3 Things I Learned About Self-Care in 2023 and How it Made Me a Better Leader

One of my personal goals in 2023 was to publish my first book on well-being to set a self-care plan for myself weekly using the 5-step process I developed.? I wanted to make sure that it worked and could truly help people before I shared it with others. For forty-eight weeks, (yes I wasn’t perfect) I wrote out my plan each week. What I learned about myself surprised me.

After I took the initial assessment, I set my self-care activities and goals, developed a mantra or two to keep me on track, and called out the barriers I had to tackle to keep myself on track.? I found an accountability partner who did the same and we shared our progress in biweekly check-ins early on Friday mornings.??

Here is what I learned and how it made me a better leader:

1. My self-care needs changed frequently from week to week.? Sometimes it was all about physical self—care. ? I needed my Pure Barre exercise classes to reduce stress or just needed to give myself permission to catch up on weekends with power naps. ? Other weeks, scheduling time with friends or doing my hobby of designing handbag accessories was exactly what I needed to recharge and feel fulfilled.? Reflecting on my needs each week helped me to be clear about how each activity helped me. Self-care activities are a little like medicine, you have to make sure you prescribe the ones that will help the ailment.
2. Setting a plan took no more than 15 minutes a week, but that fifteen minutes was powerful to help me navigate what I needed for the week ahead, what was working and what was not, so I could adjust as needed.? Almost every week, the biggest challenge was to turn things off and shut down technology an hour before bedtime.? Technology is addictive. Resisting the urge to check email one more time, watching Instagram reels, and allowing myself to just be still without the distraction of social media was tough, but in the weeks I did it best, I felt better and had a clear focus.
3. I became a better leader because being intentional with my self-care each week extended to me thinking about our team at work, their needs, and how they were taking care of themselves.? I checked in more with questions like “How are you caring for yourself” and “What are you doing to relieve stress or get recharged” especially during intense projects or personal circumstances. Sometimes they shared more about what was happening in their lives and that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. I opened up the conversation about well-being in the workplace and was vulnerable to share when I was feeling drained and what I was doing about it.? When we do that as leaders, it gives others permission to do the same and they know we truly care.

Being intentional about practicing self-care unlocked my potential in so many ways.? Make 2024 a great year by unlocking yours with the simple act of creating a self-care plan.