Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Many of the graduate students I advise are juggling classes, practicums, research, involvement in student organizations and more. They realize that wellness is important, yet it can be a challenge to plan for it. As a career development professional, I can relate to this sense of overwhelm and imagine that you also may be wondering how wellness can fit into your everyday life.
While I will address wellness as it relates to your career, I recognize that you are also tending to the physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, spiritual and financial aspects of your lives. Therefore, I define career wellness as the opportunity to do meaningful work that:
- allows you to make the most of your strengths and skills,
- aligns with your work values and career interests and,
- enhances other dimensions of wellness.
My goal in sharing the following strategies is that you can find resonance with some of them and create a career wellness plan that works for you.
Take inventory of what you are already doing. It’s very likely that you’ve already taken actions that are life-giving. If you make the connection between those actions and their impact on your wellbeing, you can be more intentional about turning them into habits and be strategic in scheduling them into your day-to-day life. For example, think of a song that brings you joy. When would be a good time of day to play that song? Perhaps this would be beneficial at a time when your energy at work is waning a bit. Brainstorm things you do that bring you joy, energy, serenity or fulfillment. Which of them can be added to your work schedule or acted on as needed?
Claim your wellness places. Where are those spaces that, when you enter, you can take a deep breath and remind yourself that everything does not depend on you? For me, trees and other green spaces on campus invite me away from my screens during lunch breaks. Even if weather or time doesn’t permit walking outside, videos with nature scenes and sounds can serve as an alternative. Wellness places can be found (or even designed) indoors as well. Maybe you can set up a table in your office with some inspiring items that invite you to boost your creativity. What would it look like to set up a space in your home for a time of gratitude journaling after work?
Find your wellness partners. Who are the people who tend to hold you accountable for your self-care? Seek out those who appreciate who you are and not just what you accomplish. To that end, friends and mentors both within and outside of your discipline or profession are vital. Identify spaces where there is intentional mutual support as well as opportunities for professional development. For example, you can join a job search or dissertation writing group or volunteer for a professional association. If you find yourself in need of deeper support, connect with a therapist or a coach.
Pay attention to wellness prompts. You can start with the best of intentions regarding your plan for wellness. Yet, a given workday can be hectic, causing you to forget or procrastinate on your commitments. What cues and nudges can you put in place as reminders? An alarm or calendar that alerts you on your phone may help. Sometimes, circumstances can tap you on the shoulder. One day, a few annoying gnats in my office drove me outside to eat lunch on what happened to be a beautiful summer day. Reminded of how replenishing it was to break the habit of eating lunch at my desk, I was intentional about eating outside more often.
Check your mindset. Although career wellness involves taking decisive action, any action must be grounded in empowering thoughts if you hope to maintain momentum and attain meaningful results. Imagine if the flow of your thoughts and actions was represented by a set of media control buttons. Let’s say the rewind button pointed to remembering things in the past. This could result in regret about what happened or a desire to go back to less challenging times in your career. Either way, this pattern of thinking would not serve your wellness. What if you repurposed the rewind button to remember a time when your work made a positive impact on someone? This habit could serve to remind you of your strengths and boost your confidence a bit. On the other hand, hitting the fast-forward button could cause anxiety based on a sense of uncertainty about future projects, grants or publications. Instead, what if you could envision career possibilities in a way that energizes and motivates you?
Hitting the play button can represent starting your workday with intention, perhaps with a time to sip your favorite beverage, review your schedule and confirm your priorities for the day. Hitting the stop button may point to moving away from checking emails, delegating tasks or shifting your mind away from work by a certain time. Finally, hitting the pause button can allow for moments to simply breathe and remind yourself to be fully present in some of the ways that I described earlier.
Choose your wellness practices. As you reflect on which wellness habits align with this season of your life, give yourself permission to start with just a few practices based on your career goals and concerns. As I already noted, career wellness habits will intersect with other dimensions of wellness. Commit to a daily, weekly and monthly wellness practice for the next 90 days and then revisit and tweak as needed. As an example, here is a potential career wellness plan for an introverted student who realizes networking would be beneficial but is a bit reluctant to do it.
Daily: Take a brief walk during lunchtime to get some screen-free time and enjoy a bit of solitude. This would combine career, physical and environmental wellness.
Weekly: Read a book or article relevant to your discipline, career field or career interests to awaken your curiosity. As you learn more, you can identify talking points or questions to raise during future networking conversations. This practice would combine career and intellectual wellness.
Monthly: Conduct an informational interview with someone in a career that interests you. Alumni often like to offer this type of support and are a great resource for gleaning career insights and advice. This habit would combine career and social wellness.
Small and intentional steps like these can make a significant difference on your career wellness journey.