Self care has been a breakout topic for a while now and lot of people are loving it! But how many of us are actually practicing self care?

When it comes to health, self care is often seen as the last resort for both individuals and clinicians. This is the truth. To make sense of this confusing reality, you need to know the facts!

Here are 5 facts revealing the truth about self care:

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1. Choosing Self Care before Healthcare leads to a more positive outlook & less worry about personal health

This harsh truth about self care is rooted in responsible and intentional decision making. When you look for health solutions outside of doctors offices and harsh prescriptions, you open up a whole new world of health alternatives.

Although many sources will tell you otherwise, you know what is best for you! So it’s important to start calling the shots when it comes to your health. Choosing self care can help empower your decisions, improve your outlook, and relieve you of worry.

2. The less You practice self care, the more likely you are to View your health as poor

How you view your health has a lot to do with how much self care you implement into your life. Studies show that individuals who engage in little self care are likely to view their health as poor. This is because self care is an investment that you make in yourself. If you invest more time implementing self care into your daily routine, your perception of your health will improve.

3. Your perceived health is dependent on many different elements of self care

Like many things in life, self care is a multifaceted topic. Consider how education, physical ability, and mental ability play a role in self care and perceived health.

As you can imagine, not every person has the educational, mental, or physical resources to practice self care. This can include those with developmental disabilities, mental or physical disorders, and those in a lower socio-economic class.

Your perceived health is directly correlated to elements like these, and will improve as you implement self care that fits your needs and abilities.

4. Women and people of color are more likely to have a negative outlook on their health

In a recent study, outlook on personal health was examined and compared. Results from this study found that women of color were 6.1% more likely to have a negative outlook on their health than white men. Men of color were 5.9% more likely and white women were 6% more likely (Hauenstein et al., 2022).

Recognizing the individual characteristics that subconsciously play a role in your outlook on health is important. If you are someone who identifies as a woman and/or person of color, you are more likely to see your health as poor. Implementing extra self care into your life can help improve your outlook both mentally and physically. If you do not identify with these characteristics, you also benefit from more self care. We all deserve it!

5. If Everyday Self Care Practices Are Interrupted, So is your Sense of well-being

Like many other things in life, the key to successful self care is consistency. That’s why it’s important to have a self care plan for yourself, and to stick to it! Approach your self care routine like you would building a healthy habit, and try to avoid any disruptions. Writing your self care routine and specific plans in your calendar or planner can be a very helpful way to stay consistent.

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The Truth About Self Care

The truth about self care is that it’s a helpful way of improving both physical and mental health. The issue is while many of us know about self care, not enough of us are actually practicing it. I hope that reading these 5 self care facts has given you some insight on what self care is and what it can do for you.

Each fact I wrote about can be found in peer-reviewed research on self care and is widely agreed upon among other studies. You will find the link to this research here. Thanks for reading!

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