Society today has become extremely busy for women who juggle between a full-time job and taking care of their homes and families.
In an attempt to get everything done, women often tend to forget about their own health and wellbeing. They sacrifice even the little spare time they have to handle work-related stuff or family issues.
As a woman, whether you are a homemaker or a working professional, despite your tight schedule, you need to start making your health a priority.
Maintaining good working relationships, feeling valued and working in a positive environment all make a difference to women’s mental health and to the overall workplace. In fact, many studies have shown that companies investing in the well-being of their female employees improve their productivity and performance.
“I remember one day I was in a toxic work environment. My husband helped me draft a resignation letter yet I didn’t have another job to go to. My friend and then colleague was not happy with the decision I made, especially because I left my salary and any other dues the company owed me. I simply wanted peace of mind then. The money didn’t matter, but my health and well-being mattered,” says Sharon Mbevi.
“It’s not worth it staying in a toxic working environment because at the end of the day you will be so frustrated and you won’t give your all. Your health will even be affected,” she adds.
Any woman looking to enjoy good health alongside their career also needs to work on maintaining their own well-being.
Here are some ways you can ensure your well-being as a busy working woman:
Plan Your Days
Whenever you start your day feeling like you have too much to do, you are bound to feel overwhelmed. This leads to disorganization and stress. It is important to plan your day in advance to ensure that everything will run smoothly and you will have an easy time even at work. Every night, try and write down everything you need to do the next day. Set timings for all your tasks like making breakfast, commuting to work, doing some grocery shopping on the way home from work and finding a time when you can schedule a workout or a half an hour brisk walk.
Prepare Meals In Advance
Eating nutritious food is vital to being healthy. To ensure that you eat a good meal even on busy days, do some preparation in advance. Washing, chopping, and storing vegetables in the freezer, and also boiling cereals for the week and storing them well in the freezer can save you time when preparing your meals after a long day at work. You can also cook and freeze foods to reheat when required.
Take Short Breaks
If you spend all day sitting at your desk, you could start suffering from back and neck problems. To prevent the onset of these conditions, it is important to take breaks from sitting and do some stretches at regular intervals. You can walk around the building and even take water breaks. That will leave you feeling refreshed before you handle the next task.
Prioritize Your Responsibilities
If you find that you are so busy that you have no time to eat or take a stretch break, then you need to relook at your schedule. List your tasks in order of priority and see what you can remove from the list. There are always some things that can be pushed to another day, and there are things that you can delegate to someone else. Also, learn to say no when you already have enough to do.
Get Enough Rest
Many stay-at-home mums start their day as early as 5.00 a.m. and end up sleeping late due to the many household chores and looking after the children. Working women too often sleep very late while trying to meet deadlines. But sleep deprivation actually makes the situation worse. If you have too much to do in a day, the best thing to do is get adequate sleep. Enough sleep helps you to have more energy and be better focused, allowing you to get everything done in less time and with better results.
Sources: Vantage Fit, Harvard Business Review, Reba, Aditya Birla Capital
