Doing well means being well
Well-being isn’t a program.
It’s a series of small choices that shape an experience. And, not just any experience…the very personal LIVED experience.
And, it’s not anyone else’s responsibility. It’s your responsibility. And you need to own it.
And, by “you”, I also mean me.
Well-being is a personal journey. The term covers multiple dimensions of a state of health, including physical, emotional, financial, social, occupational and spiritual aspects. It can range from addressing mental health to setting boundaries around your work hours to ensure you have time to recuperate from the demands of your job.
And, since we’re talking about personal matters, I’m comfortable sharing something about my recent, personal experience.
This week, I sat in front of my computer for 12 hours straight. Two days in a row.
On the third day, I had a headache.
On the fourth day, the headache persisted.
I texted a friend, “Do you think it’s COVID?”
I looked online for testing centers in my area, although the only person I’d had contact with in weeks was the grocery clerk.
I decided maybe I needed to lay down.
So, I did.
In the middle of the day.
It was 20 minutes well spent. It was officially a nap. And, clearly, I needed it.
When I got back up, I took action.
I rearranged my desk so my monitor was at a more ergonomic height.
I reminded myself that peanut M&Ms aren’t actually lunch.
I went to bed earlier.
And, the next day, I felt better.
While the dissolution of digital boundaries has progressed over the last decade, widespread flexible work has shown we humans are generally not good at setting our own boundaries. And the remote work experiment the global pandemic has forced has only made things worse as the lines between our home and work lives have almost been completely erased.
Well-being is the foundation of our personal AND organizational health. As Erica Volini, Global Human Capital Leader at Deloitte Consulting, recently commented, “Organizations need a workforce who can adapt and reskill quickly.” Deloitte’s Human Capital Report surfaced the urgency around well-being: 80% of the 9000 respondents to their annual survey said well-being is their #1 priority.
Translation: If we aren’t well, we can’t do our best work. And let’s face it, many of us are not well. And we need to accept that this is ok and do what we can to get ourselves through this crisis.
When we embrace the fact that we are living through a transformation of our entire mental model for life, we can see why we must adapt the entire ecosystem of our survival.
Yet, the adaptation isn’t a light switch. It’s a series of small decisions that add up to a significant shift.
Small decisions like:
· Showing up with positive energy to a team meeting.
· Going to bed early.
· Taking a day off.
· Taking the medication.
· Laughing with your colleagues (and your friends).
· Catching up with an old friend.
· Taking a walk at sunset.
· Having a hobby.
· Seeing each other without judgement and letting go of judging ourselves.
· Asking for help.
Well-being doesn’t come overnight. It happens one day, one decision at a time.
And there is no right or wrong. Start by accepting that it’s ok to not be ok. Then re-write the rules to make sure you’re taking care of yourself and taking care of others.
This isn’t an extension of your job. It IS your job.
Accept it, own it and be well.
Thanks for reading. I’m a leadership and life coach who takes a soul-centered approach to helping people navigate challenges and find new perspectives. If you enjoyed this article, please follow me here on Medium for more stories and tools to learn and grow in life, career and change. And I invite you to subscribe to my community: Nobody Makes It Alone (www.nobodymakesitalone.com/subscribe).
