better business blog

Tips and stories to add value to you and your organisation

Taking Care Of Us

8 November 2015

When did you last take your car in for a service? Or invite a plumber to inspect your boiler? Probably a least once a year.

When did you last get your blood pressure checked? Or have an eye test? Perhaps within the last five years.

When did you last have a whole weekend away from work, without reading emails, or checking texts? Perhaps never.

Struggling to read a page of notes a couple of weeks ago, I joked to a colleague that I needed to get my eyes checked and didn’t have the time. She laughed warmly and then gently pointed out that I had, during the course of our discussion, been urging her to take better care of herself by cutting back on working hours…so, perhaps I could take care of myself as well?

I did and promptly booked an eye test and now I’m looking forward to reciting a tiny line of letters, which is the traditional precusor to spending £200 on new spectacles. I think the last letter should be a £ sign. Maybe it is and I can’t see it clearly…

Here’s a practical suggestion: If you are working more than 60 hours in any given week you might be under more stress than you realise. You might also love your job. Both conditions can be true at the same time. However, as we can’t see inside ourselves how do we know if we are really healthy? My suggestion is that we can choose to book a well-person check up with our GP and get ourselves checked out.

Prevention is better than cure!

Please take care of yourself, you are special. Yes really, you are.

Next week:  Learning From Lord Reith