Mental health is as important as physical health. It is important to allocate time for self-care and take good care of yourselves.
Here are the thoughts from our colleagues on self-care:
What does self-care mean to you
Jamie: It means to intentionally love oneself through different actions, habits, or even thoughts
Siok Leng: To take care of oneself to prevent becoming a burden to others
Stella: To slow down and do something that I love and is also beneficial for me
Adeline: Self-care to me means to take care of our own well-being both physically and mentally
At FT Consulting, we dedicated 2 hours the past week to do a self-care activity. Here are some of the activities our team members shared:
Photos contributed by Jamie, Adeline, Stella, and Siok Leng (Top left, clockwise direction)
Photos contributed by Lillian, Braxton, and Ignatius (Top left, clockwise direction)
What did you feel and learn from the process of doing this self-care activity?
Lillian: Baking has always been therapeutic for me, my me-time to cut-off clutters in my mind or when I’m stressed. The whole process from working the ingredients with my hands, whisking, blending, popping into the oven, the warm aroma of the bakes wafting in the house & seeing it all come together is very calming. You learn to slow down in life. There is also this exciting anticipation to see whether it turns out good (i.e fail!), better or great! I learnt patience, creativity & a never-give-up attitude. The reward at the end of the process will be sweet! Literally!
Braxton: I made a simple yet favourite dish of spaghetti bolognese for myself and my family. I felt relaxed when cooking as despite cooking it many times before, the hearty end result always puts a smile on my face. Also, learning about adhering to cooking times and the various quantities of ingredients that needed to go into the dish taught me patience and discipline as well.
Ignatius: I chose to play games as playing mobile game de-stresses me. I feel a sense of fulfilment when I win and learn skills to communicate better with my team, especially when we don’t even know one another
Photos contributed by Kelly, Shu Juan, and Robin (Top left, clockwise direction)
Kelly: I do aerobics regularly as it rejuvenates me and keeps me invigorated too. I learnt the importance of focus, perseverance, discipline, stress relief and work life balance. These are positive attributes arising from regular exercising and are beneficial to the soul, mind and body.
Shu Juan: I like to scribble (especially on my mobile phone) to capture any random thoughts and inspirations. As much as I enjoy doodling, I feel that there isn't enough time during my regular day-to-day work to get into the zone and draw. Thanks to this little initiative, I get to put my rusty doodling into practice. Protea is my favourite flower as it represents courage. I'm glad that the environment around me has given me the "nourishment" to flourish and bloom.
This little exercise gave me a good breather from emails and text messages to think about what I am grateful for. Thank you to the wonderful FT team for the dad jokes and snacks to keep spirits up in the office, and the little notes and coffee treats to encourage one another. Outside of work, nothing cheers me up better than a good cone of pistachio ice-cream. Let me know if you have any good pistachio ice-creams to recommend :)
Robin: My self care is having my own time to do what I like, building Lego sets! I enjoy the building process as it is relaxing and fun.
In conclusion, self-care is important and essential in our daily lives. As we go about the hustles and bustles of life, let’s intentionally take some time to love and care for ourselves mentally and physically.