Your skills and expertise matter when it comes to your leadership abilities. However, how you tend to your personal life and health and wellness can make a big difference in what kind of leader you are.
When you take care of yourself outside of work, it tends to translate into better workplace habits, such as building more meaningful relationships with employees, trusting yourself and your decisions, and being intentional in every action.
These health-related activities will not only elevate your personal life, but they’ll also help you be a better leader in the workplace.
Do Something For You Everyday
Your dedication to your leadership role is admirable. There’s nothing wrong with that dedication unless it’s resulting in unhealthy habits like overworking yourself and neglecting your personal needs.
When you do this, your productivity declines. You’re tired, so you’re irritable, and that can lead to you being hard on your team, creating a workplace environment where everyone is walking on eggshells.
Doing something for you every day helps you find happiness and positivity every day. It helps stabilize your mood and uplift you in even the most stressful times. And those times come often as a leader.
Set aside time for you every day. It could be five minutes of meditation in the morning. It could be a 15-minute jog when you take lunch. It could be an hour you spend before bed reading and journaling. It could be uninterrupted dinner time with your family.
Take care of yourself, and you’re bound to bring that same spirit to your workplace.
Take Care of your Mental Health
If you need anything as a leader, you need a sound mind. Focus, concentration, deep thinking, and emotional maturity, all of it is integral to quality leadership. If you don’t take care of your mental health, you’re putting all of the above in jeopardy and, in turn, your team.
Make sure your mental health is a priority by establishing a routine around how you care for it. For example, you could practice mindfulness activities daily and engage in creative outlets that allow you to express yourself. Or, you could go to therapy once a week.
How you take care of your mental health depends on your needs and where you are in your mental health care journey. But be open to the process and consistent so that you reap the benefits of prioritizing your mental health.
Incorporate Exercise into Your Routine
Although it isn’t talked about a whole lot, the relationship between being a good leader and being physically active is apparent.
A consistent exercise routine helps you physically, reducing your risk of becoming obese or developing chronic illnesses like diabetes or cardiovascular disease. As a result, you can be present in the workplace and not out sick often.
Also, regular physical activity helps you develop certain qualities that make you a better leader. For example, working out three times a week for the rest of your life takes discipline. Being disciplined at work also matters, as it helps you meet deadlines with ease.
Commit to an exercise routine that you can stay consistent with. This could look like:
- Joining a rec league for your favorite sport;
- Going on a hike on your days off;
- Completing short home workouts daily;
- A daily walk around your neighborhood;
- Attending a group exercise class once a week;
- Going to the gym a certain amount of days a week.
The key is to find what works for you.
Develop a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Think about that feeling you have in the morning after a good night’s sleep. You’re energized, excited for the day, and ready to work. Now, how often you get to experience that feeling is the question.
If it’s not often, your leadership could be suffering because of it. Sleep deprivation can affect your health in various ways. It increases your risk of developing issues with your eye function, like dry eyes and blurry vision. Not getting enough sleep can worsen mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. And you may develop cognitive issues like an inability to concentrate and dementia later on in life.
The harm these issues bring can impact your professional life too. If you can’t concentrate, you can’t think critically and solve problems easily. If you’re living with a mental health condition like anxiety, it getting worse can impact your decision-making and the relationships you have with your team.
Developing a consistent sleep schedule is essential to avoid the above outcomes. It starts with a bedtime routine. You need a ritual that tells your body and mind that it’s time to go to sleep.
Make sure your room is lowly lit, quiet, and cool. Get into your pajamas and take care of your oral hygiene. Turn off all of your electronics and put your phone on do not disturb. After that, you could journal, meditate, listen to music, or do anything that soothes your soul and helps you drift off to sleep.
A good sleep every night will make a difference in how you feel and work.
It might be difficult to establish a work-life balance as a leader. However, you must find a way to prioritize your personal life and health habits as much as you do your leadership role, as your wellness can impact your professional and personal life.