Self-care is personal health maintenance. It is any activity of an individual family or community with the intention of improving or restoring health or treating or preventing disease. Self-care includes:
- all health decisions people make for themselves and their families to get and stay physically and mentally fit
- exercising to maintain physical fitness and good mental health. It is also eating well, practicing good hygiene and avoiding health hazards such as smoking and drinking to prevent ill health.
- taking care of minor ailments long term conditions or one’s own health after discharge from secondary and tertiary health care Individuals
How You Can Practice Self-Care?
- Identify what activities help you feel your best. Self-care is individual. Self-care for one person will mean something completely different for someone else. One person may need more alone time, for example, while another may nurture herself by spending more time out with friends.
- Put it on your calendar — in ink! Take a close look at your calendar and carve out one or two hours for self-care and stick to it. This may take extra prep, but it’s worth it.
- Sneak in self-care where you can. If you don’t have huge chunks of time, you can still fit in little moments of relaxation, don’t wait to add self-care to your life until your schedule frees up. Starting is the most important step to take.
- Take care of yourself physically. This means getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods and When you physically take care of yourself, you will reap the benefits emotionally, psychologically, health-wise, and in your relationships.
- Know when to say no. Your health and well-being come first.
- Check in with yourself regularly. Ask yourself… How am I doing today? How do I feel in my body? What emotions are here? Are there any sensations present? What thoughts are running through my head? (BEST)
- Surround yourself with great people. Make sure that the people in your life are upbeat, positive and know how to enjoy life.
- Consider the quality of self-care. Go for quality. Make sure that it is something that you really enjoy and can bring you benefit.
- Remember that self-care is non-negotiable. In order to live a healthy and rewarding life, self-care is a necessity.