First things first: Take care of yourself
First things first: Take care of yourself
I need help. I’ve been looking for a job for a year and haven’t gotten an offer. I am totally confused about what I should do and feel like I’m all over the place. Please give me one thing to focus on — just one — so I can regain my balance and my composure.
Be good to yourself. The more time has passed, the more you’ve tried and missed the mark, the more hits you’ve taken to your self-esteem. You need to rebuild your confidence from the inside out. If you change your negative attitude to something more positive, your behavior will follow suit. When you change your behavior, you’ll get closer to achieving your goals. If you want to change the direction you’re heading or you want to stop spinning and find a direction, begin by taking care of yourself.
Exercise. Every morning. First thing. Put on your shoes and whatever else you need and get out there and start walking. Get out there before you have time to think of all the reasons why you can’t or shouldn’t. Walk. Clear your head. Inhale deeply. Exhale fully. And keep walking 10 minutes the first day, 15 the next, until you’re walking 45 minutes at a brisk clip. Accomplish that one thing, every day, for you. You deserve to take care of yourself.
Pay attention to what you eat. Whenever you eat. Every day. All day. Read the fine print. If the food has high nutritional value, eat it. If it doesn’t, don’t. If it gives you short-term pleasure and long-term regret, leave it out. If you don’t know the difference, or need a regimen, structure, menus, recipes, and a healthy, balanced perspective, get the advice of a registered nutritionist. You deserve to take care of yourself.
Nurture relationships with people you believe in, and people who believe in you. If you feel judged, if you feel "not as good as" or a "disappointment," you can choose to change your program or change your relationship. Instead of playing the victim or the victimizer, accept yourself and others as you are, acknowledge your strengths and your deficits and those of others, and work to solve the problems that get in the way of your getting on with your life. You deserve to take care of yourself.
Get the sleep you need. No excuses. Your concentration and memory will improve as will your body’s ability to stave off a variety of diseases and infection. There is nothing heroic about staying up all hours of the day and night. Budget your time as you would your money. Prioritize it and spend it in ways that give you the greatest return on your investment. If you find that it takes you longer to do what others manage in less time, that you procrastinate decisions that are better made more quickly, that the more time you have the more you waste and the less you have the more efficiently you work, take a time-management course. You deserve to take care of yourself.
Read books, attend lectures, take classes to expand your thinking and your view of the world. Think strategically and work tactically. When you exercise, eat right, sleep well and break the victim cycle fed by unhealthy relationships, you have the capability to step back from the edge and look toward the horizon. What do you value and want to achieve in this life as a human being? Take care of your body, mind and spirit and you can consider the possibilities. If you’re not good to yourself, if you don’t take care of yourself, who will?
Joyce Richman is a speaker and career coach conducting seminars and workshops throughout the United States, and the author of "Roads, Routes & Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success." You can reach her at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com. Watch Joyce Richman's latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. during "The Good Morning Show" on WFMY News 2 or visit http://www.digtriad.com/business/columnists/career_minute/
