According to the Institute For Women's Policy, in 2018 women who were found working full time throughout the year only earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. If that fact does not mean anything to you, let me translate what that means. There is an 18% pay gap between men and women.
I discovered on the site that it will take about 40 years for women to receive equal pay to their male colleagues. Furthermore, Latina women will have to wait until 2224 and Black women will have to wait until 2130 for equal pay.
The working world for women is not a fair one and as a result, many women find themselves working to the point of exhaustion in order to prove one's worth in the workplace. Therefore, it is imperative that I provide you with 10 self-care tips that I believe every working woman should try, if her work environment permits her to do so.
As an advocate for women to be the best version of themselves, it is imperative that I provide you with 10 self-care tips that I believe that every working woman should try, if her work environment allows her to do so.
1. Go on a solo walk during your break.
There is something peaceful about blocking out the world while blasting your favorite tunes during a nice stroll.
2. Ask for help unapologetically.
If not knowing it all is normal, it is time to start normalizing asking for help. The prerequisite for your role does not require you to know everything so stop beating yourself up for being human and not knowing.
3. Be okay with saying no and stop feeling guilty for it.
Saying no does not make you weak or mean, it makes you honest.
4. Give yourself grace when you make a mistake
Making a mistake does not make you a horrible person, it only makes you human. Too often, women beat themselves up for a grammatical error, not knowing an answer, being a couple of minutes late and more.
Giving yourself grace in the workplace does not warrant you to purposely slack off. It actually protects you from beating yourself up or thinking that you are incapable of fulfilling your role because you had a "human moment" .
5. Put a little extra time in your appearance.
Looking and feeling good about yourself externally can do wonders for you. Despite how superficial this may sound, this effort can actually boost your confidence. When you feel good about what you wear and how you look, your actions follow suit. You begin to walk into your work place feeling like Michelle Obama, a powerful woman that exudes grace.
6. Take your FULL lunch break.
Like many people, I have found myself working through lunch and even felt guilty for taking a full lunch break because I felt like it made me look lazy. However, I discovered that taking a break did not make me lazy, it actually made me wise, less stressed, less agitated and so much more.
Keep in mind that the purpose of taking a lunch break is to give yourself the break that you deserve and literally worked hard for. Furthermore, you are NOT getting paid for your lunch break so why not take it!
7. Request a mental health day if needed.
Maintaining your mental health is extremely important and if you feel like the stress and/or workload at work is overwhelming, do not shy away from asking for a mental health day. Please not that feeling overwhelmed is your body's way of telling you to take care of you.
8. Cave into that sweet tooth of yours.
This advice probably sounds very problematic but if you have been eating clean at work then rewarding yourself with that brownie, carrot cake, ice cream, and more after completing a major task or project is a "sweet" form of positive reinforcement .
Please note that satisfying your sweet tooth should not be practiced daily. LOL
9. If possible, listen to some mellow music in your office.
Listening to jazz, cafe music, alpha waves, or classical music can actually keep you focused and relaxed at work but be sure to find out your job's policy about playing music or listening to music with headphones on before you do so.
10. Pray before you get into work.
Cover yourself in prayer sis! You have no idea who may be preying against you so put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Some people may think that praying before you go into work is doing the most and I beg to differ. God sees EVERYTHING and knows the heart of man. So you may think that Becky or Bob is rooting for you at work but they may secretly be plotting against you. So it is essential that you ask God to cover you, surround you with favor and to destroy the hands of the enemy at your job. Now I do not want you walking into work paranoid with the assumption that everyone is out to get you but do not be naive to think that the enemy will not use people to try to get under your skin. So it is imperative that you go into work pleading the blood of Jesus over you. You have no idea what or who God is protecting you from.
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