Wellness News
Health care and self care
by Angelena Craig
With so much current media attention on the health care issue, perhaps we can find some time to consider self care. Maybe you are someone who never ever thought about this topic and therefore are wondering just what is self care?
We all know health care involves having a doctor, or several on board, for when we get sick. Doctors can diagnosis, and then follow up with pharmaceutical prescriptions or their recommendations for more invasive care.
Most of us boomers now have some working knowledge of the alternative or complimentary care that we can access. But still, too few us think about caring for the whole self, or practicing preventive methods so that we can stay healthy and therefore may require little traditional health care from physicians or from the drug companies.
Do you take of your self?
- You may say, “Sure, I joined a gym. I try to get there 2 or 3 days a week.”
- Or you may think. “Since I take a daily multivitamin daily, I’m all set”.
- Or, “I stopped smoking and that was huge.”
Certainly all and any measures to help our bodies and our minds is commendable. As we age into our 50 or 60 or beyond we definitely need to pick up the pace of caring for ourselves. This is the time in life to focus on our own selves, noticing how we feel, what we need and finding ways to have our mind/body/emotional needs met.
If you see that you are feeling depressed because you look in the mirror and are not happy with what appears before you, there are many things one can do to improve the looks. You may have to spend some money managing it all but, if it raises the spirit, it may be money well spent.
If you notice your energy is not what it should be, perhaps you can change your diet, getting rid of those foods that offer you nothing in the way in nutrition and are full of empty calories, beside adding on extra poundage. You might add certain vitamin supplements to bring up the energy. You will feel a difference in your vitality if you start moving more, finding those forms of exercise that you enjoy and therefore will continue to do on a regular basis.
If you find you are getting sick a lot, catching every germ that passes by in your general vicinity, you need to pump up the immune system. Try, if only for a period of time, eating only healthy foods, adding appropriate supplements, having an exercise program, getting enough solid sleep. You will attract far fewer bugs.
Do you ignore your stress level, waiting until you get a strong wake-up call in the form of a threateningly serious illness? It is important to begin to pay attention and be mindful now of what it is in your life that makes you stressed out. Decide whether it is possible to reduce or eliminate those situations or disturbing people from your life.
If you know you absolutely need to learn to relax more, it is beneficial to do the research and discover where it is you might find some relief. It could be that a regular yoga or tai chi class, or learning to meditate, or having a weekly massage will make a big difference.
Self care asks that you take charge of your mental, physical and spiritual health, rather than ignoring it or handing it completely over to someone else. Hopefully you know your self better than any other person, and so you are in best position to be your own caretaker.
Ask yourself, “If I don’t assume that responsibility, who will?”
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