04 Nov 7 Ways To Practice Radical Self-Care
Self-care should be a priority.
No, self-care should be YOUR NUMBER ONE priority!
If that sounds extreme, then consider that WITHOUT self-care there would be no happiness, no resilience, no performance at work or good quality relationships or nothing!
If you don’t take care of yourself you can’t take care of others and, well, you can’t really do anything else either.
So here’s how you can practice self-care, radical self-care …
via Forbes by Bryan Robinson
In a recent World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labor Organization joint policy brief, mental health guidelines were outlined for the working population as an estimated 12 billion workdays are lost annually due to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy nearly $1 trillion (U.S.). Still, many business leaders continue to practice old hat tricks from the dark ages. They believe self-sacrifice, iron-fisted leadership and criticism build the organization and the company’s bottom line. And they believe when the company requires employees to work longer and harder, it gets a bigger bang for its buck.
What Is Radical Self-Care?
In the face of these types of extreme work challenges, sometimes employees must go to extremes and take radical steps to protect their mental health to get people’s attention. Radical self-care involves going beyond merely saying no and setting boundaries. It entails going against popular opinion or refusing to appease others, even when they call you selfish or weak.
At the 2021 French Open, for example, Naomi Osaka was suffering from anxiety and depression. After openly sharing her vulnerability with the powers-that-be, the tennis great refused to talk to the media. The head honchos at Grand Slam Tournaments demanded she face the media or be disqualified. Refusing to comply and further traumatize herself, the tennis champ did a courageous thing. She put her foot down amid scathing public criticism that she was spoiled, weak and selfish and pulled out of a job she deeply loves instead of sacrificing her mental health. Public reactions showed that workplace mental health continues to be a divisive topic that doesn’t get the same billing as a broken arm or sore throat.
When the spotlight is on famous people, we often perceive them as superhuman, immune from the struggles of everyday hard workers. But mental health struggles are universal. Fame and fortune don’t inoculate us from these challenges, and speaking out whether you’re a judge or janitor is a strength, not a weakness. We all have a responsibility to protect our mental health from exploitative work cultures. Osaka’s treatment has implications for all workplace conditions for employees everywhere facing punitive demands without regard to human well-being…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE