What are some ways to build resilience with daily self-care?

1 Identify your stressors

The first step to building resilience with daily self-care is to identify what causes you stress and how it affects you. Stress can manifest in different ways, such as physical symptoms (e.g., headaches, fatigue, insomnia), emotional reactions (e.g., anxiety, anger, sadness), cognitive changes (e.g., poor concentration, memory lapses, negative thoughts), and behavioral patterns (e.g., isolation, procrastination, substance use). By becoming aware of your stressors and their impact, you can better manage them and prevent them from escalating or interfering with your work and life.

2 Set healthy boundaries

The second step to building resilience with daily self-care is to set healthy boundaries for yourself and others. Boundaries are the limits and expectations that you establish to protect your time, energy, and resources, and to communicate your needs and preferences. Setting healthy boundaries can help you avoid burnout, resentment, and compassion fatigue, and enhance your self-esteem, autonomy, and respect. Some examples of healthy boundaries are saying no to unreasonable requests, delegating tasks, asking for help, limiting your work hours, and separating your personal and professional roles.

3 Engage in enjoyable activities

The third step to building resilience with daily self-care is to engage in enjoyable activities that bring you joy, satisfaction, and relaxation. Enjoyable activities can help you reduce stress, improve your mood, boost your creativity, and balance your work and life. They can also help you reconnect with your values, passions, and strengths, and remind you of your purpose and meaning. Some examples of enjoyable activities are hobbies, sports, arts, music, reading, gardening, meditation, yoga, or spending time with friends and family.

5 Seek support and feedback

The fifth step to building resilience with daily self-care is to seek support and feedback from others who can help you cope with and grow from your work and life challenges. Support and feedback can provide you with emotional, practical, informational, and developmental assistance, and help you feel valued, understood, and empowered. They can also help you gain new perspectives, insights, and skills, and improve your performance and outcomes. Some examples of seeking support and feedback are joining a peer support group, consulting a mentor or supervisor, attending a training or workshop, or seeking professional counseling or coaching.

6 Review and reflect

The sixth and final step to building resilience with daily self-care is to review and reflect on your work and life experiences, and how they affect your resilience and well-being. Reviewing and reflecting can help you evaluate your strengths and areas for improvement, identify your achievements and challenges, recognize your learning and growth, and plan your next steps and actions. They can also help you acknowledge your feelings and thoughts, and process them in a healthy and constructive way. Some examples of reviewing and reflecting are keeping a journal, writing a case note, conducting a self-assessment, or having a debriefing session.