Contributed by: Brayden Ransom, Communication and Marketing Assistant, Mental Health Connecticut
July 24 (7/24) is recognized as International Self Care Day (ISD). This day was chosen to symbolize that the benefits of self-care are something we experience 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. It was created as a device developed by the International Self-Care Foundation (ISF) to promote self-care as a vital foundation of our overall health (see Senate Resolution 515 of the 113th Congress).
“Self-care recognizes individuals as active agents in managing their own health, whether for preventing or managing diseases; performing health checks, health education and promotion, rehabilitation and recovery, sexual health and much more.” – World Health Organization (WHO)
When you think of self-care, do you think an activity that you do to relax? That’s not uncommon, but for the purposes of creating sustainable practices to influence our wellbeing, we are looking to bring our understanding of self-care beyond the point of simply designated comfort and relaxation. Those moments are significant in their own right, but true self-care is hard work. It can be extremely challenging to navigate. While we’re on our journey, keep in mind that self-care uses the word “self” because that’s who we’re meant to be taking care of, not because we are meant to do it entirely by ourselves. Reaching out to healthcare providers, friends and family, and other forms of support are undoubtably acts of self-care.
According to WHO, “Every year 100 million people are plunged into poverty because they have to pay for health care out of their own pockets. Furthermore, underserved and marginalized populations, often lack access to quality health information, services and products and face stigma and discrimination in healthcare. There is an urgent need to find innovative strategies that go beyond a conventional health sector response to address these challenges in accessing quality healthcare.”
Remember, we are not “failing” at self-care if we have a bad day. Being in tune with our ability to implement self-care practices does not mean we will have some super-power stoic ability. Sometimes, self-care is allowing yourself to feel sadness, to grieve a loss, to cope with a big change. The way we care about ourselves will change frequently and may differ from those around us. Through acts of self-care, we are empowered to look after our own health in the best ways we can, in collaboration with professionals as needed. The goal is to strengthen our overall resiliency so that when stressful moments do arise, we are better prepared to manage that stress.
“A global pandemic, social unrest, and the fight against systemic racism and oppression has provided the collective experience of traumatic events and the need to elevate mental health care as a priority. At MHC, we see every day that one of the best investments in our health that we can make is self-care and resiliency.” – Luis B. Perez, President & CEO of Mental Health Connecticut.
Check out our past blog post on personalizing self-care practices here.
Learn more about self-care at the links below:
Fact sheet: Self-care health interventions
For Black Women, Self Care Is a Political Act
Ways To Start Incorporating Self-Care Into Your Daily Routine
Balancing High Ambitions With Consistent Self-Care
Is part of your self-care realizing that you may benefit from support?
