Ep 216: Self-care - the power of less

In this episode, we take a look at an aspect of self-care that's often overlooked: the impact of doing less, not more.

Often, when we discuss a need for self-care, my clients' minds turn to new activities, new routines... new stuff. They can easily visualise a 'need' to somehow squeeze even more into their already hectic schedules. As a result, self-care can quickly feel like a chore, not a benefit. Which is the opposite of what we're trying to achieve!

Instead, I challenge my clients to identify tasks, responsibilities and events that they can delete, reschedule or step back from. By removing things from our combined workload, we give ourselves space to take a breath. This pause allows us to see things slightly differently and be a little more intentional about how we navigate our remaining commitments.

I share some simple examples of how you can bring 'the power of less' to life. Hopefully these serve as an inspiration. Remember, self-care is most helpfully thought of as anything we do intentionally to improve our situation. Sometimes, doing less is a great first step in this direction.

Get in touch with your thoughts and questions - you can email me 'podcast at worklifepsych dot com' - or join the conversation over at WorkLifeSpark. There's a sign-up link below.

As always, thanks for listening!

Resources for this episode

'Pause and Reflect' course details and sign-up - https://www.worklifepsych.com/PauseAndReflect
WorkLifeSpark sign-up - https://www.worklifespark.com/sign-up
Self-care: what is it and why does it matter? https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/
Self-care: 5 mistakes to avoid - https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-5-mistakes-to-avoid/
Self-care: an intentional approach - https://www.worklifepsych.com/self-care-an-intentional-approach/
Upcoming masterclass on Self-compassion - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1990550352689?aff=oddtdtcreator

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(100)

Ep 224: Values - it's what you do that matters

Our monthly focus over on WorkLifeSpark is values and how to bring them to life. So, in this episode, I take a look at the importance of living values, not just talking about them. I use my recent ex...

9 Sep 13min

Ep 223: Take a break - before you need it!

This episode continues our recent run on sleep, intentional rest and breaks, this time viewed through the lens of sustainability. When working with coaching clients, I often ask them something along t...

26 Aug 15min

Ep 222: Rest is more than sleep

In this episode, I continue the focus on sleep, rest and breaks, moving beyond sleep itself to explore the many other forms rest can take. I explain why treating rest as something to be earned gets in...

19 Aug 20min

Ep 221: Sleep and rest - they're not optional!

In this episode, Richard is joined again by Dr Fiona Jane Meechin to tackle a topic that underpins everything else in workplace wellbeing: sleep. They make the case that sleep isn't just one wellbeing...

5 Aug 43min

Ep 220: Navigating change with compassion

In this episode, I look at how self-compassion can help us navigate organisational change - one of the most common, and often most difficult, experiences we face at work. I start with a quick recap of...

29 Jul 20min

Ep 219: Comparison or compassion?

In this episode, I explore why we compare ourselves to others at work, and what to do when those comparisons leave us feeling worse rather than better. I unpack the evolutionary roots of social compar...

15 Jul 19min

Ep 218: Self-compassion with Dr. Fiona Jane Meechan

In this episode, Richard is joined by an expert in self-compassion for a discussion about this all-important skillset. Richard and Fiona Jane Meechan discuss why self-compassion can be tough to develo...

8 Jul 44min

Ep 217: Self-care - it's not what you think

Last time, we looked at the benefits of doing less to support our self-care. In this episode, I tackle five of the most common misconceptions about self-care - which I've encountered from coaching and...

24 Jun 22min