How Self-Care Becomes an Important Coping Tool for Construction Leaders

By MANDI KIME HORTON

By now you have probably heard that construction ranks in the top of most lists for highest rates of suicide, substance use disorder and heart disease.

But likely hearing that news makes you wonder what, if anything, can be done to mitigate these rates – and more importantly, what that has to do with you.

Quite simply stated, self-care may be the most important thing you can invest in as a leader and as a human being. As the co-founder and co-chair of the AGC of America Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force, I can report that we’ve spent a great deal of time focusing on protecting workers and building resilience. Yet a missing piece of this puzzle has been investing equally in the leaders of our industry. Time and time again, I have heard of construction leaders facing burnout and worse because the constant demands and pressures we all face in managing work and people.

When I mention self-care, a flood of different images or ideas probably pop into your head, such as massages, bubble baths with a book or yoga. And while all of those things can be beneficial, I’d like to challenge the thought that self-care is about indulging or spending money. Rather, self-care is about the discipline of taking good care of your body, mind and soul.

There are three simple things you can – and should – do every day to help you build resilience and boost your mood. These clinically proven mood-boosting practices are free. I initially learned these “Free Three” from Rich Jones at BuildWell Health and have put them into practice in my daily life with much reward:

1. Build laughter into every Watch comedy shows, spend time with people who make you laugh or even watch funny videos online.
2. Listen to Use a music-streaming service or turn on a record player and jam out at home while you do chores or cook. Listen to music while driving to lessen the stress of traffic and idle time behind the wheel.
3. Engage in physical Try to perform a minimum of 20 minutes of physical activity daily outside the normal performance of your job duties. Dedicate extra minutes each day to physical activity. Even better, exercise outside where you can hear and see nature. It doesn’t need to be strenuous. A simple walk can do the trick.

All three of these activities not only have a powerful mood-boosting effect, but they can boost your cardiovascular health, allowing you to release pent-up stress. Even if you must schedule this into your calendar like you do other appointments or tasks, it is well worth your time and effort because it enhances resilience. And let’s face it: you are worth the investment.

Here are additional tips to incorporate into your overall well-being practices:

1. Make fun plans. Having something to look forward to with people you enjoy is always a great way to stay positive. Whether it’s a movie or concert date with a good friend, a camping trip or a fun vacation, having a countdown app on your phone reminding you of the impending fun can add to the excitement.
2. Show gratitude. Being in the practice of identifying things you are thankful for can help offset any temporary stress you are experiencing. It takes the same amount of effort to focus on the temporary stress or negative as it does to focus on the temporary joys and blessings.
3. Check out to check in. Give yourself permission to periodically step away from stressors. Just like the Free Three, you may need to hold yourself accountable to this by blocking time on your calendar. It’s okay, and necessary, to put away devices and check out from time to time, giving you an opportunity to check in with yourself.
4. Practice time Being able to be productive in a demanding job is critical. We are often called to put out fires and manage difficult challenges on tight timelines. These tasks can be easier to manage if you have a good grasp on the tasks you need to do and plan out when you’ll execute them so you can be nimble in times of duress.
5. Reach out to Seek out others, not to ask for support but to see how they are. It can be remarkably rewarding to build connection with someone. Helping others – and being a listening ear – can make you feel more positive.
6. If you are in a hot pot of stress managing projects and people at work or really going through it at home, sometimes you’ll need to just stop and breathe. Take a moment, step away (if you can) and focus on long, slow breaths or the “four seconds in, four-plus seconds out” technique.

Being a leader in this industry can be taxing. But taking good care of yourself and modeling that behavior for your team can pay dividends – not only in your well-being but in the well-being of those you care about and work with.

You are worth every moment you invest in yourself.

Mandi Kime is director of safety at the Associated General Contractors of Washington | The Construction Association and is a co-founder and co-chair of the AGC of America Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force. You can reach her at [email protected].