With how busy and stressful your daily life can be due to work, family, and personal relationships, it always helps to take a break and prioritize your needs. As such, a previous post recommends adopting self-care practices to not only benefit your mental health but also foster deeper relationships, including marriage. Going on a vacation or simply taking a day off can do wonders for your mood and energy levels, thus allowing you to interact more meaningfully with your loved ones.

However, while self-care can be a way to relieve stressors like your work, its benefits can also directly extend toward performing better in your workplace. Below, we highlight the strong connection between self-care and work performance, and how you can practice self-care to better manage your stress levels.

Why self-care is beneficial for work performance

Regardless of the field you work in, it’s undeniable that it can get incredibly fast-paced and demanding, to the extent that you overlook your personal needs to solely focus on professional responsibilities. However, neglecting self-care can increase the risk of work-related stress and burnout, which can have a detrimental effect on your job satisfaction and overall quality of life.

In contrast, research published in the journal Archives of Psychiatric Nursing found that in high-stress work environments like healthcare, setting aside time for self-care can make a positive difference in workers’ engagement and well-being. Specifically, prioritizing self-care can make you more healthy and well-rested, thus reducing absenteeism and boosting productivity, focus, and engagement. When you’re more engaged with your work, you’re also more likely to be more committed and satisfied — making the following self-care practices more crucial to your daily routine.

How to practice self-care and manage stress levels

Prioritize your eye health

Physical health, in general, can influence stress levels, but this is particularly true for eyesight, especially when tasks are visually demanding and involve electronic use. Research shows that chronic stress and anxiety symptoms are more prevalent among those with eye conditions like dry eye disease, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma, making eye care a crucial part of your work routine. 

While you can preserve your eyesight by buying affordable eyewear from a range of retailers like Specsavers and SmartBuyGlasses, it helps to go for quality and durability through a legacy brand like Ray-Ban. Not only is Ray-Ban popular for iconic sunglass frames like the browline Clubmaster and classic Wayfarer, but these are also available for eyeglasses with various lens options, including prescription for vision correction and blue light filters for electronic use. Despite being at a higher price point, the high-quality frame and lens materials can save you money by protecting your eyesight in the long term.

Try creative hobbies

Another way to make self-care a norm and avoid work from taking up your entire life is to divert your attention toward creative, fulfilling hobbies. Regardless of your creative inclinations, art activities like drawing, painting, coloring, and crafting can relieve stress and help you become more present in the moment. 

More than the final product, it’s the creative process itself that counts in terms of expressing your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. If work has been taking your time away from yourself and your loved ones, you can even try creative hobbies with your partner, family, and friends by signing up for local art classes and pottery workshops.

Incorporate meditation into your routine

Lastly, consider adding meditation to your daily routine to give yourself peace of mind, whether it’s in the morning before you go to work or during one of your mid-shift breaks. Those who are unsure of how to start meditating can try pray.com or a meditation app like Insight Timer, which has the unique offering My Workplace to help you practice mindfulness and well-being at work. 

Specifically, this version guides you through addressing workplace issues like stress, burnout, and impostor syndrome through curated video content from experts and connections with colleagues.

In summary, practicing self-care despite a busy work schedule can actually help you improve your job performance and satisfaction. By regulating your screen time, trying creative hobbies, and meditating, you take one step closer to prioritizing yourself and achieving a more fulfilling everyday life.

Article written by Sophia Emma For Mad About Marriage