In today's fast-paced world, the demands of work can often leave us feeling overwhelmed and perpetually busy. With endless to-do lists and constant pressure to perform, it might seem impossible to carve out time for a vacation. However, taking a break isn't just a luxury; it's a necessity for maintaining peak performance. Let me ask you this… when is the last time you had a good laugh?
Did you know that laughing daily can drastically lower rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke?
If you’re like me, you know that a good laugh makes you feel better and lightens your mood, but you may not think about how it impacts your body and, in turn, impacts how you show up in the work you do!
Last month, we shared a series of blog posts outlining five essential elements of leadership development. One of those elements is our ability to LEAD SELF. When we consider what it means to lead self, a key component we like to highlight here at Kane Learning is the value of bringing your “A” game to work. In this blog post we want to connect how investing in your health and wellness, like finding opportunities to laugh every day, connects to showing up well in the work you do.
We know, we know – in the hustle and bustle of life, it's easy to forget the importance of health and wellness – and feeling too busy to take a vacation. But taking care of ourselves is not just about avoiding getting sick; it's about thriving in order to bring our “A” game! And since it’s summertime, we thought we’d focus on the physical and emotional aspects of our health and wellness – specifically getting outside to enjoy that summer sunshine when you can!
First up: Exercise! It's no secret that regular physical activity is key to maintaining good health. Exercise not only helps keep your physical body healthy, it also combats health conditions and diseases, improves mood, boosts energy, and promotes better sleep. I want to sleep better, don’t you?
And speaking of sleep... rest! Quality sleep and relaxation are vital for repairing our bodies and minds. Rest can boost our immune system, improve concentration, and even enhance our metabolism.
Rest isn’t just sleeping! It’s also relaxing– aka - resting from work. Maybe even in the form of VACATION! We’ve said it here before but taking time off work isn't just a luxury; it's a necessity for mental health. Vacations reduce stress, improve heart health, and can even increase productivity once we return to our daily routines. Yes! Let’s do it!
In addition to moving and resting our physical bodies, it is also important to engage our minds and a great way to do that is gratitude. Practicing gratitude can have profound effects on our well-being. It enhances empathy, helps us feel less irritable, and can ALSO help us sleep better. If you want to read our “attitude of gratitude” blog posts, check it out here.
By incorporating exercise, rest, vacations, and gratitude into the rhythm of our lives, we can enhance our health and wellness. We may “know” these things, but this is a reminder that if you don’t block time on your calendar to do it, it just won’t happen! It’s about making conscious choices every day. So, invite a friend to hold you accountable, or better yet, plan a vacation together!
If you’d like to read other aspects of bringing your “A” game that we’ve covered, read our post on 5 tips for bringing your “A” game here.
Here’s some additional reading that helped inform this post:
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