Self-Care Strategies for High Achieving Women

Prioritize Your Well-Being

For high-achieving women, success often comes at a cost—burnout, stress, and a constant push to do more. It can also cost you connection and relationships. I know this, because that was me. I was constantly looking for balance. My approach was to put my head down and start working down my list. Self-care strategies weren’t something I thought about much. Working out and eating what I thought was a good diet was about as far as it went. I was juggling my career, my personal life, and everything in between. I didn’t have clarity on how I needed to care for myself so that I could show up the way I wanted for my family, my employees, and myself. 

To set the conversation straight, I’m not talking about luxury activities like massages, manicures, and girls trips. Those are great and all, but caring for yourself is really about how you treat yourself everyday. Let’s talk about what it means to care for yourself and why it’s so important for you and everyone who relies on you.

Why Self-care is Essential, Not Optional

Self-care has been getting a ton of attention recently. For good reason…we aren’t taking good care of ourselves! But I think the barrage of messages leads us to overthink and perhaps overlook the importance of it. Because, who has time, right? I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Unfortunately, that might come sooner than you’d like if you don’t pay attention to what it is you need.

When you shift your perspective to see self-care as a tool for long-term success and personal fulfillment it’s hard not to find time for it.

Prioritize Mental Health

Conversations around mental health have become more common recently, as well. That’s good for everyone. Paying attention to your own mental health is a form of self-care. 

Not surprisingly, a study published in the https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/ocp/ (2018) highlights that women in leadership roles experience higher levels of burnout due to the dual pressures of managing both professional and personal responsibilities. However, the research shows that women who implement self-care strategies like setting boundaries and seeking mental health support report significantly lower stress levels and reduced burnout. 

Self-care for Control

When I was burning the candle at both ends, I didn’t believe that I had time to stop and focus on my mental health. In my mind, that was another thing on my to do list. But once I introduced some key practices, I was able to work more efficiently and I felt more in control.

Initially, I implemented mindfulness activities. I started with just 5 minutes of mindful breathing. At first, I couldn’t get my mind to do anything other than think about all of the things that I had to do, but with practice I can now sit for up to twenty minutes. My mind still wanders, but I can bring it back and focus on the calming effect of my breath. 

Another mindful activity I practice is journaling. I write most mornings to set the tone for the day and I try to reflect most evenings to celebrate and prepare for the next day. Additionally, I’ve set better boundaries between work and my personal life so that I can be more present and effective with the task or person in front of me. These habits have helped me really hone in on what’s important and set my intention so that I’m in control of my day instead of it being in control of me.

I’ve noticed that this time to let go and focus internally allows me to actually do less. I can cut to what’s truly important and not overthink the things that aren’t. It’s enabled me to make significant changes in my life, one step at a time, and a big reason why I became a coach. A coach, therapist, or mentor can help you identify your biggest opportunities as you slow down to navigate life transitions.

Embrace Physical Wellness

Physical wellness is more than the absence of illness. It encompasses all of the activities that keep you physically well, not just the state of not being sick. Let’s start with movement because movement is medicine.

Move Yourself

Regular physical activity is important for mental clarity and energy. Movement doesn’t have to be a rigorous workout but can be as simple as a twenty minute walk. I generally recommend a morning walk getting sun on your face to help manage your circadian rhythm and/or a walk after a meal to help with digestion.

Self-care is Sleep

When talking about self-care strategies, you cannot leave out adequate sleep. Getting enough sleep not only optimizes your mental sharpness, but plays a huge role in sustaining energy levels throughout the day. While you’re sleeping, your body and brain are recovering from the activities of that day. So, if you’re not getting adequate sleep, you’re carrying around yesterday’s mental and physical baggage.

Start by creating a bedtime routine that signals to your brain that it should be preparing for sleep. This could include evening journaling, making a cup of tea, putting your phone to the side, or reading a book to wind down.

Self-care with Food and Water

Nutrition and hydration are key components of physical wellness. The food you choose to eat can give you sustained energy or make you crash. Pay attention to how you feel an hour or two after you eat. If your energy level is not sustained, you may need more protein and fiber in your meal or less sugar, or both. Check the glycemic index of your foods and aim for less than 50 for most of what you eat. 

Being dehydrated can also affect your mood. It can make you cranky, tired, or irritable. Water helps to flush out excess toxins, maintains regularity, transports nutrients and oxygen, as well as, increases energy and helps fight fatigue. The recommendation is to drink half your body weight of water in ounces per day. If you weigh 130 pounds, then target drinking 65 ounces of water each day. Try starting your day with two large glasses of water to kick start your hydration. Additionally, keep a water bottle with you during the day so that you always have it handy.

Conclusion

Self-care isn’t selfish. There, I finally said it. 🙂 Self-care strategies are habits focused on your well-being. They include intentional actions that allow you to show up the way you want to for yourself and for others.

The first step is to get ahold of your thoughts with mindfulness activities so that they don’t control you. Your thoughts lead to your actions. Next, incorporate consistent movement into your routine and pay attention to your food and water intake. Start with one thing at a time. The small habits will build on each other enabling you to feel good about not just what you’re accomplishing, but how you are impacting others. By taking care of yourself first, you’ll become a better leader, mom, and partner. But it starts with you.

For more strategies of high-achieving women, download my free guide.