Recruiters have had a tough few years.
Talk about the Recruitment Rollercoaster… They’ve faced everything from a global pandemic, cuts to budgets and hiring freezes, to the great resignation and clients needing to hire like crazy in a candidate-driven market.
On top of all this, they’ve been handling their own personal stressors and challenges, such as finances and family life as they’ve navigated some unique challenges and changes to the way they live and work.
In the hectic world of recruitment, the focus is often on the candidate and client, leading to self-care becoming forgotten about.
But its importance cannot be underestimated.
With Mental Health Awareness Week drawing attention to the need to maintain our mental health, here are some tips to care of yourself and your mental health…
Notice Your Triggers and Stressors
This is always a great way to start taking more care of your mental health. Take some time to note down what type of tasks or activities normally trigger anxiety or stress.
For some people, any meeting at 9 am is enough to start their day with anxiety and stress. For others, having to use a particular software or CRM system can really change their mood.
Let’s face it, you won’t always be able to avoid your triggers, but once you’ve noted down your triggers you can create a plan to deal with them and have more control over your worries and stresses.
Check in With Yourself Often
Remarkably, so many people worry about others or their work so much that they forget to check in on how they’re actually feeling. If you can, try and schedule in just 5 minutes a day to register how you’re feeling. Build this time into your daily plan and try and think about how you can continue your good feelings and ask yourself how you can combat the negative ones.
Or even better if you can do this away from your desk and get a better perspective on your worries and stresses.
Tackle Perfectionism Head On
Admittedly, recruiters are notorious for striving for perfection. Taking a wild guess, you often find yourself wanting the perfect candidate at the perfect time to build the perfect one while keeping your hiring managers happy?
That is a lot of work and even more pressure to place on yourself!
While perfectionism can cause tons of stress, that doesn’t mean you should immediately let go of those perfectionist standards. Instead, try to focus on the impact of your work and recognise the point at which you’re no longer working effectively.
You may find it useful to ask yourself, “If I work on this for three more hours will it get better or will it just be me spending three more hours working on it?”
Talk (Or Write) It Out
Picture this, you’ve had a super busy day, nothing is going to plan, and you decide to keep it all to yourself.
By doing this you exclude yourself from the possibility that people around you may be able to offer guidance and support to help solve this problem.
Not only this but by talking taking a moment to talk with a friend or colleague or write things out could help change your perspective.
Make time for leisure
When you’re really busy with deadlines and trying to hit targets, it's easy to forget that life isn’t all about immersing yourself in work and not having time for anything or anyone else. Remember, it’s important to be kind to yourself and make time for leisure activities.
Set time aside to do something together with family and friends. Flexible and hybrid working has afforded this opportunity, so make sure to take advantage of this where you can.
Make time for yourself and do one thing that you enjoy each day. Keeping up with the things you enjoy doing, however small, will help to keep your mental health in a more positive place.