Taking time to rest is an important time of balancing the stresses of safety work. You and I are going to have busier seasons, and quieter times- that's just life.
How we manage this is going to be important for your ability to do well long term, and do a good job, haha. As we start this new year, it's a good time to make sure you are taking care of yourself. Here are three things to consider as you care for yourself as much as you care for your peoples safety.
The first action for you to consider is to Take Time. The work of safety never seems to end. I personally have time in my calendar that is just 'me time'. This for me is my morning walk. If it isn't in the calendar, it isn't a priority for me. I know some people have a morning or evening routine that also helps them add in some self care items. This could be your drive to or from work also. Planning time to take care of yourself is just the first step.
Do it for your health, and not just physically. Having some things that you can do to help your mental or physical help can give you more of that balance that you need. Here are my favorites:
Stand up and get some water about every hour
Take a call or meeting while walking if possible
Do a quick micro stretch or vary your tasks
Take a moment to do some focused breathing and listen to a good song
Have a cup of tea or coffee or favorite work approved beverage
These help not only your mental but your physical health.
The third consideration to help your mental health is to have a decompression time. This works well with the last two, but it bears being its own point.
The work that we do can be very stressful. We may have to deal with an injury or incident. We may have had a day full of meetings or no one seemed to listen to the great things you were trying to teach. This is hard to reconcile. Having time in my car on the drive home is a great way to process it further and allow it to stay at work so you can be present in other areas of your life. It can also be talking to a friend or loved one, listening to some music or an audio book or maybe decompressing with a game or a good book. Regardless of what this looks like for you. You will need to decompress from the day.
Your mental health is important to your success and in turn to the success of others. We care for people deeply and want them to be safe. But- we can't do that if we haven't taken care of ourselves first.
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