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What is Self-Care?
by O. Duong
Relax with a hot bath, treat yourself to massage, or indulge in a weighted blanket to help you sleep. There are a lot of self-care products and services intended to help you look and feel better. While they sound nice, they can make self-care seem self-centered or narcissistic. Veterans, who trained to live by a moral code that includes responsibility and commitment, can find it difficult to prescribe to something that they perceive as self-indulgent.
However, there is a better way to look at self-care. Think of an athlete who consistently trains and conditions to maintain peak performance. Self-care is taking care of yourself so you can stay in optimal shape to handle life’s challenges.
According to The Self-Care Handbook, by Gill Hasson, self-care is not selfish. It is a system that you customize to your needs and that enables you to take care of yourself on a regular basis so you can maintain a healthy mind, heart, and body. It does not need to be complicated or difficult. In fact, the easier it is, the more maintainable it will be.
by O. Duong
Relax with a hot bath, treat yourself to massage, or indulge in a weighted blanket to help you sleep. There are a lot of self-care products and services intended to help you look and feel better. While they sound nice, they can make self-care seem self-centered or narcissistic. Veterans, who trained to live by a moral code that includes responsibility and commitment, can find it difficult to prescribe to something that they perceive as self-indulgent.
However, there is a better way to look at self-care. Think of an athlete who consistently trains and conditions to maintain peak performance. Self-care is taking care of yourself so you can stay in optimal shape to handle life’s challenges.
According to The Self-Care Handbook, by Gill Hasson, self-care is not selfish. It is a system that you customize to your needs and that enables you to take care of yourself on a regular basis so you can maintain a healthy mind, heart, and body. It does not need to be complicated or difficult. In fact, the easier it is, the more maintainable it will be.
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For instance, a simple system to help you remember to take your daily blood pressure medicine could be to put the medicine next to your toothbrush so that you take the medicine before you brush your teeth each morning. As a result of taking your medicine daily, you lower your blood pressure and improve your health which enables you to be more active. This in turn reduces the worry of an impending heart attack.
How Do You Know You Need Self-Care?
Some indicators that you need self-care include feeling:
How Do You Know You Need Self-Care?
Some indicators that you need self-care include feeling:
- Overburdened or over-committed
- Anxious or worried
- Tired or like you’re not sleeping well
- Like you need to be alone
- Down after being with others, or being on social media
- Like you are not eating well or exercising enough
- Like there is pain and the pain is multiplying
- Empty, disconnected, or lonely
- Not confident that you can succeed or that you deserve good things in your life
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At some point in life everyone experiences one or more of these feelings and everyone should consider adding self-care to their daily lives. The key is to be aware of these feelings and make sure that you take care of yourself so you do not reach the point of being overwhelmed.
If you want self-care to be effective:
- evaluate your circumstances
- create a plan to build a system that works for you
- make sure it is beneficial, simple, and enjoyable
- make it a habit
For more self-care ideas, visit the Liberty Medical Center website, where you can find articles and information on services dedicated to the veteran community and their physical and mental well-being.
Article Sources:
“Spotlight on Mental Health” (May, 2022) US Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/news/feature/mental-health.cfm
“The Self-Care Handbook” (2022) Gill Hasson,
“Atomic Habits” (October 16, 2018) James Clear
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