Hey Fabulous Health Professionals,

Last week I hosted an online self-care training session for health professionals and business owners. We had such an incredible response that I couldn’t help but take the time to reflect on the things you shared with me and the takeaways from the day.

So many people felt trapped in the cycle of only practicing “self-care” after they’ve worked themselves into the ground. We all know how counterproductive that feels.

It was so exciting to share the idea of self-care being a way of life, something you need to practice every day to perform at your best. I heard a wonderful saying that goes, “You can’t pour from an empty cup“. How fitting for the helping industry that is healthcare!

Another important takeaway is that self-care can be broken down into short-term, medium-term and long-term objectives. Taking a bath after a really long day is a short-term strategy – but what are you going to plan for in the long-term as well, to make sure you don’t get to end of each day craving silence and a glass (or two) of wine?

This question stumped a lot of health professionals.

So I ask you: How can you break down self-care into short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies?

We’re all pretty good at short-term strategies – it’s the stuff we do when we’re so tired we almost can’t take it anymore (a weekend away, a night out, a nice dinner or a long bath) but what self-care can you practice in the medium- and long-term (and start implementing now!) to make sure you don’t reach a point of burnout first?

What if we also thought of self-care as doing some not-so-fun stuff in the medium and long term? Things like planning our energy for the day, reviewing what we would be better served to outsource or delegate and – dare I say it – saying “no” every now and then?

Your ideas?