Not having a proper balance between work and life can cause people to neglect themselves and push them toward what’s easy and comfortable, like fast food, energy drinks, and binge-watching TV shows. But these conveniences don’t necessarily support eco-friendliness, self-care, or work-life balance.
Ensuring your self-care and efforts to maintain a balanced life are rooted in sustainability is essential, but it can also be challenging. Luckily, it’s possible to be more eco-friendly at work, as well as in your personal life, while you try to take better care of yourself.
Here’s how to prioritize self-care that’s both sustainable and supportive of your work-life balance.
Commit to Self-care
Nearly half of the respondents in this survey by Mckinsey & Company reported feeling at least somewhat burnt out at work. When employees are burnt out, their productivity, focus, and engagement go down — not just at work, but also in other areas of life. Poor work-life balance can impact your physical health, resulting in premature aging, contributing to longer-term health impacts, and negatively affecting your mental well-being.
To avoid burning out and withdrawing from life, you must commit to maintaining your overall health and prioritizing work-life balance. Simply put, you must make a conscious decision to learn and practice what helps you achieve the optimal balance for your personal and professional needs.
Planning can also help you stay committed no matter what comes up in life. For example, plan and request your vacation days off ahead of time, so you have intentional time off throughout the year. If you want to look at things on a smaller scale, choose a day during the week where work isn’t allowed or a certain time of the day when you have to stop working.
Commit to caring for yourself and maintaining work-life balance mentally, and plan to reinforce that commitment, even when it’s inconvenient or difficult to do so. And luckily, the decision to care for yourself and many of the techniques you can use to support it have minimal impact on the environment. This can help leave you free to look for other sustainable self-care solutions.
Invest in Sustainable Products
Investing in sustainable products is a simple way to enhance your self-care practices and efforts to stay balanced without causing significant harm to the environment. One key area where you should invest in sustainable products is your beauty and skincare routines. These rituals are common forms of self-care, but there are many ways the beauty industry hurts the environment.
You don’t have to sacrifice self-care to stay sustainable. Investing in eco-friendly body and beauty products is key to ensuring you remain sustainable in nourishing your skin and body. Pay attention to whether your skin purges or breaks out with use. That way, you can ensure your product choices are best for both your skin and the environment.
Also, purchasing sustainable products in bulk or having them shipped to your home on a subscription basis furthers your efforts to remain sustainable while navigating self-care and work-life balance.
Prioritize Nutrition
One of the most critical aspects of self-care is nutrition. When you don’t eat right, it can affect your energy and ability to think clearly. Good nutrition also nurtures strong mental and physical health, which positively impacts your efforts to create a more balanced life.
There are several things you can do to ensure you’re eating a nutritious diet with minimal environmental impacts. For instance, instead of eating out, consider meal prepping. This means you’ll have easy access to food when you’re hungry during your workday. You can also invest in reusable containers and utensils to avoid single-use, disposable items.
Immerse Yourself in Nature
Immersing yourself in nature is also integral to navigating sustainable self-care. You learn more about how to properly care for the planet and live a more eco-friendly life. In addition, you can use nature to deal with work and life stressors healthily.
Incorporate nature walks into your breaks at work. Dedicate weekends to hikes and new outdoor adventures. Also, do simple activities that allow you to immerse yourself in nature, like going out to your backyard or garden. You can still find ways to connect with nature, even if you happen to live in an urban environment.
Conclusion
Navigating sustainable self-care alongside work-life balance doesn’t have to be challenging. The first step is committing to practicing self-care and maintaining a work-life balance in your mind and heart. Then, leverage preparation, sustainable products, and prioritize nutrition to ensure your journey is as enjoyable and eco-friendly as possible. You may still face challenges while trying to live a sustainable, healthy life, but with this foundation established, you’ll be well-equipped to overcome those difficulties.
Image Source: Pixabay.
