By Terrie Johnson | UAB Community Health & Human Services Intern

Self-care is a concept concerned with an individual taking actions to promote their well-being. It is pegged on creating a surrounding that supports meeting one’s needs. Self-care’s relevance has developed into a critical healthcare paradigm since it features practices that limit admission into care facilities. For example, it provides a vital bearing to avoid stressors by planning one’s schedule. Other than this aspect, self-care mitigates the risk of being involved in unrealistic behaviors. Its promotion at the individual and group levels provides the needed impetus for positive outcomes.

The self-care element can be advanced in varied ways to meet a person’s needs. An individual can be encouraged to take steps to tend to their physical needs. For example, they can be guided on the criticality of creating an exercise regimen. Thus, taking the initiative in physical exercises will enable the person to maintain a desired body weight and avoid obesity. Meeting one’s emotional needs is also part of self-care. This aspect can be fulfilled by attending to feelings that may cause stress (Riegel et al., 2021). Additionally, people can design their surroundings to feature supportive elements that mitigate mental overload. Executing this practice allows one to take control of their cognitive well-being. Thus, being aware of how to promote self-care is relevant to lead a meaningful life.

The stance in caring for self has numerous benefits for one’s well-being. One of its advantages is creating a platform for an individual to maintain positive care trajectories. Self-care also provides leverage for communities to promote health through practices such as hygiene and seeking medical care when required (Riegel et al., 2021). Additionally, the concept creates an opportunity for managing stressors. Thus, people with self-care practices will likely avoid mental health risks that could lead to depression. Embracing the concept, therefore, should be necessary to foster positive holistic outcomes.

Reference

Riegel, B., Dunbar, S. B., Fitzsimons, D., Freedland, K. E., Lee, C. S., Middleton, S., Stromberg, A., Vellone, E., Webber, D. E., & Jaarsma, T. (2021). Self-care research: Where are we now? where are we going? International Journal of Nursing Studies, 116, 103402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103402