I am sure few women would disagree on the importance of taking care of our physical and emotional well-being. So the question then is: are we making it a priority? Or is it just something else on our “Things to Do” list?
The last place that any imbalance manifests is in our body, i.e. our state of health. The reality is that long before we become ill, there are warning signs. Either we choose to listen and take note of those nagging thoughts or feelings or we find our health forces us to take note.
In research with successful women they all commented that their commitment to their work comes at the expense of their physical and emotional well-being. They admitted to making many sacrifices e.g. they have less time with their spouse and children and less for themselves for exercise, hobbies, socialising with friends. Most of them are driven and remain in action orientated mode with little time to just be still.
This means we need to make a conscious decision to actually prioritise our physical and emotional well-being. Think about what type of physical activity resonates with you: Are you a gym person? Do you prefer jogging out in nature? Are you too much of an A type personality and would prefer something like yoga, tai chi or callanetics? You need to find some physical activity that will retain your interest and be an outlet for stress. Then commit yourself to doing it at least three times a week. Five times would be preferable. It is important that this practice becomes a way of life and an integral part of your daily activities.
Remaining active throughout life may even guarantee that we age better. Through exercising our body is oiled for easy movement. It may not seem that important to you now. But I have seen how rapidly an older person’s health deteriorates when they have led physically inactive lives.
What can we do to take care of our emotional well-being? Yes we are strong and resilient. We are good at coping with challenges that are thrown our way. But we are human and need some balance. So what can we do to acknowledge and validate our emotional side?
A good place to start is to conduct ourselves in a more conscious way. Think about the kind of energy or “vibe” you create at work. Are you frenetic, rushed and often late for meetings? Or are you gently and harmoniously going about your way? How we conduct ourselves has a definite impact on our physical and emotional well-being. In addition, it also directly affects other people around us. If we want less drama in our life we need to behave in a way that diffuses any drama.
If you come across in a calm and moderate manner, others will begin to temper their behaviour. Stressful interactions cause an adrenalin rush. If we live our lives like this we put strain on our adrenal glands which will affect our health negatively. Therefore, we can consciously interact in a gentler and affable way.
When you are alone and have a few minutes open take five minutes to focus on enjoying a cup of tea. Or doodle for five minutes while you reflect on some work issue. We work in such a left brain world that we miss out often on bringing greater creativity to the workplace. Doodling or following a labyrinth with a pencil opens our minds to our more creative or intuitive side.
It is helpful to set aside some quiet time to reflect about your life and work. In my interviews with successful women and men, this seems to be lacking. Any reflection is purely on work and nothing on themselves.
Reflection may feel like a real luxury. However, it is in these times that we can sit back and observe what is happening in our lives. This time enables us to get in touch with our deepest feelings about the life we are leading and how we are doing at work and with our family. We can note which situations we find draining as well as how to resolve these. Reflection allows us to identify what feeds our soul at work and what we would like to do more of. It also allows us to get in touch with our dreams and how to manifest them.
Life has a way of bringing us situations that take us to the next stage of our personal growth. We can pre-empt health crises though by prioritising our physical and emotional well-being. If you would like to bring some balance into your life you would benefit from coaching. To learn more about the impact of physical and emotional well-being of women in the working environment, download my free guide to Balancing Work, Your Family and Your Career.
