The 24th of July is International Self Care Day, and here at Splitpixel, we take self care very seriously! We hate to see our colleagues or clients struggle with stress, so we’ve put together a few of our best self care tips for you to start using this summer. They’re only simple things – but sometimes that’s all it takes.
Self care in the office
Going into the office can be overwhelming; the unflattering fluorescent overhead lighting is enough to ruin anyone’s day, let alone when you add in back-to-back meetings. It’s important to look after yourself even when you’re in work mode. Why not try out a few of my favourite tips and see if you feel better after making some positive changes to your work-life balance and doing a bit of self care?
Decorate your space
If you work in an office where you’re allowed to add a little personality to your space, do it! As someone with undiagnosed ADHD, I’m sure my desk partner is sick of me bringing in various trinkets from home. But studies show that having personal touches at your workspace can boost your mood and make you feel more relaxed.
A quick peek at the photo from the latest work night out, your pet dog, or the oil portrait of your partner on your desk can instantly shake you out of that funk you’ve been feeling. Let yourself be distracted by your favourite things, just for a while.
Set the vibe for the day
Mood boosting music is one of the easiest ways to make your day! YouTube Premium was one of the best purchases I’ve made in the last year, and it’s revolutionised how I listen to music. I’m a lo-fi fan, so when I’ve got a big day ahead of me in the office, I’ll queue a few hour-long playlists of fantasy forest lo-fi or 80s synthwave to help keep me focused.
Listening to your favourite tunes while you work can really help keep you grounded, and it drowns out Greg’s tutting and typing. If you have a big meeting coming up, listen to your hype playlist, blast some Beyoncé, and you’ll be feeling yourself in no time!
Lily’s fave playlistOffice dogs!
If your office doesn’t have a resident pooch, then you’re doing it wrong. Having an office dog that’s happy to see you, even when you’ve just come back from the loo, is a huge mood booster.
While you might not be able to convince your boss to buy a puppy just for the vibes, if your colleagues have a pet waiting for them at home, why not see if they can bring them in for an afternoon? There are even companies that come to your office with a pen full of puppies to cuddle; animal therapy is real, and it works!
Coffee? Coffee? Coffee!
How someone takes their coffee in the workplace can often be a point of contention if you’re the one making the round. Did Sharon want two sugars or three? Whose was the oat milk again? It can be a bit hectic. The best tactic is to find a local independent café and head there instead.
We share a building with the brilliant Old George, where I spent a good chunk of my wages last year. Despite having a rather fancy coffee machine in the office, nothing beats a walk to the café. Having a fresh barista-made brew, served with a smile, can brighten your day for just a few quid – and if you take your colleagues with you, you can have a quick chat and let off some steam before going back to writing blogs or sending emails.
Mindfulness days
We’re lucky enough that our esteemed directors allow us to take time off throughout the year to focus on our mental health. We get a half day every quarter to take whenever we like – as long as we do something productive with it!
The team has done everything from a round of golf to dance fitness classes, or some choose to simply turn off all electronics and settle down to read a good book for a few hours and enjoy the peace and quiet. Not every workplace has these days off, but there’s no shame in taking a sick day for your mental health if you really need it. Burnout is real, mental health is as important as physical health, and it’s okay to reach out for help or ask to take a break now and again.
Middle aisle mooch
It’s important to get out of the office on your lunch break if you can, rather than staying chained to your desk! While many at Splitpixel are meal preppers, I’m a meal forgetter. I’ve often come to work with nothing but my laptop and a can-do attitude, so going out to grab lunch is a regular occurrence.
Lucky for us, there’s an Aldi right near our office – that short walk to the shops can clear away the morning’s mood, and having a mooch around the middle aisle means you can grab a bargain, even if it’s something you don’t really need.
LinkedIn isn’t real life
While LinkedIn is a brilliant tool for connecting with colleagues and other people in your industry, it can be full of absolute drivel. Endless AI posts and people sharing that they’re earning up to 50k a day by doing absolutely nothing – it’s all lies.
It’s important to remember that while you can respect the hustle of others and everyone wants to hop on the latest trend, the best self-care tip I’ve learned is to not compare yourself to others. Just because Mark the AI Marketer is boasting about his new Rolex that he bought with his commission, you’re going at your own pace, and that’s okay! You’ll get where you want to be in the end, get off social media while you’re supposed to be working, and realise you’re lucky to be where you are today. While you might not have a fancy watch, you have your own things to boast about that didn’t set you back an entire wage packet.
Shut down and shut off
This one can be a little easier said than done, but if you can nail it, it’ll really help. This can be harder to do if you’re running your own business or are a full-time freelancer, but if you’re part of a team like ours, it should be easy enough. It’s simple, shut your laptop at the end of the workday and shut off. Turn off the Slack notifications, take your work emails off your phone, mute the group chats, and head home!
There’s nothing worse than spending your hour-long commute at the end of the day worrying about a client email received at 5:35pm that plays on your mind all evening. Once you’ve finished for the day, switch off until 9am – or whenever your workday starts. The email will still be there, and the likelihood is, the client won’t reply to you until the morning anyway, even if you did send a reply using TransPennine Express’s spotty WIFI from your phone.
Go forth and self care!
So, there you have it! They’re a bit simple, and maybe a bit silly, but they’re the things that help the office workdays run a little bit smoother. Hopefully they inspire you to focus on the little things, and have a think about what might work for you.
Happy International Self Care Day one and all!
