International Self-Care Day (ISD) is a global event that has been held annually since 2011. This day was created by the International Self-Care Foundation to promote self-care as an integral part of our everyday health and well-being.
Each year, ISD calls on global citizens to focus on healthy living and explore different forms of self-care. Examples of self-care include practicing exercise, adopting healthy eating strategies and ensuring that both our physical and mental health are being looked after. When all of these areas are cared for, there is a wide range of life-long health benefits.
In this article, we’ll review when we celebrate International Self-Care Day, why we should all recognize this event, some different ways to practice self-care and why 2020 might be an especially important year for us to take good care of ourselves.
When is International Self-Care Day?
International Self-Care Day is held each year on July 24th (24/7). This date has been chosen to symbolize that the benefits of self-care are experienced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Self-care should be regarded as constant practice and a lifelong commitment. In other words, it’s not just something to review once a year — it should be viewed as a continuous, habitual process that helps us to stay healthy throughout the course of our lives.
What exactly is self-care and why is it important?
While self-care might sound like a broad and tenuous term, it basically encompasses everything and anything involved with taking care of our psychological and physical well-being. When life gets busy, overwhelming or when we are faced with unprecedented or stressful situations, it’s important to remember when to check in with ourselves, replenish our resources and do what’s necessary to stay healthy, happy and balanced.
In today’s hectic world, it can be difficult to find the time to practice self-care. We might encounter days where we have a plethora of projects due at work, paperwork up to our necks, a pile of dirty laundry and a booked-up calendar. Sadly, sometimes our way of coping with this is to put the things that bring us mental or physical fulfillment on the back-burner — such as proper exercise, creative projects, a massage appointment, cooking a healthy meal or socializing with our friends and family.
Furthermore, there’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many of us to have feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, fear and sadness. When we are not in a healthy state of mind, it can be easy to let this interfere with our daily functioning and cause us to overlook practices that can help us stay mentally sharp and optimistic. When we feel mentally, physically and emotionally healthy, we are more likely to be resilient when faced with stress.
When we take initiatives to maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves, this can help boost our confidence and self-esteem, help us to remind ourselves that our personal needs are important and help us dedicate time towards the things that keep us centred. All of these things are critical for achieving a high quality of life.
What are some good self-care strategies?
Some (of the many) ways to practice self-care include:
1. Taking care of our bodies
Keeping the body active is one of the most critical forms of self-care. For those of us who work in office jobs (or who have been forced into a work-from-home setting post-COVID), it can be difficult to find the time to get enough exercise each day. Daily exercise is one of the most effective ways to achieve physical and mental well-being, helping you to reduce overall stress and anxiety, shed extra weight and enhance your mood.
Getting proper sleep is also something that should be worked into any self-care routine. By not allowing the body to effectively restore itself each day, you are more likely to have an imbalanced mood, reduced cognitive functioning, weakened immunity and trouble focusing.
2. Making healthy eating choices
If we don’t find the time to think about what we’re eating, it can be difficult to make healthy eating choices. And when we’re busy, stressed or overworked, it can be easy to forget to eat, over-eat or select unhealthy (and expensive) eating alternatives, such as take-out or delivery.
By eating foods that help nourish your body, you are actively participating in your own self-care. Eating nutritious, well-balanced meals provides us with the energy needed to thrive and reduces our chances of experiencing sickness or weakness. As such, healthy eating is one way for us to remind our body that it deserves to be treated with respect.
3. Engaging in our favourite things and activities
As we mentioned above, stress, anxiety and uncertainty can take a significant toll on our mental and physical well-being. And while we also covered how difficult it can be to juggle our favourite hobbies, activities or de-stressors in our day-to-day lives, we strongly encourage everyone to find the time for them — even if it’s just an hour out of each day.
After you’re finished working, listen to your favourite music as you wind down. Or tune into your favourite show on Netflix. Take an hour of your time to brainstorm your next creative project. Write about your worries in a journal and release them from your mind. Make time to call, video chat or plan a night out with a friend (maybe even buy them a fun gift)!
4. Treating ourselves
… because we’re worth it! And if you work hard, sometimes you deserve a break.
Taking a moment out of your day to nurture your skin, hair, nails or body is a great way to practice self-care. This can include taking a bubble bath, deep-cleaning your pores, tending to your nails or our favourite option — getting a massage.
Massages are an extremely effective way to reduce stress, promote relaxation and improve your overall mood. They’re also highly effective in reducing pain and achieving overall physical restoration.
Reach Out To Us
As your go-to wellness clinic in downtown Toronto, our team at gesund centres each of our practices around the notion of self-care. We want to help you take care of yourselves by providing quality health care in our safe and comfortable environment.
To learn more about how we can help you achieve mental and physical wellness through massage therapy, click here to learn more or book an appointment with our team today.
From all of us at gesund, we wish everyone a happy International Self-Care Day — today and every day!
