International Self-Care Day

‘International Self-Care Day’ is the 24^{th of} July and recognises the importance of self-care for your general health and wellbeing. It’s on the 24^th day of the 7^th month to raise awareness that taking care of yourself should be something we actively try to do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Practising self-care doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult, it can be as simple as going to bed half an hour earlier or going for a 15-minute walk. In the spirit of the day, here's a few ways to look after yourself:

Four tips on how to look after yourself

1. Go for a short walk or try to do some form of exercise, to try to release some positive endorphins. This will help improve your mood, sleep and fitness levels. The boost it gives to your mental health is just a very welcome added bonus!
2. Create yourself a healthy sleep schedule, which means making sure you get enough sleep at regular hours. Routines like this can be really good for our wellbeing and making sure you get 7-9 hours of sleep a night is so beneficial. Obviously, that’s not always possible, if you have children or work different hours, and it’s important not to feel guilty about that. As long as you try your best than it should be more than enough.
3. Eating a healthy diet is a great way to practise self-care and can really improve your mood and energy levels. This doesn’t just mean salads, it includes the odd takeaway or meal that’s not considered too healthy. These sorts of foods are also important, especially if they give you joy.
4. Setting boundaries is integral to look after your wellbeing. These boundaries might be having the ability to say no when you don’t want to do something, or it might mean setting a boundary in any sort of relationship. They help you protect and look after yourself, so for this reason are very important.