Professional Wellness
In this second installment of our 6-week series on wellness, I am inviting you to think more about your professional wellness. First, is this an area in which you consider the idea of “wellness”? For many folks, not usually. Most commonly we think of physical wellness (that was last week’s topic) which includes fitness, nutrition etc. BUT, equally as important is the wellness of our professional life.
And if you’re a person who is retired, keep reading, because I apply this to retired folks too. More info is below.
So, what is “professional wellness”. For people who are still working (i.e. not yet retired) there are a number of things included here on which I invite you to reflect. Note that, as with all areas we discuss, the evaluation of the area of wellness must come from YOU, and YOUR feelings about where you are in this area. Not the feelings of your boss, partner, mom, sister, dog, etc…. (well, maybe your dog-they seem to know things we humans don’t :) ). But in all seriousness, we often create feelings of being unsuccessful in an area of wellness because we are letting others decide our definition of success. So, please do quiet the noise of other’s opinions and dig into how YOU really feel.
Thoughts to consider in the area of professional wellness, for people who are still working:
-your work-life alignment. That is, does your work allow you to successfully blend work and life?
-do you feel valued in the work you do? And because I coach entrepreneurs and solopreneurs who don’t have a “boss” to potentially provide this information, I ask this: does the work you’re doing feel valuable for those you serve? Do you see the value in your efforts?
-how is the work environment? Positive, thriving, holding space for you? Or toxic and negative?
-does your work provide you an opportunity for growth of your skills and abilities? And if not directly providing those opportunities, is your workplace supportive of you doing other things to allow growth?
-are you meeting the goals you have/had for your career at this point in your life?
AND for people who are retired, I invite you to consider the term “professionally retired” because, I have spoken to so many people who had a vision of what their retirement would look like, and once there, they are really struggling with the reality of what it actually looks like. Retirement is still a time to thrive and grow.
Areas to consider when assessing your “professional retirement wellness”:
-did you set goals for this time frame? And these can be any and all goals, such as volunteering, writing a book, learning an instrument, etc. All of the things that you said you would do “when I retire”. Some of these might not be what you actually want to do now, but I am willing to bet there are things you’re still thinking about. Are you actualizing any of these?
-are you feeling satisfied with how you’re spending your time?
-are you connecting with others?
The questions above in both areas, are to prompt you to apply the idea of wellness to an area that isn’t usually in the mix when we discuss health and wellness, AND it’s the area in which we spend much of our life!
If you know you’re not thriving in the area of your professional wellness but aren’t sure of the next step, please feel free to reach out and book a free call so we can chat about how to get you started! https://connect-with-deanna.appointlet.com/s/30-minute-demo
Stay well friends,
Deanna