Hello, my friend!
Here are ways to help others practice self-care:
- Stay connected.
Social connections provide practical and emotional support for others and ourselves. Schedule one-on-ones with your team via video. Schedule team huddles via video. Coordinate group messaging. Any and all ways to stay connected! As a trainer, I am happy I have the opportunity to work a new group of team members each week (sometimes each day). I always like to start out with some sort of conversation. For new team members, I love doing introductions with an activity like two-truths-and-one-lie (where you say three things about you, one being a lie and the others have to guess which one is the lie). Funny story, one time I said all true statements! I couldn’t even lie. Hahaha. The team responded, “we know you won’t lie to us then!” Good times!
I’ve also spoken to managers and want to share some of their great ideas! One manager created a group chat in Microsoft Teams and sends a daily riddle. Another manager has weekly check-ins with their team members, and leave them in control of what to talk about. Another manager created a Lifesize room where the team members can join during their breaks and lunches, like a virtual break room!
- Express compassion and empathy.
When you speak to someone who is struggling, practice active listening to provide comfort and support trying to solve their problems. Oftentimes people just need someone to listen. Sometimes I find myself listening to respond but I am working on being more mindful and realizing when I just need to listen, and wait for any cues or questions to respond to.
- Protect time and space.
This might be one of the most important ones. Encourage others to protect their time and space. Ask them to move away from their workstations and take a break. (If you haven’t already, read my post on productivity tips while working (or studying) at home; I believe it’s important to set up your workspace in a separate area to “go to” and “leave from” to help create the work life balance.) And if you are in a leadership role, avoid contacting team members outside of work hours.
- Give recognition.
At times it may feel as if you don’t hear from your boss or talk with a team member unless it’s something bad. Try your best to avoid that! Recognize when someone has done something good or accomplished a goal. And if you can, share it with others. Lift team members up by giving recognition in a meaningful way. Times like this will go a long way; make a memorable experience during their career.
- Recognize stress and fatigue.
I wrote a short “tip of the month” on self-care and loved what I read and learned through Time and the Derbyshire Community Health Services (DCHS).
“Stress is not an indication of weakness; it is our natural reaction to spending a sustained period of time dealing with more pressure than we have the ability to deal with. Signs and symptoms will vary from person to person from different types, such as:
Physical: headaches or sleeplessness
Behavioral: absence or lack of motivation
Thinking: poor concentration or inability to listen to others
Emotional: irritability, depressed or tearful”
For more ways to practice self-care, see my post “Five Ways to Practice Self-Care” for more ways!
Thank you for joining me today! I hope these tips help you as you help those around you. Let me know if you’ve tried any of these tips and how it went. I would love to back from you! Goodluck and I wish you all the best during this time! Please stay safe and stay healthy!