Creating Professional and Personal Sustainability
I hope this message finds you feeling energised and ready for the year ahead.
Today, I want to share some thoughts on a topic that resonates deeply with all of us: sustainability.
Often, when we hear 'sustainability', we think of environmental conservation and climate change.
However, it's equally crucial in our professional and personal lives. Sustainability in these areas is about creating practices and habits that ensure our long-term well-being and success. As we are starting to gear up for the year ahead, it’s critical to reflect on the habits and practices that support our wellbeing and capacity to thrive.
I often hear of how we as caring professionals compromise our wellbeing for the demands of our roles. This often happens because of unreasonable demands that are placed upon us due to:
- societal expectations
- funding models that are hard to sustain
- workplace expectations – unreasonable demands
- others’ unreasonable expectations
- and of course, the unreasonable demands we place on ourselves.
Reflective questions:
Where are the unreasonable demands on you?
Are there any of these that you can re-negotiate?
Professional Sustainability: Nurturing Our Work Environment
In our professional lives, sustainability means creating a work-style that's not just productive but also nurturing. It involves building an approach to work where continuous lifelong learning, compassionate leadership and mindful self-management thrive. We want to approach work in ways that ensure it is a source of inspiration and growth, rather than sucking the life force out of us, leading to overwhelm, stress and burnout.
Personal Sustainability: Prioritising Self-Care and Compassion
On a personal front, sustainability is about maintaining a work-style and lifestyle that allows us to flourish. It's about building enough energy to easily manage our personal and professional demands.
As we balance our work and life, we must prioritise deep self-care, and practice self-compassion. It means being aware of our limits and setting boundaries to preserve our mental, emotional, and physical health.
The Interplay of Professional and Personal Sustainability
The critical interplay between our professional and personal sustainability lies in how we navigate their interdependence. Too many of us give our best energy to work and feel gutted at the end of the day, leaving us little for ourselves and our loved ones. Creating a sustainable approach is critical but easier said than done.
Moving Forward: Our Commitment to Sustainable Practices
As we move forward into 2024, I encourage each of you to reflect on how you can incorporate sustainability into your daily routines. It might mean setting clearer boundaries, finding time for self-reflection, or fostering a more supportive team environment.
I also want to remind you of the free resources I have available on my website that are centred on wellbeing.
Navigating Moral Injury
This free webinar raises awareness of ‘moral injury’ as it encompasses the impacts that external events can have on our mental, psychological and spiritual well-being. It explores what moral injury is, how it is different from vicarious trauma and the emerging approaches to navigating moral injury.
Burnt out at work - whose responsibility is it to help us thrive?
Thriving professionally is not just an inside job. Although we each have responsibility for self-care and setting boundaries, it is impossible to ‘out-resilience’ a toxic workplace. We need to be operating in a healthy and psychologically safe workplace to thrive. This webinar explores ways we can find better balance, better boundaries and to stop-over-functioning, which are all critical for creating a sustainable personal and professional life.
Why self-leadership?
During the free webinar, I explore the 7 compelling reasons we need to invest in self-leadership and provides you with tips on optimal self-leadership. Additionally, there are heaps of articles that I have published in various publications that can be found here: https://michellebiharyhealth.com/media
Let's commit to making sustainability a cornerstone of our professional and personal lives, ensuring that we not only succeed but also thrive in the long run.
Thank you for your dedication to creating a more sustainable, supportive, and thriving professional and personal life. Remember, the journey to sustainability is continuous, and every small step counts.