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As a mom, you are always on, and that can be exhausting. Self-care isn’t just about a bubble bath at home. It’s about taking care of yourself, all day, and every day, as much as possible. That means, self-care at work is a thing. It can be difficult to find time during the busy work day to look after yourself. The below simple self-care ideas can help to revive you throughout the day and help ensure you are less irritable when you get home. You can download the self-care checklist below for even more ideas on self-care and to help you keep on track.

Simple Self-Care At Work

Self-care at work is an important part of finding work life balance.  Whether your job involves sitting at a desk all day, running from meeting to meeting or actual physical labor here are some simple self-care ideas for while you’re on the job.

Simple Self-Care At Work Is Social  

Studies continue to show that taking time to pause and socially interact with people during the work day is not are not only good for your morale but also for your productivity. If you’ve got any doubt check out this video by Daniel Pink, the best-selling author of Drive and When.

Be Social

Take time for water cooler talk. When you head to refill your coffee cup or your water bottle, try not to rush. Instead plan for it to take 5-7 minutes and engage with those around you.

Take a hike. Ok not a hike, a walk, with a colleague.  If you can find time for a true break, walk outside and talk about non-work things for 15 minutes. If you can’t find any break time, then try holding a meeting while walking.

Simple self-care At Work is physical

Your body wasn’t made to sit at a desk for umpteen hours. If your work is already physical in nature you need to be on the lookout for repetitive movement (doing the same movement over and over, wears you out a bit).  Self-care at work means recognizing your body’s needs throughout the day. And I’m not just talking about going to the bathroom.

Get Physical

Schedule 10 minutes a day for a  “breath break”. Think of it like a smoke break for non-smokers. Get up walk outside and take a few deep breaths (preferably away from the smokers).

Take a walk. This can’t be stated enough, getting up to stretch your legs and move around is a vital part of caring for yourself. Try to stand up and move every hour.

Stretch.

Away from your desk. While you are walking do a few light stretches. Bend over and touch your toes. Raise your hands above your head and push your fingers up to the sky. Twist from one side-to the other. 

At your desk. If you aren’t taking a walk then stretch at your desk.  Twist your neck from side to side. Arch and round your back. Do a few calf raises and toe tips. Spread your toes wide and then relax them.

Simple-Self Care At Work is About What You Ingest

It’s been said so many time it’s cliché but, hey, it’s true: you are what you eat. Take time to eat well at work and drink water. Drink lots of water. If you don’t already have a water bottle at your desk, get one. Then stand up every hours, walk to the fountain, chat with folks along the way and fill it. See what happened there, you got in steps, social talk and water. Set an alarm for 60 minutes to remind you.

Keep a healthy snack stash. Stop at Costco or CVS and pick up some nuts, dried fruit, jerky and a few protein bars to stash in your desk.  Then, eat them. When hunger strikes or you get a snack attack, don’t head to the vending machine.  Calmly open your desk drawer and have your healthy snacks.

Simple Self-Care At Work is Grateful

Work can be stressful and sometimes really just bring you down. One of the best ways to combat these feelings is to be grateful. Grateful feelings can be hard to come by, especially when you need them. To help with this, make a gratitude list. Write down all of the things you are grateful for related to your job and your life outside work. Keep it handy. When you feel those crappy feeling start to overcome you, read it and re-center. It’s not a cure-all but it helps a little and that’s self-care at work when you need it most.

Self-care at work, can be simple. Now that you have these simple self-care tips, you need to take action. Which of these will you work into your workday? How will you do it? Think about the answers to these question and then get started! If you want more self-care ideas or self-are checklist to help keep you on track, download the free printable below.

On another note, if you find yourself apologizing for things you shouldn’t, check out this article on how to replace “sorry” with “thank you”