Kate Cataldo

Self-care is the new healthcare.

Self-care is any activity that we do in life in order to take care of our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Taking care of yourself is the same as self-care.

The challenge is identifying the different things that we need to do individually that make up the best way to take care of ourselves.

There are many reasons you should never avoid or opt out of taking care of yourself.

One, you are worth it. You deserve to be healthy.

Two, it promotes a healthy work/life balance. Your life should not be all work, make sure to leave room for “me time.”

Other reasons to start taking care of yourself are managing stress, to live instead of exist, and for better overall physical health.

All you have to do is go for a light jog, meditate, take a break when you need it, laugh heartily at least once daily, avoid emotional eating, learn to say “no,” and stop over thinking.

These are ways to start taking care of yourself today.

Self-care is preventative care, and more employers are finding value in promoting self-care practices.

According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), 10 percent of visits to the doctor’s office are unnecessary. Those appointments cost employers billions of dollars in lost productivity and unnecessary health care costs.

It is hard for employees to be engaged and productive when they are unhealthy and unengaged. And, unengaged and unproductive employees hurt companies in the long run.

Some companies have formal wellness or well-being programs in place, but for the ones who don’t, it’s good to brainstorm around the idea of promoting more self-care practices.

Different things a company can do to support employee self-care without spending more money or adding more programs include making ergonomics a top priority. This includes things like good lighting, chairs that provide good posture, and quiet spaces to concentrate.

Companies can also promote “stop doing” goals, which instead of adding more on to a “to-do” list, promote a list of things employees should stop doing. This activity has been proven helpful in changing the attitude and behavior in the workplace.

All employers should encourage the use of health insurance wellness benefits like physicals, shots, vaccinations, and screening tests. Other self-care practices to promote in the workplace include planning healthier company-sponsored meals, promote sleep, offer stress and time management courses, practice mindfulness, promote more and frequent employee recognitions, and provide flexible work schedules.

A lot of value can be found in preventative self-care.