How do you incorporate self-care and wellness in your job coaching model?

Live what you preach. So often I see Wellness coaches, wearing make up, drinking alcohol and doing the opposite of what they coach. If you cannot be an example, you are in the wrong profession.

"I don't know because I feel pretty burnt out right now," says client. Client was asked to join a 6 AM call because her boss' boss' boss executive is on the East Coast and client needed to chat with the executive. Client pushed back but it still landed on their calendar. How do employees navigate this? You can't push back AGAIN, can you? This executive is 3 layers above you. But to wake up at that hour knowing your last call ends at 7 PM makes for an awfully long day. We ask a lot from our employees and it is tough to run a business with a 9-5 job. I totally get that as a business owner. However, something's got to give. I wonder what companies are doing to try to provide more balance?

Self-care and wellness are essential practices for maintaining overall health and well-being. They involve taking proactive steps to care for your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. Effective self-care can help manage stress, prevent burnout, boost resilience, and enhance quality of life. Activities include getting adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, exercising, meditating, pursuing hobbies, setting boundaries, expressing gratitude, seeking support, and continuously learning new skills.

My advice to my coaching clients (and myself) is to include creativity and adventures in life. It's easy to say "self-care," but what does that mean? I find that for many, it's about outlets and opportunities for creativity... art, writing, music, etc. And it's about having adventures in your life, even small ones. What can you do that truly gets you away from things? We used to make food shopping and a nice but cheap lunch an adventure to get us away from work and computers. Anything can be even a mini adventure.

As an experienced recruiter and someone in recovery I tend to use my recovery tools in setting boundaries, making conscious, ethical choices, and maintaining presence with my clients. Job seekers carry their past experiences, anxieties, and aspirations. As coaches, we absorb this energy, which can weigh us down over time. Thus, self-care is a critical component of our professional toolkit. A well-rested, mentally sharp, and emotionally stable coach can provide clearer guidance, show genuine empathy, and build stronger rapport. A burned-out coach can accidently project their fatigue, impeding the job seeker's progress. When we care for ourselves, we're in a better position to care for others. #careerbff

In the dynamic world of coaching, the pursuit of success often intertwines with a myriad of challenges, so the role of self-care and wellness becomes not just a necessity but a strategic imperative. Beyond the surface-level benefits of stress reduction & personal rejuvenation, fostering a culture of self-care can permeate every aspect of a coach's professional journey. Coaches have to navigate a terrain laden with high expectations, tight deadlines, & emotionally charged situations. It's akin to a relentless marathon where resilience is the secret weapon. Self-care serves as the training ground for resilience, empowering coaches to bounce back from setbacks, navigate complex client relationships, & handle ethical dilemmas with diplomacy.

Self-care and wellness are crucial for job coaches because the role can be demanding and stressful, involving high expectations, tight deadlines, and complex client situations. Job coaches may also experience compassion fatigue or secondary stress from working with clients in distress. Neglecting self-care can lead to burnout, exhaustion, and frustration, impacting your performance and well-being. Prioritizing self-care helps maintain your health, effectiveness, and ability to support clients effectively.

Before integrating self-care and wellness into your job coaching model, assess your current situation and needs. Use tools like self-care assessments, wellness wheels, stress inventories, mood trackers, or journaling to evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, sources of stress, and coping strategies. Gathering feedback from colleagues, supervisors, mentors, or peers can also provide valuable perspectives and support. This comprehensive evaluation will help you identify areas for improvement and tailor a self-care plan that fits your needs.

Once you have assessed your needs and gathered feedback, it's essential to create a personalized self-care and wellness plan. This plan should outline specific actions, routines, and strategies that address your unique requirements and promote your well-being. Regularly review and adjust your plan as circumstances change, ensuring that it remains relevant and supportive of your overall health and job performance.

Once you’ve assessed your needs, plan self-care activities based on your preferences, availability, and budget. Use a calendar or app to schedule and track these activities. Set SMART goals to stay motivated: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Create a self-care kit with items like music, books, aromatherapy, affirmations, or snacks to help you relax and recharge. Regularly review and adjust your plan to ensure it supports your well-being effectively.

Integrating self-care and wellness into your job coaching model involves embedding these practices into your routine, mindset, and culture. Engage in self-care daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonally with activities tailored to your schedule, mood, and energy. Incorporate techniques like breathing exercises, mindfulness, and positive self-talk before, during, and after coaching sessions. Model healthy behaviors for your clients, share tips and resources, and celebrate their achievements. Foster a supportive environment with colleagues by collaborating, exchanging ideas, and recognizing contributions.

The very first stage of all of my coaching programs focuses on wellness and mindset. It is no secret that job hunting can be difficult and frustrating at times. You need to be confident in your decision to look for a new job and your skills and expertise to make it to the first day at your new job.

Incorporating self-care and wellness into your job coaching model is crucial for both you and your clients. Job coaching can be demanding, and focusing on well-being helps create a balanced and sustainable approach to your practice. Prioritize your own well-being. Just like on an airplane, put on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else. As a job coach, your effectiveness depends on your physical and mental health. Additionally, adopt a holistic perspective that considers not only job-related aspects but also personal and emotional well-being. Encourage clients to assess and address both work and life challenges as well, including stress, self-reflection, and continuous learning.

Most of us are fabulous at starting new healthy routines, that last all of 2 seconds. Starting, isn't our weakness, it is sticking to a plan long enough to realize tangle results. Solution? Assess what the main reasons were for your last 2-5 failed attempts at healthy living and implement a preventative strategy to ensure these stumbling-blocks do not snag you again moving forward.