Have you ever wondered what self-care really means? In today's fast-paced society, where corporate culture often glorifies overworking and burnout, it's crucial to take a step back and prioritise your own wellbeing. 

Due largely to societal conditioning, many company cultures have become so accustomed to pushing staff well beyond sustainable limits, that wearing stress and fatigue has become valued as a badge of honour. Self-sacrificing behaviours have become justified because it is the norm. 

With the help of career coaching, you can learn to recognise the importance of self-care and how it can positively impact your life. It's time to break the cycle of self-sacrificing behaviours and embrace a healthier, more sustainable way of living.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care is learning to listen to what you need, what your mind, body, and soul needs, and then to courageously prioritise these needs above all else.  It is about treating yourself with kindness.  It is about treating yourself at least as well as you would treat a good friend. If you will not care for yourself, how can you care for others?

This sounds all well and good but, one will never prioritise self-care until one values themself. In order to value ourselves, we must first know ourselves.  Therefore, the first step to self-care is self-awareness.

Who Should Be Prioritising Self-Care and Why?

Everyone!  Most people think of abundance as a lot. In fact, abundance has nothing to do with quantity, but rather FLOW.  Hence an abundant economy is one where there is excellent flow.  

Everywhere you look, the health of a system is dependent on flow.  Take a water system, the circulation in your own body, an economy, a relationship, etc., they are all dependent on flow. Flow is dependent on a complete circuit, which means giving and receiving.  

Most people are quick to care for others, give support, and offer empathy, just not when it comes to themselves, which then blocks the receiving channel.  People pride themselves on being hard on themselves and then wonder why they lack abundant wellbeing. Any career coach worth their salt will tell you that wellbeing is cultivated through self-care.

Why Is Self-Care Often Not a Priority? 

Why do most people prioritise everything else above their own wellbeing.  Because of fear.  

Fear of feeling worthless if you are not productive.

Fear of not having enough.

Fear of losing your job.

Fear of not being liked, or worse, not being loved

Fear of failure…and the list goes on.  

What if you let go of all of these fears and realised once and for all that the outside world is not your source, but rather a channel, and that the source of everything is within you? Life doesn’t happen to us; it happens through us.  

What if you broke through the set walls of the ‘simulation’ and realised one inalienable truth: That fear constricts flow, and when you let go of your fears, the natural abundance of life flows through you?

Career coaching helps you to let go of the limiting belief that there is a linear relationship between what your actions are, and your results. Realise that it is not what you do, but rather the state out of which you do it that determines the quality of your results in life.  

If you act out of fear, all you do is create more evidence of what you fear.  Once you begin to realise this, then your only priority will be self-care, because it is out of this state that inspired action flows.  Action that flows from inspiration rather than fear and obligation produces exceptional and effortless results.  

The quality of your results stems from self-care.

How Does Corporate Culture Influence the Lack of Self-Care? 

Many people struggle with prioritising self-care because of a demanding work environment, or a belief in the company culture that self-care is selfish. A workplace that prioritises productivity over employee wellbeing, is extremely unhealthy. This often leads to a corporate culture of overworked, demoralised, and burnt-out employees. 

It's easy to fall into the trap of believing that we need to work long hours and sacrifice our own needs to succeed. However, this is simply not sustainable. Burnout and stress can have a serious impact on our mental and physical health, which in turn can harm our performance at work. 

Self-Care and Stress

How are stress and self-care related? Stress is very often a result of a lack of self-care. When we neglect our own needs, we become more susceptible to stress and anxiety. This creates a never-ending cycle where we feel too overwhelmed to take care of ourselves, which in turn leads to more stress. To break free from this cycle, career coaching will teach you how to make self-care a priority.

State of Self 

Our state of mind plays a significant role in our wellbeing. When we neglect self-care, it's easy to slip into a negative mindset about ourselves. We can feel demotivated, insecure, unworthy and down on ourselves. This negatively affects our moods, our relationships, and our overall quality of life. Prioritising self-care can actually help to cultivate a more positive mindset, state of self, and improved mental health. 

Sleep and Self-Care

When we think of career and success, we often think ‘go, go, go!’ but modern business coaching teaches us that one of the most important aspects of self-care, and as a result, success, is actually sleep.

Getting enough restful sleep is directly connected to our wellbeing. When we are well-rested, we have more energy, better focus, and are generally in a better mood. It's important to prioritise sleep, practice sleep hygiene, and create a bedtime routine that helps you wind down and prepare for rest. 

Breaking the Cycle of Not Prioritising Wellbeing

So, how do we change preconceived mindsets and move out of the cycle of neglecting self-care? 

Firstly, we need to recognise the importance of self-care and the impact it has on our overall wellbeing, as well as build corporate cultures that work toward a priority on self-care. It's okay to prioritise our own needs and take time for ourselves. This is very difficult for some people to do and is where career coaching can play an integral role. Many of us need to reframe our mindset around self-care. It's not just not selfish to prioritise your own wellbeing, it is necessary. Self-care needs to become a habit. 

Business coaching can be a powerful tool for improving wellbeing by providing individuals with the tools they need to make self-care a habit. By working with a business coach, individuals can identify the areas of their lives that need attention and develop personalised strategies to prioritise their mental, emotional, and physical health. This can mean improved stress management, increased resilience, and improved overall wellbeing. 

In the workplace, these benefits can translate into increased productivity, better communication, and higher job satisfaction. 

Sterkla is an innovative coaching platform that specialises in providing tailored career coaching experiences for individuals and organisations. By combining the latest technology with the expertise of certified coaches, Sterkla fills the gap within work environments and helps people achieve their fullest potential.