There’s a saying that goes, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” This rings especially true when we’re constantly focused on reaching the next milestone in our careers, whether it’s graduating, landing our first big job, or earning a promotion.

In the pursuit of these goals, we often overlook the importance of career wellness practices, which can help us stay grounded and balanced.

By neglecting career wellness practices, we risk allowing our daily lives to become routine and monotonous.

Embracing career wellness practices can help us stay present, improve our well-being, and create a more fulfilling professional journey. It’s essential to incorporate these practices into our careers to ensure that we’re not just surviving, but thriving in both our personal and professional lives.

Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes so that instead of just surviving, you're thriving.

Think of a day when you broke out of your typical routine to do something special for yourself.

Maybe you went out and treated yourself to your favorite coffee and pastry.

Or maybe instead of doom-scrolling right after you woke up, you did a 10-minute mindfulness meditation.

The beauty of wellness is that it improves the quality of all areas of your life.

Taking time to journal and sort out your thoughts in the morning allows you to be more present, know yourself on a deeper level, and gain clarity on what you desire.

Saying your affirmations in the mirror gives you the confidence to speak up for yourself, ask for what you want, and have the courage to put yourself out there.

Here are 5 Career Wellness Practices to take you from surviving to thriving.

Career Wellness Practice #1: Get Physical

It’s no secret that our careers confine us to a chair and screen 8 hours a day. 

Sedentary lifestyles are the norm in our modern society, and while sitting down may seem like the least amount of stress on our bodies, it actually takes a toll on our physical health. 

The 1st career wellness practice is building a solid fitness routine. One of the most significant things about being an adult is that you have complete autonomy over your decisions.

This can be a blessing and a curse because if you feel like eating only mac and cheese every night for two weeks, there’s nothing stopping you.

Although incorporating feel-good food into your life is perfectly fine, your body craves nutrition and good-for-you food.

The same is true for exercise.

As an adult, there are no gym coaches yelling at you to run a mile or hold a plank.

But there’s also no one telling you to go for a walk or sign up for a yoga class. 

You are fully responsible for your own health and well-being, and you deserve to feel good.

So you have the freedom to do exactly that: Find what feels good.

Maybe you and your friends are into pickleball at the moment and decide to go 3 nights a week.

Maybe you just ordered a cute new workout set online and want to wear it to pilates.

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you genuinely enjoy so it doesn’t feel like a chore.

Career Wellness Practice #2: Mind Full to Mindful

Because we live in a social media-obsessed society, many of us spend hours each day scrolling through our feeds.

And while social media is an amazing tool that allows us to connect with people from all different walks of life, it can also be harmful to our minds.

Taking in that much information in a short amount of time is more than our mind can handle and it typically leaves us with brain fog and a shortened attention span. 

That’s where our second career wellness practice comes in. 

Mindfulness. 

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

Many of the apps today are designed to keep you scrolling for hours on end. Over time this can weaken our creativity, focus, and imagination.

The instant gratification of having access to any information you could possibly desire isn’t as glorious as it seems.

But adding practices such as meditation and breathwork into our lives allows us to actually slow down and be present in this moment.

Overthinking about past mistakes or worrying about the future doesn’t serve us because we can’t go there.

In a way, those things don’t exist. 

All we truly have is the here and now; the present.

So by slowing down and taking the time to meditate on gratitude each morning or take control of your breath before you sleep, you allow your mind and body to exhale (figuratively and literally).

Career Wellness Practice #3: DND

One essential career wellness practice is embracing the "Do Not Disturb" feature in your daily routine. In a world where we can reach anyone with the press of a button, it’s easy to feel like we must always be available, 24/7. However, this constant connectivity can lead to burnout and disrupt our career wellness practices.

While some industries, like healthcare, deal with genuine emergencies, most other professions—such as marketing or other office jobs—don’t require immediate responses after working hours.

By integrating career wellness practices like "Do Not Disturb" into your workflow, you can set healthy boundaries and allow yourself the space to recharge without feeling guilty.

If you’re frequently bombarded with work notifications after hours or feel pressure to be always accessible, try experimenting with scheduling automated responses.

These responses can let people know that you’re currently unavailable and will get back to them during business hours.

Taking time off—whether for a vacation or a simple staycation—supports career wellness practices by preventing burnout and maintaining balance in your life. By respecting your own boundaries and prioritizing personal time, you foster a work environment where both your career and personal life can thrive.

The key to maintaining career wellness practices is creating a balance that includes DND daily, OOO when necessary, and boundaries always.

Career Wellness Practice #4: Self-Care as Community Care

You show up to work every day. You’re there for your friends and family whenever they need you.

But when was the last time you did something for you?

We often hear “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” But what does that really mean?

Our 4th career wellness practice is Self-Care as Community Care.

Would you describe yourself as someone who’s always helping others, always putting others' needs before your own?

While this can seem like a very selfless behavior, it doesn’t always serve your best interest.

After putting these people first, do you feel fulfilled? Or do you get a little grumpy because you still have responsibilities yourself?

This is a tell-tale sign that you’re pouring from an empty cup.

If the “self” in self-care makes you cringe a bit, think about it from this perspective.

When you take time for yourself to rest, pour into your interests, and do the things you need to do for yourself FIRST, you feel so much more comfortable helping others.

You are the architect of your own life. If you don’t want to forever put others' needs before your own, you don’t have to.

Curate a self-care practice. One for every day, like making time for a morning and evening routine of stretching, skincare, and journaling.

One for a weekly reset of cleaning your space, taking an everything shower, ordering takeout, and watching a movie.

And one for as-needed with a few things that feel extra special.

Changing the world starts with changing yourself. 

Career Wellness Practice #5: Catch some ZZZs

Last but certainly not least, our 5th career wellness practice is catching some ZZZs.

Sleep is arguably the most important part of our day.
The quality and quantity of our sleep affects every single part of our life.

To put it lightly, sleep is not something you should play about.

Want to have a productive and fulfilling day? Staying up til 3 a.m. will stop that from happening.

Want to reach your fitness goals and have glowy skin? Your body needs 7-9 hours of sleep each night to restore.

To have a great morning, one needs to start the night before with a well-rounded night routine.

That means taking time to wind down before bed. We like to do this by putting our phone away, taking magnesium to aid in relaxation, pulling out our Kindle to read, and doing a meditation to calm our mind down. 

If we decide to watch a show before bed, we use blue blockers to limit my exposure to blue light, which can negatively affect sleep.

We also use an eye mask so there’s no light disturbing my sleep and mouth tape to have a deeper night of rest among other benefits.

Quality sleep is the secret ingredient for an overall better life. Try this routine for a week and see how you feel afterward.

Practicing wellness doesn’t have to be overly complicated. In fact, an overly complicated wellness routine can actually leave us feeling more drained.

Concluding Thoughts

These 5 career wellness practices are easy to implement, and you can start incorporating them into your routine today for immediate results.

By adopting these career wellness practices, you'll begin to experience a shift toward a more balanced and fulfilling professional life.

We encourage you to try these career wellness practices for yourself and kickstart your journey toward a thriving career and overall well-being.

With these 5 career wellness practices, you'll go from feeling sad and burnt out to becoming a thriving, balanced career wellness baddie.

1. Get Physical
2. Mind Full to Mindful
3. DND
4. Self-care as Community Care
5. Catch some ZZZs 

 ✍️ Written by Hayley Cagle