SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 200,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our newsletter.
How well do you practice self-care during stressful times?
- Extremely: It’s a top focus, especially during stress. 8.01%
- Very: I give it a lot of attention during stress. 23.15%
- Somewhat: I could definitely do a better job of it. 45.42%
- Not very: I only practice it occasionally during stress. 17.42%
- Not at all: I never practice self-care during stress. 6%
The most important kind of care. If you don’t care for yourself, it’s extremely hard to effectively care for others. Almost 70% of you report you need to do a better job of it. What’s stopping you? Get some rest. Eat well. Exercise. Put these things on your calendar. In stressful and change-filled times, everyone gets a little crazy — it’s up to you to step outside of that race, catch your breath, and make sure you’re okay. Pick a regular practice and build it into your routine for a month. In doing so, you’ll be well on your way toward building a habit of self-care. The longer you do it, the harder that good habit is to break.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, which includes TITAN — the firm’s e-learning platform. Previously, he worked at McKinsey & Co., Capital One and Scotts Miracle-Gro. He is a West Point graduate and author of three leadership books: “One Piece of Paper,” “Lead Inside the Box” and “The Elegant Pitch.”