International Self-Care Day
July 24th is International Self-Care Day – a day dedicated to the importance of personal wellness.
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of self-care? Is it a spa treatment or maybe a luxurious vacation you saw on social media? Do you associate self-care with extravagance or something only certain people deserve? #SelfCare is a popular hashtag on social media, with more than 50-million searchable posts on Instagram to date. Just one #SelfCare search could give you the idea that self-care is about expensive pampering.
So let’s clear up this misconception right away – self-care does not need to be earned, self-care does not need to be expensive and self-care is different from self-indulgence.
The World Health Organization defines self-care as: “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.” So according to this definition – self-care can mean anything that empowers you to take care of yourself and manage your own well-being.
Why is it important to practice self-care?
Self-care is good for your mental health. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy.
Self-care helps you perform better at work.
Taking breaks and having hobbies outside of work are all linked to recharging your batteries to help you be more focused and creative during the workday. Bustle magazine shares nine self-care practices that can help you feel better and be more productive.
Self-care helps you be a better caretaker. You’ve probably heard the old saying, “you can’t take care of others, until you take care of yourself.” Nurses who were tired had problems with their job performance, made more errors and were more likely to forget things, reports the Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing.
Self-care helps you manage stress. You can’t prevent stressful things from happening, but taking care of yourself and having regular practices like getting enough sleep or doing deep breathing exercises are just two ways you can prepare yourself for daily stress, recommends Mayo Clinic.
Since self-care is unique for everyone, it’s important to take inventory on areas of your life that need a little more attention and ongoing maintenance. For some, it could mean going outside for a walk after work each day, taking an exercise class or even making your lunch the night before so you have a little more time in the morning.
For other ideas on healthy self-care practices take a look at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Wellness Toolkits.
Learn more from the World Health Organization’s self-care interventions factsheet.