Women in Leadership - Self Care
There are many unique challenges and obstacles for women in leadership. Today I will focus on one of them - Self Care.
During the pandemic, women are impacted more than men. 1 million more women lost their job compared to men. This could potentially erase the progress made for the last 5 years in women leadership. For women who didn’t lose job, things are not so much easier. They may have a full time job at work and then another full time job of ‘homeschooling’ their children. Many say they are exhausted.
As women, we are caregivers by default. Many women juggle between a career, a family, kids, elder parents, cooking, cleaning, communities and much more.
You probably have heard this again and again. On the airplane you are instructed to put on your own oxygen mask first before helping others in the case of an emergency. It’s the same principle in life. If we don’t take care of ourselves, if we run out of energy, we can’t take care of the people around us. If we are not physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually healthy, we won’t have the ability to take care of other people even if we want to. It will negatively impact how we enjoy life.
What’s your way of self-care?
How much time do you leave to yourself on a daily basis?
What do you do to recharge?
What do you do when you feel down?
Physical Health
Someone said she wanted to lose 50 lbs, because the extra weight is giving her a lot of health related issues. She feels she is a prisoner of her own body.
What are you doing to ensure your body is working for you? What exercise are you doing? For me, it’s skiing, paddle boarding, running, hiking, yoga, biking, dancing and running stairs in my own house.
Do you know that exercise can also fight depression?
Mental / Emotional Health
During the pandemic, many people are feeling depressed, stressed and anxious. Every 1 out 6 people are seeking therapy. Besides the professional help, what else can you do to boost your mental health? For me it’s deep breath, meditation, visualization and connecting with people.
We don't know when our life can go back to normal. What does that new normal even look like? When you feel your energy is drained, what do you do? Is it to take a walk? Listen to music? Have a zoom party? Whatever that is, I hope you are doing something intentionally.
It took me many years to accept that taking care of myself isn’t selfish of me. It’s essential for me to recharge so that I can continue to raise a family, excel in my career and have fun in life.
