Self-Care for HR: Why Looking After Yourself Matters Too

HR professionals spend so much time looking after everyone else that they often forget to look after themselves.

Supporting difficult conversations. Managing pressure. Helping teams through conflict, change and uncertainty.

But while HR teams spend so much time supporting others, their own wellbeing is often pushed to the bottom of the list.

That was the focus of a recent HR Huddle session led by Emily Crispin from Honest Minds, which explored practical ways HR professionals can better protect their wellbeing before reaching the point of exhaustion or burnout.

Treat Self Care Like a Priority

One of the biggest takeaways from the session was that self-care rarely “just happens”.

When workloads increase, self-care is usually the first thing to disappear:

Lunch breaks become shorter
Exercise gets skipped
Evenings become catch-up time
Switching off feels impossible

The reality is that if wellbeing isn’t planned and protected, it often doesn’t happen at all.

Protect your Energy

The session also explored the importance of recognising what gives you energy and what drains it.

Some people, habits and environments refill your “tank”. Others leave you depleted.

Being more aware of this can help HR professionals make better decisions around:

Boundaries
Workloads
Routines
Screen time
Recovery time

Because managing energy is just as important as managing time.

Create Better Boundaries

For many HR professionals, work doesn’t stop at the end of the day.

Emails blur into evenings.
Notifications interrupt downtime.
Phones make it difficult to fully switch off.

The session highlighted the importance of creating small but realistic boundaries, including:

• Taking proper breaks
• Reducing unnecessary screen time
• Creating separation between work and home
• Scheduling moments of calm during busy days

Not every change needs to be dramatic. Small habits can still make a significant difference over time.

Small Moments Matter

Another important reminder was that self-care doesn’t always have to mean big lifestyle changes.

Sometimes the most effective forms of self-care are simple:

• Going for a walk
• Exercising
• Spending time outdoors
• Sitting quietly with a coffee
• Connecting with people who recharge you
• Taking a proper break away from screens

The important thing is recognising what genuinely helps you reset and making more space for it.

Because ultimately, HR professionals can’t continue supporting everyone else if they are constantly running on empty.

A huge thank you again to Emily Crispin from Honest Minds for leading such an honest and practical session for the HR Huddle community.

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