Prioritize self-care

It’s a fast-paced and ever-evolving world for marketing and creative professionals. AI is here, and already challenging the way we operate. If you hear Sam Altman (CEO at OpenAI) speak, you will hear him talk about resilience as the core skill that we all need to be developing. What he means is that we need to be adaptable.

Because that’s what resilience is. It’s our ability to find ourselves in a challenging situation and adapt accordingly to move forward positively. And to do that, we need to be healthy and mentally fit.

This week’s idea: Prioritize self-care.

Without our health, we have nothing. Read that again.

If we’re driving our car and we’re low on gas or battery, we stop for gas or a recharge. If we don’t stop, we eventually conk out on the side of the road. And then things get even harder.

Saying that we don’t have time to pause and focus on our health is like saying that we don’t have time to stop for gas because we’re too busy driving.

A career in marketing and advertising can be quite demanding and stressful. How do we include our health and well-being in our long list of priorities? Here are some practical suggestions.

Step 1: Be aware of our stress levels and status. If we don’t check the fuel gauge, we won’t know where we’re sitting. Take note of how you are feeling.

Step 2: Add in short breaks as meetings in your calendar. We need to literally block off the time to take a break. Stick to that ‘break meeting’, just like you would stick to a meeting with your boss!

Step 3: Invest in the good-quality gas. Yes, it’s easy to give ourselves a break on social media, but that’s not helping us. We can spend 10 mins meditating instead of scrolling, or go for a walk away from our phones. We all know which option is much better for mind and body.

And lastly….

Step 4: Remember that 15-minutes a day is just 1% of our day. Surely we can invest 1% of our day into rest and recharge to help prevent long-term impact on our health. Even 10 mins is a positive step…and that is like 0.069% (so there really is no excuse).

Building resilience is a continuous journey that requires action, self-reflection, and a willingness to learn and grow. Remember that life is not merely about surviving - it's about thriving and seizing the opportunities that come our way.

So, what are you doing for your health? If you want some basic tips to help you get started, check out my page on health and well-being at the Resilient Marketing Minds website.