Managing Well-being: Self-care Your Way to Better Business Results.

• Author: Daiber, Erin
• Position: Best practices

When did long hours and high stress become the acceptable norm in the accounting profession? Are we doing ourselves a disservice by living this way--sacrificing our health and well-being just to get more work done? Is there another way?

Living with high levels of stress and pressure impacts every aspect of your lile. As humans, our ability to handle stress and pressure is finite. Stamina and endurance are not enough. Eventually you will reach a breaking point, which usually looks like burning out or getting so frustrated that you leave the profession all together. If you remain active in the profession in this way, it comes at a high cost to your health and personal life.

Many of us use up ourselves in service of getting more work done. Personal experience has shown me that this method and mindset is hurting your business. In fact, you're likely not getting more work done, but instead limiting your productivity. Alternatively, committing to new levels of well-being and self-care can have a direct, positive impact to your bottom line.

Our mood, emotions, psychology and perceptions of reality are all influenced by how well we take care of ourselves. Think of self-care like the roots of a tree. ? young tree with shallow roots is vulnerable to wind and weather. It's likely to get tossed about, damaged and even ripped from the ground during a storm. A tree with a more well-established root system--a strong foundation--will be able to weather that same storm. It may lose leaves or branches, but it won't suffer in the same way the young tree will.

We face "storms" every day: client demands, deadlines, staffing needs, family needs and personal responsibilities. Like the roots of a tree, having a strong level of well-being helps you to withstand any storm that comes your way. Well-being provides the foundation for everything you want to create and allows you to be more present in your work and in your life.

Imagine showing up to work each day joyful and at ease versus stressed, frustrated and over-worked. Instead of using yourself up each day to get work done, you're productive, present and healthy. Being present, you're no longer reacting to fire drills and client demands, but instead responding powerfully and setting boundaries. You are clear about your intentions and where you're headed. You're making better, more creative decisions and choosing actions that help you execute your vision. If you're faced with anger or fear, you are unable to...