Self-Care Week: Are You Looking After Yourself?

Sometimes it can be hard to find time to look after yourself, but we all need to practice self-care to stay well and happy. Here are a few self-care top tips.

Do you take good care of yourself? We probably all slip up on self-care to some degree, either occasionally or habitually. For some, a busy lifestyle can get in the way of looking after themselves. For others, caring for their loved ones comes first. And for many, health problems make it harder to cope with self-care on a daily basis. As it’s Self-Care Week this November, we thought we’d look at some of things you can do to improve and maintain your own wellbeing.

• Eat well – OK, so it’s always first on the list but that’s because what we put into our bodies has a huge impact on both our physical and mental health. Eating as healthy and balanced a diet as possible can help lower your risk of many common medical issues like heart disease and dementia. That doesn’t mean you have to cut out all the culinary treats that make you happy, but trying your best to fuel your body with all the right foods and nutrients can make a big difference to your overall wellbeing.
• Stay active – When it comes to exercise, don’t panic. Staying active doesn’t need to involve running or spending hours on a bike (unless you want to, of course)! Chair exercises, yoga, going for a walk – anything that gets your body moving in a way that’s comfortable and ‘do-able’ for you is beneficial to your physical wellbeing.
• Don’t ignore warning signs – Most of us know when we’re not quite ourselves and something is wrong, whether it’s physically or mentally. Often, we’re so busy that we plough on regardless without taking the time to stop and address the problem. But leaving things can be detrimental. So, when you get that sniffle, go to the pharmacy and ask for advice. Or if you’re feeling down, reach out to a friend or your doctor. Taking positive action can help stop smaller issues snowballing into a more serious health problem.
• Stay socially connected – That’s not the easiest thing to do at the moment but staying connected with other people is vital for good mental health. Humans are social animals that need to interact. If you can interact safely in person, all the better. If not, you could try getting online for a video chat or staying in touch with friends and loved ones over the phone.
• Practice good hygiene - It’s particularly important at the moment in light of the Coronavirus, but is also something that’s fundamental to overall good health. Washing your hands, bathing or showering regularly, cleaning your teeth – they’re all basic daily chores many of us don’t really think about but failing to keep up with these tasks can have a huge impact on our wellbeing.
• Take time out for yourself – Self care isn’t selfish! You need to make time for yourself even if 5 minutes here and there is all you can manage. What form your ‘me time’ takes doesn’t matter as long as it involves something that you enjoy and helps you relax of feel happier, whether that’s sinking into a hot bath, indulging in a favourite pastime or just sitting and meditating.

Care and self-care in the community

Living with a health condition or disability can make it harder to cope with day to day self-care.  That’s when it’s helpful to reach out for more support. While caring for others is what we do here at Bluebird Care Bromley, part of our role as a care provider is empowering people to make their own wellbeing a priority. We do all we can to enable and encourage our customers take good care of themselves and retain their independence as far as practical.

If you or someone you know needs more support to live well in the comfort of home, why not get in touch with us? We deliver a bespoke homecare service, tailored to each individual’s needs to thousands of clients across Bromley and South East London. We’ll give you the practical help and companionship you need to stay happy, healthy and get the most out of life.