International Self-Care Day

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.”- Audre Lorde. Every year on July 24, we celebrate International Self-Care Day, which emphasizes the importance of self-care for our health and wellbeing. This day highlights the significance of making self-care a priority and incorporating it into everyday activities in order to enhance long-term health. What is self-care? . The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as individuals, families and communities’ promoting and maintaining their own health, preventing disease, and coping with illness and disability, with or without the support of a health worker. Self-care is not selfish. One cannot pour from an empty vessel. In order for us to effectively take care of others, we must first take care of ourselves. The idea of self-care and the practicality are oftentimes out of balance. This is likely to manifest itself in frequent bouts of burnout episodes and depression. Caregiver burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that happens while you are taking care of someone else. Stressed caregivers may experience fatigue, anxiety and depression. You can reduce your risk of burnout by participating in respite care, joining a support group or talking with a mental health professional. Sadly, it is not uncommon for the caregiver to die before the person being cared for especially in circumstances where the caregiver for whatever reasons cannot take a break. In situations where you are the only caregiver it is very likely that you are always on call seven days per week. This is especially so when caring for elderly parents. It is challenging almost impossible to take time to cater to yourself. Notwithstanding this reality self-care is about empowering people to be active agents in their own healthcare. Being an active participant in your own healthcare ensures that you will continue to give care to others who depend on you as well as relieves pressures on health systems. Those pressures are growing and include: 4.3 billion people with inadequate access to essential facility-based health services, an estimated global shortage of 10 million health workers, mainly in low-and-middle income countries. Self-care has become incredibly important as people realize the need to take care of themselves and put themselves first. This has made people talk about it and increased the interest of others to take control of their health and wellness by prioritizing themselves. Self-care interventions do not replace health systems, they enhance them. They are part of a holistic approach to healthcare. While self-care can mean different things for different people, it is a broad term that covers what a person does or engages in to improve or preserve their physical and mental well-being. Most people already practice self-care to stay healthy. This includes eating healthy foods, taking medicines, and doing physical activities. According to the World Health Organization, there are eight main areas of self-care: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial. Many of us oftentimes overlook Spiritual Self-Care. This component is critical to complete a holistic approach to caring for ourselves. Spiritual self-care involves activities that center on spirituality and activities that nurture the soul. These include: engaging in prayer and meditation, attending a worship service, attending a retreat or by going for a nature walk. Workplace Self-Care. Employees may find it essential to engage in activities that allow them to share their skills and strengths and make them feel fulfilled in their careers. This may also include striving for a work-life balance and doing tasks that prevent burnout. A 2020 American Psychological Association (APA) survey found that three in five employees experience adverse impacts of work-related stress, like lack of interest, motivation, or energy and lack of effort at work. Self-care examples related to work include: taking a mental health break or vacation leave when necessary. Not responding to work emails or messages outside of office hours or by attending seminars and conferences. France in 2016 passed a law that makes it illegal for employers to expect employees to engage in work related activities outside of office hours. This helps maintain a healthy work-life balance, as well as provides time and energy to put towards personal growth. Financial self-care. Financial self-care may also include managing one’s finances and actively meeting one’s financial goals and obligations. Examples of financial self-care activities include: paying bills, learning about money management or completing tax responsibilities on time Emotional self-care. A person needs to learn how to acknowledge and regulate emotions as they arise and healthily process them. Emotional self-care can help individuals navigate their feelings, increase empathy, and learn coping mechanisms to deal with difficult emotions. Some examples of emotional self-care are: listening to music, meditating blogging or journaling and practicing self compassion. Feeling Selfish or Guilty. Many people worry about being perceived as selfish if they practice self-care. People may feel compelled to use their time for others instead of self-care, particularly those in caring professions or with caring responsibilities. On this International Self-care Day let us all be reminded that it is important to set aside time to prioritize, replenish and reinvigorate ourselves. Be kind to yourself! In the words of Eleanor Brown, rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #InternationalSelfCareDay