Smart employers get it: self-care = sustainability

I recently attended two professional conferences back-to-back.

The first was packed with managers and employees discussing resiliency, mindfulness and how essential self-care is to working sustainably. The programming—which emphasized the importance of “filling your well” so you can deliver at peak-levels –was creative, engaging, collaborative and energizing.

The second conference was dominated by caffeine and sugar, endless PowerPoint presentations and grueling work sessions where it was perfectly acceptable (and encouraged) to skip meals and stay tethered to technology 24/7. Many of the attendees were distracted, exhausted and disconnected.  This conference emphasized employee output and productivity, but failed to mention how workers recharged in order to deliver 12-hour work days.

I’m passionate about self-care and for 25 years, I’ve been speaking at companies and conferences and working with leadership teams worldwide around how self-renewal and resiliency impact worker performance.

The progressive organizations and companies that hire me understand that valuing work-life balance is not about promoting a “soft skill” or throwing employees a bone (work-life effectiveness is always #1 on in-house employee needs’ surveys). It’s about encouraging their team members to show up fully resourced so they can be innovative, sharp and rock their game.

When he was in high school, I got a front row seat watching my teen son, a natural leader. He was in the process of trying to herd his peers to come together around a large-scale school project.  While my kid could use a serious boost in the self-care department, I was amazed to overhear him tell his peers the night before their big performance, “Make sure you get rest tonight and eat a protein breakfast.” Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. Some guys slept-in and he had to scratch a carefully planned rehearsal (understandable—how many of us chose a late-night adventure when we were teens in lieu of feeling rested?!).

We’re not robots here to deliver output. We’re beautiful, messy, imperfect humans living in incredibly stressful times. Our various stages require different levels of care and support. Self-care—the art/science of attuning and responding to your physical/emotional/mental needs—is not about becoming YOU 2.0 or following the advice of your doctor. As employees and managers, we practice self-care to be able to bring forth the best that is within us, to be able to FULLY show up for another and to work in a way that is sustainable and joyful.

A Personal Invitation: I’d love to connect about creating a custom presentation or workshop for your company, organization or team. My clients include national nonprofit organizations, national and regional conferences, wellness/retreat centers and nonprofit & government agencies. Learn more or reach out to me at info at reneetrudeau dot com. 

Warmly,

 

FOUR WAYS TO MAKE YOUR SELF-CARE A PRIORITY: I’D LOVE TO SUPPORT YOU! UPDATE BELOW

• *NEW* Oct. 16-18 ~ Awaken Your Wild Soul: Reclaim Your Purpose, Power & Inner Wisdom ~ A Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat. Join me at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in the Berkshire Mountains of MA during peak leaf color for the ultimate fall deep self-care retreat. Learn more/register here. 
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Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by transformational coach/author/speaker and self-care evangelist Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women live more intentionally and find balance through the art/science of self-care, Renee has been facilitating high-impact, interactive workshops for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits/conferences and organizations/teams worldwide for 25 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, AARP, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 450 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups/retreats based on her pioneering self-care curriculum. She’s the author of several books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. Renee and her husband live in Western North Carolina and they have one son in New York City. Her latest venture is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. More on Renee here.