Is Self-Care Crucial To A Healthy Mind And Body?
What is self-care?
Self-care can be defined many ways.
The WHO (World Health Organization) defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider”.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines self-care as “health care provided by oneself often without the consultation of a medical professional.”
I often think of self-care as a continued effort to address personal needs and desires and to then act on those thoughts/needs/desires.
For example, I do not enjoy eating in the morning. In fact, I find it quite difficult to eat anything at all. This usually leads me to feeling incredibly hungry and irritated by 1pm.
I have come to recognize that this habit of not eating is not good for me. My body requires fuel for the day, and furthermore, becoming angry at 1pm daily is not a great way to live.
So, I drink a smoothie. This small act of self-care has huge influence on the rest of my day. My mood is stable, my energy levels are good, and I feel ready to take on anything!
Another recent change I have made is taking better care of my body. I tore a ligament in my knee many years ago and only got around to getting surgery two years back. After surgery, I did not go to a physiotherapist like I should have. I let my knee heal on its own and did not work on it at all.
A year after the surgery I still had pain in my knee and could not walk properly.
Thankfully, I have begun to work with Rakki Dia, the Kinesiologist here at Regeneration Station, and she has put me on a path to having full range of motion and full muscles back in my left leg!
After so many years of limping and weakness, I lost a significant amount of strength and balance. Thanks to my own act of self-care, I finally decided to seek help and put the work in.
I am now on the path to walking properly with no pain!
Self-care, once practised daily, quickly becomes instinct. It was not long after beginning these new self-care practises that I was booking in monthly to get a registered massage!
I am proud to say that I now practise self-care daily. Sometimes in the form of exercise. Sometimes in the form of getting treatments at Regeneration Station. Sometimes in the form of treating myself to a lovely lunch somewhere!
All I know is that no matter the way I decide to practise self-care, it is something I must do daily and keep at the forefront of my mind. After all, as the old expression goes; you cannot pour from an empty cup!
Comment below on some of the self-care practises that you enjoy!
By Alec Le Ray
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