If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past few years: we can all use a little grace. Focus on work can be challenging, especially with so much out of our control — whether in our personal lives or our collective society. That’s why we make it a priority to take care of ourselves and each other.
Through our dedication to psychological safety, we encourage camaraderie among our teams, sharing how we’re feeling on a daily basis and giving each other support through hard times (and good). Our community Slack channels, where we share everything from mental health issues and self-care tips to swapping videos of cute pets and at-home parenting tips, make it easier to feel supported.
Here are some tips from our team on how to recharge and take care of yourself:
On taking a break:
Kelsey Locotos, Director of Operations
- “It’s okay to take a break and care for yourself and come back to things refreshed. It’s okay to be giving, but you have to take time to restore yourself, or you will deplete.”
On overthinking:
Paige Campbell, Hiring Manager
- “Sometimes it helps me if I write a list of everything that’s in my head. Just a list, no analysis or explanations, and then put it away.”
On anxiety and grind culture:
Michelle Panzera, Marketing Director
- “When I start feeling stressed about what is or isn’t getting done, I remind myself what the stakes are. What really happens if such-and-such doesn’t get done today? Our bodies are designed to kick into fight-or-flight during the stress response cycle, but most of the time, we’re not being chased by a lion.”
On self-care during winter months:
Christina Deemer, Senior User Experience Developer
- “I focus on a lot of foundational aspects of mental health hygiene: sleep, healthy meals, exercise, social activities, hobbies, meaningful work. If I don’t get those things right during SAD season, things get pretty dark pretty fast.”
On self-care for difficult days:
Sarah Rose Belok, Director of Team Learning and People Development
- “I’ve found that making a list of simple pleasures helps — that way, I can draw on them when I’m struggling. Also, having accountability-friends to check in on me when I go quiet. And forcing myself to run every day. It literally saves me. But also being gentle with my heart when I’m feeling vulnerable or sad and being okay staying home and cuddling mugs and mugs of tea in pajama (bottoms) all day.”
The above is just a snapshot of some of the ways we take care of ourselves. We encourage you to use some of these tips for yourself and share them with your families and friends. One of the most salient pieces of advice we can give you is one we often use: Take it one day at a time.
Some resources that we like:
If you want to know more about how we support our team and embrace self-care, check out our careers page.