at work based on your Enneagram Type to get your juices flowing on ways you can help yourself reduce burnout in the workplace.
Type 1: Start off your week by making a comprehensive list of all your tasks. Then see if you can delegate 20% of those tasks. Remind yourself that no one person can be perfect and do it all.
Type 2: Schedule in a day of the week where you take your lunch break by yourself. Take that time to do something for you and ONLY you where no one else benefits.
Type 3: Black out times on your calendar where you WON’T accept meetings. During this time you can work on one of the things you already have going on instead of having a meeting where you will likely add more to your plate.
Type 4: Curate your desk. This can be something you do monthly or seasonally. Engage all 5 senses to help train your brain to be relaxed and creative at work.
Type 5: Start a passion project. Something outside of your normal research and analysis. Something that contributes to your work, but is something you have autonomy over.
Type 6: Set aside time each day to turn off all your notifications. Close out of e-mail, put your phone on airplane mode, and pick one task to start and finish during that time.
Type 7: Pick a day of the week or an hour out of each day to brainstorm any new ideas you have.
Type 8: Schedule in time to hang out with your co-workers (or friends if you’re self-employed). Allow yourself to relax and reduce tension. It’s okay to slow down.
Type 9: Get out of your head by scheduling in time during your work day to read a book or take a walk to center yourself.
I hope you enjoyed these! Be sure to let me know if you try them, and how they work for you.