We’re just entering into the second quarter of the year, with more distance from our January goals and resolutions with each passing day. Today’s blog is meant to be an honest check in with ourselves on the time and energy we’re putting into our health and wellbeing goals. Have you implemented new health habits lately? Are you feeling like you’re putting in the work to achieve your healthiest, happiest and most productive self?
First and foremost, it’s okay if you answered “no” to these questions.We all experience times in our lives where our health might take a back seat. And that’s okay. In fact, that’s exactly where health coaches come into play! Health coaches acknowledge and accept this reality, while also gently redirecting you back on track for success. They’re experts at helping us identify and pull ourselves out of “health slumps” – periods of time where we experience a lack of motivation and productivity; low energy levels; and difficulty maintaining health behaviors.
What are some signs you might be getting into a “health slump?”
Health slumps are sneaky things. They draw you in slowly and quietly and before you know it you’re feeling like you’re not operating at 100%. Health slumps are permeating and show up in many different ways. These might include feeling excessively tired and relying heavily on caffeine to get you through the morning or afternoon. You might feel demotivated at work and feel like it’s more of an effort to push through the day – this, in turn, might impact how productive you feel and lead to a cycle that seems difficult to break free from.. You could feel more stressed or more irritable which could lead you to make unhealthy food choices or decisions that impact your sleep. All in all, you’ll know you’re in a health slump because you know yourself. If you’re not feeling like your healthiest self and it’s becoming hard to make healthy choices, you might be in a health slump (and don’t worry – health coaches can help!).
HR and benefits leaders, keep an eye out for health slumps, as well! In fact, the CDC supports that when employees are healthier, they’re less absent and more productive. If you’re seeing more employees call out sick or are hearing reports from managers that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to motivate their teams towards success, it may very well be that these employees are not getting the holistic health support they need to succeed. Read on for how health coaches – and YourCoach – can play a key role in intervening before widespread health slumps begin to affect your company culture and overall productivity.
How do we get ourselves into a “health slump?”
It’s important to clarify that health slumps are not periods of unhealthiness due to underlying conditions out of our control. Instead, health slumps happen when we stop putting effort into our own health goals on a mental, physical and emotional level. This might mean we’re not taking the necessary steps to manage our chronic conditions – like taking the medications we need or engaging in lifestyle behaviors that mitigate symptoms – or it might mean we’re not pursuing healthy behaviors that might help stave off future chronic conditions and help us operate more optimally on a variety of levels.
The single most important risk factor for falling into a health slump is simple: you’re not making your health and wellbeing an active priority in your life. This doesn’t need to be a grand, Herculean effort. It just means you need to make space in your life to think about your health needs and make it a point to maintain healthy behaviors that support those needs, goals and values. Health coaches make sure this priority never falls to the wayside.
How can health coaches help?
Health coaches make your health and wellbeing a top priority. They majorly prevent health slumps by making sure you’re keeping your health goals top of mind and working on them weekly alongside a dedicated professional. Most importantly, they break down these goals into more manageable, daily habits so living a healthy lifestyle becomes just that, a lifestyle. When you do experience periods of demotivation – which absolutely happens, we’re human! – health coaches make it more possible for you to give yourself grace and time and then more quickly turn back to your health priorities (and all that entirely without judgment).
Employers, you play an important role in making sure your workforce has the tools to stay out of health slump territory and become healthier, happier and more productive versions of themselves. Health coaches are the single most useful tool to make this happen (especially during the next two months, which are statistically some of the least productive out of the year). Here at YourCoach, we partner with progressive organizations to provide best-in-class health coaching services, giving your employees access to our dedicated cohort of validated and verified health coaches. If you’re interested in learning more, send us a note to team@yourcoach.health.