Self-care is any intentional activity that nurtures your physical, mental, and emotional health. Effective self-care activities will vary from person to person, as we all have different preferences and needs. Self-care is an investment in your own health and wellness, although a common barrier is having the time to add these into everyday life. Without a doubt, we lead busy lives and work pressures include time critical patient care. Think of self-care as a way to build personal capacity.
Wondering where to start? Start small, be consistent, and create momentum. It’s okay if you lose momentum or discover that certain activities don’t work for you. Part of the journey is learning what does work for you!
Check out some helpful mental health and self-care resources from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. You can also challenge yourself to try Foundry’s 7 days of self-care!
Talk about self-care with your peers and colleagues! You may learn what works for others and spark an interest in trying something new! Consider adding self-care activities into your work day such as stretching, a quick mindfulness activity, or taking a walk outside.
Spoiler alert: a Wellness Toolkit that includes a collection of wellness activities that you and your team can incorporate into the work day will be launched this summer! Challenge yourself to carve out a few minutes to try something new in the name of wellness! Specifically, YOUR wellness.
Read about how some of your colleagues incorporate self-care into their every day lives:
- Working Well: Veronica Patricelli
- Working Well: Anonymous RPN at PHC
- Working Well: Emily Zamora
- Working Well: Andrew Mendes
- Working Well: Stef MacLeod
Providing the best care to the people we serve is dependent on our own health and wellness. We are working to deliver a comprehensive Staff and Medical Staff Wellness Action Plan, to help us create a healthy and safe work environment where everyone can flourish. If you have a wellness idea that could make a big difference to you and your colleagues, please send it to Ideas: Forward. If you have questions about this plan or feedback on wellness at PHC, please be in touch: missionforward@providencehealth.bc.ca.
