Is the International Self-Care Day chosen randomly? The answer is no. The habit of taking care of one’s self every day is reflected by the slogan, “24/7,” which is meant as a reminder that the benefits of self-care should be felt 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. That is why today’s date was chosen.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), self-care is a conjunction of spontaneous health activities and decisions taken by individuals (family members, colleagues, …) and which includes self-medication, self-treatment, social support during illness, etc, in a natural environment, that is to say, daily life. In short, self-care is a fundamental component in the process of addressing one’s health.
This day raises awareness for a healthy lifestyle that is to become a reality: an individual and social commitment. By healthy lifestyle, we mean the activities we carry out daily, according to personal preference, cultural background and socioeconomic status. These activities can have a positive or negative impact on our health.
Guidelines to take into consideration:
• Eat healthy. We are in the midst of a culinary revolution and we are fortunate to have a variety of healthy meals available in Spain thanks to our famous “Mediterranean Diet”. This implies consuming less calories, fat, and sugar; drinking more liquids such as water and juice and avoiding long periods of fasting.
• Do enough physical activity adapted to age, condition, available time and preferences. This is one of the most important aspect of lifestyle choices. It helps protect again non-transmissible conditions such as high blood pressure, cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer.
Physical activity keeps one in shape and even helps release feel-good hormones.
• The mind has power over the body. Presently, all things related to mindfulness are “in” and there even exists scientific evidence of it reducing stress and anxiety, which is why it has become an alternative means to ease those two widespread ailments.
• Zero tobacco use and moderate amounts of alcohol.
• A positive outlook on life makes stress levels go down and the immune system grow stronger. Frightening, worrisome, and distressing situations teach us how to handle such difficult situations. We must release these negative emotions by laughing or crying, which in turn releases endorphins, which have a relaxing effect and prevent the build-up of toxic emotions in our system.
• Have good hygiene. We shouldn’t forget about it since this type of care improves our physical health and makes us feel much better.
• Do regular check-ups and self-evaluations.
• Develop good sleep and rest habits. Getting enough sleep means an average of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every day, which allows us to recharge our energy levels.
Sleep is as important as a healthy diet. Lack of sleep can affect one’s life and wellbeing, which is why improving rest patterns contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
• Don’t self-medicate. This bad habit is very common in Spanish society.
There is no specific type of patient, but rather a society. Each one of us should practice self-care on a daily basis. That being said, the people who stand out are those who, for various circumstances, are forced to be more aware of their condition.
In our hospital, we have a variety of specializations, which is why we can find patients requiring a simple check-up, diabetic patients, pre-op and post-op patients, patients with several illnesses and even cancer patients. This last category is of utmost importance and must be highlighted, since we spend a lot of time with them and offer them personalised care, focused on an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.
Because it is an interactive process that allows all patients to actively care for their own health. Furthermore, we give them information about the techniques and everything related to their illness.
It is as important to know what to do when afflicted by an illness as it is to know the risk factors to prevent the illness and/or slow it down and lessen the possible consequences. In this manner, people will take better decisions about their own health and will probably be healthier and have a greater life expectancy. Furthermore, people will have less need to consult professional health care providers, which will diminish the costs for the health system, whether public or private.
At HC, we believe in quality service and personalized care for every one of our patients. Each case is unique and therefore so are the needs.
Our philosophy is to get to know each individual case to focus on the treatment and for the patients to be able to rely on their nurses to take care of them appropriately.
We always inform our patients of the steps we take during their stay at the hospital and we answer any questions they may have: from the type of medication they are given, to the type of treatments they undergo (if there are any), to how to apply the techniques at home and until when they need to return to the hospital.
Our main goal is that the patient leaves happy, despite having had to go to the hospital.
Check-ups and self-exams are important components of self-care. Being well-informed about the technique and knowing how often it should be applied, leads to an adequate follow-up. For example, women need to carry out breast self-exams every month, as well as annual check-ups.
As for men, they need to carry out testicle self-exams and prostate exams as soon as they turn 50 years old.
In our hospital, we put great emphasize on this aspect. On our website, you can find out about the three different types of check-ups:
Nowadays, there is an increased interest in finding and measuring physical and emotional wellbeing, and defining what makes us feel good, both as individuals and collectively. This information can be very useful to better our lives and diminish the fog around us.
Be healthy and happy and remember the two essential prerequisites: quality of life and company of friends and family.
Sandra Jiménez Gil
Director of Nursing at HC Marbella.
July 24, 2017
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