Being a top-rung success in the business world is both exhilarating and exhausting. Scratching your way to the top of that corporate ladder is a journey all by itself—but once there, many people don’t realize all it will take to maintain their status. And unfortunately, they might not realize that other aspects of their life got trampled during the climb.
Managing many high-level roles in life can be extremely stressful. Let’s face it. When you give your ‘all’ at work, your relationships and other responsibilities suffer, causing problems and stress.
These issues can wear you down and eventually negatively impact work performance. As a result, even though you are a high-achiever, you are failing on many levels. However, you can prevent this slow, painful slide down from the summit with attention to self-care.
What is self-care?
The human brain is a complicated mechanism with potential most people never tap. The subconscious has powerful abilities of persuasion—not always for good. However, when you provide the self-care your brain craves, you enhance cognitive function and remove self-imposed limitations, allowing you to perform at higher levels in multiple areas of your life.
More simply, self-care is taking care of Number 1. Let’s face it. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will? And if you are not at your best mentally and physically, you cannot expect to run your company effectively and maintain healthy relationships.
For some, self-care is frequent vacations or a weekly round of golf to clear your mind and rekindle your spirit. Self-care is any personal routine or action you take to benefit your state of mind so you can function at high levels without excessive stress.
Why so much resistance to self-care?
The concept of self-care sounds like common sense preventative measures everyone should practice. However, high-achievers are often resistant to the idea that they need this “self-indulgence.”
Unfortunately, many business leaders feel practicing self-care or the thought of needing it is a sign of weakness, and this weakness means that they are poor leaders. As a result, this group continues to try and do it all while their grip on the top rung of that ladder gets looser and looser.
Accepting that self-care can make a difference in performance requires these leaders to re-examine the fundamental characteristics of a great leader and the true meaning of success. Many high-achieving business leaders feel showing vulnerability is a sign of weakness. And they falsely believe that as the leader, they must have all the answers all of the time.
Instead, these leaders should change their mindset and understand that vulnerability is their humanness. And it’s this humanness employees and clients resonate with most because it shows that their leader is just like them.
Dr. Aimee Harris-Newon Psy.D., DABPS, C.HT.—the founder and director of Dr. Aimee and Associates and The Center for Integrative and Functional Health and Wellness—understands that high-achievers believe they should be able to do-it-all without the assistance of self-care. However, she has also seen the successes self-care routines can produce.
Considered an expert in integrative health, Dr. Harris-Newton believes a holistic approach in treating the body and the mind can help high-achieving business leaders maintain high-performance levels. She asserts that you should always “Do your best to do your best.” While this mantra pertains to many aspects of life, Dr. Harris-Newton says it mostly means that you can not expect positive, productive interactions with others if you are not doing your best to be healthy and stress-free.
A common misconception about self-care
One common misconception people have about self-care is that they don’t have the time. However, some of the best self-care practices are mere lifestyle changes. Making time for exercise and following a good diet can do wonders for your mindset and require no additional time out of your day.
Other easy and quick fixes include basic relaxation techniques and caring for your brain. Brief meditation sessions and self-hypnosis are popular self-care methods that rejuvenate your energy and clear negative thoughts.
Christine Deschemin, a certified hypnotherapist and founder of the UpNow app, says hypnotherapy offers an effective self-care option for business leaders and high-achievers. “Hypnotherapy is increasingly popular among business leaders seeking support with personal issues such as focus, presentation anxiety, and goal setting.” Deschemin adds that hypnotherapy is an effective self-care solution for nearly all limiting conditions that keep people from reaching their full potential at work and in daily life.
Keeping it simple
Mostly, people want their self-care routines to fit effortlessly into their day. You can keep it simple by examining what you like and what you know can help you relax. Some people might read a book, write in a journal, or do a quiet hobby. Others might enjoy a short walk. Again, the strategy you use will be a personal choice that you know can clear your mind and improve your overall performance.
In summary
Being a good leader means being an empathetic listener who takes action when employees need assistance and positive feedback. Your ability to provide this support relies on your energy levels and mindset. Practicing self-care to feel good about yourself makes attending to employee and client needs effectively more rewarding for everyone. Your self-care plan does not have to be elaborate, trendy, or expensive. It simply needs to be whatever your body and mind need to function at a high level in multiple realms.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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