We would all be lying if we said Melbourne’s lockdown 2.0 hasn’t been affecting us in some way or another. Though can we all chuckle at the fact that in classic Australian humour, we’ve given this lockdown a name? Cheers, Melbourne! But I digress.
It’s been reported that mental health services across Australia have experienced an increase in calls since COVID-19 and enforced restrictions came into play.
With that in mind, it is quite clear that your health and wellbeing must now be front of mind as you navigate a completely foreign and new landscape. If you’re lucky enough to be working through this pandemic or manage a business, remember the value of taking care of yourself and it’s trickle down effect on your business.
Some areas of self care include what you eat, how much sleep you’re getting, friendships and meaningful relationship relationships, learning how to switch off, exercise and having a supportive community.
Let us walk you through our firmly held six golden rules for self care during lockdown…
Golden Rule #1 – Pay Attention To What You Eat
Eating healthy is extremely important for both your business and yourself. In order to produce quality output, you need to make sure you’re giving yourself the right fuel because you inherently get out what you put in.
Affecting more than just what you weigh and how you feel, what you put into your body impacts how you work and the quality of your work. When wanting the best for your business, you also need to want the best for your body and that starts with what you put in it.
Golden Rule #2 – Make Sure You’re Getting Enough Sleep
When you have deadlines, want to get a project out the door or are just pushing to get ahead of the game, sleep can often get sacrificed. But it shouldn’t. Not getting enough sleep is detrimental to our productivity.
A report from Harvard uncovered that lack of sleep leads to reduced efficiency and productivity, as well as more errors and accidents.
As Matthew Walker in his book ‘Why We Sleep’ explains, “neglecting sleep undercuts your creativity, problem solving, decision-making, learning, memory, heart health, brain health, mental health, emotional well-being, immune system, and even your life span”.
Getting enough sleep is clearly important. Sometimes it’s better to put your tools down and get some shuteye rather than powering through.
Golden Rule #3 – Lean On Your Friends
Having work friendships are essential for far much more than just good times. Friends at work = greater productivity.
Studies have shown that employees are two times more likely to be engaged if they have a friend at work. Whether it’s lunch breaks or collaborating on new training courses, socialisation is always valuable.
When people develop meaningful relationships at work, they are happier in the office, and when push comes to shove, happy workers make better workers. There’s also a sense of camaraderie and trust, which leads to an increase in calculated risks and collaboration, out of which the great stuff is often born.
“Happy teams are productive teams and social interaction is a huge part of this”, so generating and nurturing genuine bonds are advantageous to any team, big or small, it’s that simple.
Golden Rule #4 – Learn How To Switch Off
Having a social life and making sure to take time to switch off from the working day is an integral part of business. You need to be able to change your mental state from focusing on work tasks to the other aspects of your life, whether that is friends, family, hobbies or ‘you time’. You need time to recharge, refuel and replenish.
If you’re seeking support on marketing your business so you can switch off and take time for yourself, you know where to find us – aka the Digital Marketing Agency of your dreams.
Golden Rule #5 – Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
More than just impacting how your body looks and feels, exercise has many benefits to almost all aspects of your life, which includes work productivity.
Regular exercise gives you more energy throughout your day, which increases your ability to focus, concentrate and be creative. It’s also beneficial for your core health, including fighting diabetes, cancer and strains on your mental health. Whether you prefer to work out before work or after, just be sure to get that body moving!
Golden Rule #6 – Surround Yourself With A Community
A community is a shared place or a group of people who share ideas, interests or attitudes. When it comes to business, the power of communities in the workplace is undeniable.
Community therefore often leads to more heads working together to reach goals, solve problems or lend shoulders to lean on when the going gets tough. Alongside community, the importance of a strong leader is also paramount to overall success. Why? Because it is always easier to go further with a support network behind you.
