The Importance of Self-Care for Productivity in an Office Environment

What is self-care?

When you hear the term “self-care,” you may instantly think of spa days and meditation. While those are a couple of common examples of self-care, practicing self-care is so much more than that. Self-care is when someone does something to support their physical, mental or emotional well-being. To take it one step further, self-care in the workplace involves taking specific actions to support your well-being, which allows you to be more productive and engaged at work. 

“Self-care and mental well-being are essential components of a healthy, productive workplace,” explained Dr. Jeffrey Ditzell, a psychiatrist at Dr. Ditzell Psychiatry, LLC. “From a clinical perspective, they form the foundation upon which cognitive performance, emotional regulation and sustained motivation are built.” 

For example, if you have a stressful day at work, you may want to curl up with a good book at night to take your mind off things. If you sit at your desk all day, self-care might involve taking a 30-minute walk outside during the workday. If you’re loaded with too much work, self-care can even mean saying no to helping someone else with another project. Everyone has unique workplace stressors and needs, so what constitutes effective self-care for you may look different for your colleagues.

Why is self-care important for productivity in the workplace?

Self-care is used to improve physical, mental and emotional health, a combination that is essential for staying productive over a long period of time. When left unmanaged, stress can impact productivity and well-being. Stress is also a major contributor to burnout ― an issue estimated to cost businesses between $4,000 and $21,000 annually, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. “Fostering a culture of self-care and mental wellness is not just an act of compassion; it’s also a strategic investment,” emphasized Ditzell.

Here are some of the ways stress and self-care impact physical and mental health:

Physical health

Stress can have physical effects on your body, such as high blood pressure, headaches, upset stomach, chest pain and sleep disruption. These health issues can be minor distractions or severe enough to cause employees to miss work altogether, reducing productivity. 

“If someone is tired, their delivery/work/production is sluggish and lacking the enthusiasm needed to complete tasks at maximum efficiency,” said April Taylor, entrepreneur and financial coach. “[When someone feels] rested, they are able to optimize their efforts and productivity because they are working from a full cup.”

Physical self-care techniques, such as regular wellness screenings, exercise, healthy eating, proper sleep and relaxation techniques, can help employees stay physically healthy and ready to work.

Emotional and mental health

Workplace stressors can cause emotional and mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, burnout, disengagement and lack of focus — all of which often lead to reduced productivity in the workplace. Mental and emotional self-care techniques allow employees and business leaders to press a reset button and address these issues before they start to have a financial impact on your organization. 

How can I use self-care to improve productivity in the workplace?

Self-care involves taking care of your physical, emotional and mental well-being. If you’re looking to improve your overall self-care in the workplace, you will need to address all three areas.

Physical self-care

Here are a few ways you can modify your physical environment to embrace self-care:

• Maintain a comfortable and ergonomic workspace: Assess what’s going on in your workplace that can be changed physically to improve your well-being. For example, if you sit in an office all day, self-care might involve taking an afternoon run, working outside on Tuesdays or buying things to improve your workspace, such as an ergonomic chair, a standing desk or some plants. If you’re on your feet all day at work, invest in that good pair of shoes you wanted or ask your boss for an occasional break when you need to rest. 
• Improve the lighting in your workspace: The type of lighting in your workspace can also significantly impact your overall well-being and should be considered part of self-care. Studies have proven that light has a noticeable impact on office productivity, mood, energy and alertness. Natural morning and evening light are the best boosters. Even if access to daylight isn’t available, research has proven that working under “blue-enriched” light bulbs increases work performance by supporting mental acuity, vitality and alertness while reducing fatigue and daytime sleepiness.
• Use the 20-20-20 rule: If your job requires you to stare at computer screens all day, you can practice good eye health by following the 20-20-20 rule. This rule says that for every 20 minutes you spend looking at a screen, you should look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This rule serves not only to improve your eye health but also as a reminder to take frequent breaks ― all good things for enhancing your physical well-being. Ditzell said that he often recommended the Pomodoro Technique to his patients: “Work for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break,” he said. “It’s surprisingly effective at keeping energy and focus up throughout the day.”

Emotional self-care

You may be a business leader or an employee, but you are a human first and foremost ― and humans have emotions. You can try to suppress your emotions at work, but they will likely come out eventually, one way or another. Assess your emotional state regularly and how it is being impacted by work. 

Here are some tips for emotional self-care:

• Set professional boundaries: Boundaries can be a great way to maintain emotional well-being and improve productivity. Ditzell conceded that today’s high-speed pace makes it challenging to maintain such limits, but “separating work from personal time is essential.” For example, if a toxic co-worker keeps bothering you with complaints throughout the day, self-care could involve setting healthy communication boundaries with them or working remotely some days to get some space.
• Assess your workload balance and potential for burnout: Another thing to consider is how your workload is impacting you. Are you overworked and reaching burnout? Ditzell said that while it may feel productive, “the research is clear: multitasking actually slows us down and leads to more mistakes. Even quick interruptions can double error rates.” If your workload is getting too full, self-care might consist of saying no when a colleague asks you to take on another responsibility.
• Employ traditional self-care techniques: There are many traditional self-care activities you can do to improve your emotional well-being. These include activities like journaling, meditation and therapy. One of the simplest self-care habits you can incorporate into your day is to ensure you’re well-hydrated. According to Ditzell, dehydration drops cognitive performance by 20 percent. His advice: “Keep a water bottle at your desk.”

Mental self-care

In addition to assessing your physical and emotional well-being, also assess your mental health. Here are some tips for mental self-care:

• Take a mental health day: A great example of mental health self-care is taking mental health days when you need them, if your employer offers this employee benefit. Burning the candle at both ends is no longer a badge of honor. Check in with yourself about how you’re doing mentally and take a break from work when you need it.
• Set a timer to take short breaks throughout the day: It can be helpful to take periodic five-minute breaks throughout your workday. This involves disconnecting from work and considering mental health self-care strategies like reading, listening to a podcast or taking a brief walk. Taylor also advised against skipping meals and using that time to “nourish your body …  close your eyes and think about something that makes you smile.” This mental reset can be just what you need to continue your workday.
• Listen to music: According to Statista, listening to music is the most common method of self-care among young people in the United States. Listening to the right music can boost dopamine levels and increase your overall well-being and productivity.

How can business leaders use self-care to improve workplace productivity?

Self-care is especially important for business leaders, as they set the tone for the rest of the company. Here are a few key principles that business owners and managers should keep in mind as they navigate self-care for themselves and their teams:

1. Start with your own self-care: The behaviors of leaders have a significant impact on those they lead, and it will be difficult for you to instruct others about the need for self-care if you’re not attending to your own. “Mental health functions like the operating system of a computer,” Ditzell said. “No matter how sophisticated the software is, if the system is glitchy, performance suffers.”
2. Discuss it with your team: Treating high levels of stress as an accepted norm of business is detrimental to what you’re trying to achieve. The better approach is to discuss office stressors openly and with a strategic attitude, where team members work together to develop solutions. “People want to know that they are not just an employee number, but they matter,” Taylor said. “Just the mere mention that [employers] care that people are happy and healthy lets people know that they can keep self-care at the top of their priority list.”
3. Increase autonomy: Jobs that involve high demands and strict timelines can significantly contribute to employee stress, especially when employees have little control over how they complete their projects and tasks. When possible, make adjustments that encourage both more individual autonomy and a team-based approach.
4. Reward best efforts: Endless work without reward can certainly discourage self-care and lead to employee burnout and ill health. “When you give yourself time to actually disconnect, you’re less likely to burn out and are more focused when you are working,” Ditzell said. Ensure that leaders and their employees are aligned regarding professional development and the path to promotion. Support such efforts with a clear and consistent reward system.
5. Increase social support: Defined as proactive communication, care and understanding, social support is necessary both in and out of the workplace. Encourage employees to take time off to spend with friends and family, and ensure support mechanisms, such as mentors, are available within the work environment. Taylor advised employers to not only encourage employees to take time off, but to “make the process to request these days as streamlined as possible.”

How do I evaluate the results of self-care?

There are various methods to evaluate self-care results; one is the familiar strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, or (SWOT) analysis. Although typically applied to strategic business planning, a SWOT analysis can also be applied to your organization’s self-care efforts:

• Strengths: Which positive outcomes have resulted from new self-care efforts? Which strategies are working best?
• Weaknesses: Which efforts seem to be ineffective? Are there specific employees who are still struggling?
• Opportunities: Where can self-care initiatives be enhanced? Have employees been asked for their input?
• Threats: Is anything (or anyone) in the organizational culture a persistent threat to self-care efforts? Are such threats being addressed?

Taylor suggested leaders take note of the SWOT analysis findings and other signs from their workforce that indicate they are struggling due to a lack of self-care. “These signs are clear indicators a fire hose is needed — self-care is missing,” she said. “Get in front of it, be supportive and have the hard conversations. Be the ‘hero,’ save the day or, in this instance, save the [workplace] environment.”

Attending to self-care in the office environment isn’t just good for your own health and that of your team; it will also lead to better productivity and a boost to your organization’s bottom line. That’s a win-win for everyone involved.

Nicole Fallon and Sue Montgomery contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.