The self-care exercises have shown to be imperative for identifying my personal views on how the high levels of stress can be reduced and managed. The five activities chosen to reach the desired self-care goals include spending time in nature, getting a massage, having a 20-minute nap, blocking out 30 minutes for myself that is not considered lunch break, and meditation. To achieve the objectives, a plan will be created. The first step is to allocate time for each activity per day. During days with less workload, more time can be used to spend some time in nature or going to get a massage at a spa salon.
The second step is to create a self-care schedule that will remind me to give myself time to do what feels good. While the schedule is important for planning, I will do my best to listen to my body and intuition and change activities as I see fit. The third step is to celebrate the self-care practices once they are completed every day to support me and the newly-established regimen. The final step is to assess the impact of the practices and make any adjustments that I think would benefit the self-care practice.
Practising self-awareness is expected to boost the self-care practices that would be newly embedded in my everyday life. For example, positive reframing is a technique that allows one to view the behaviours or phenomena in a more positive light. I will be reframing the negative phrases heard at work to give them positive meaning. The two negative phrases are “I don’t have the time or desire to do this,” and “I feel so hopeless to deal with this right now.”
The first phrase is refrained as
“I will do my best to allocate some time to do this and ask for support from others as I am always open to help other workers.”
The second phrase is refrained as
“While everything is hard right now, I have enough knowledge and competence to overcome this challenge and proceed with my work.”
The positive reframing showed me that I should be true to my expectations of personal capabilities and be open to acknowledging the need for help. Only after looking at each work situation from a positive standpoint I am able to develop self-reinforcement and self-awareness skills that will enrich my practice without sacrificing personal well-being.