Having a self-care practice ingrained into our daily lifestyle is essential to overall health and well-being.
A study by The British Journal of General Practice found that “self-care behaviour of patients is relevant not only for preventing future health problems, such as heart disease and lung cancer, but also in mediating the course of long-term conditions.”
The same study concluded that “self-care affects health outcomes through several pathways:
- adherence to treatment regimes;
- maintenance of good physical health through lifestyle choices (for example, diet, not smoking);
- monitoring symptoms to inform treatment/self-care decisions;
- monitoring and managing stress and/or emotional consequences of illness;
- interacting effectively with health professionals to ensure that patients' needs are expressed and addressed; and
- using social support networks to help to achieve the above.”
The rippling effects of prioritizing self-care are paramount.
The consensus of research from a landmark study, entitled “5 Dimensions of Self-Caring that Heal Healthcare” revealed that a healing experience happens and improves as a result of practicing self-care in all aspects of life. “You simply can't provide a healing and healthy experience for others unless you take care of yourself,” said Cindy Bultena, RN, vice president, Patient Experience at Woodwinds Hospital, St. Paul, Minn.
Dawn Bazarko, the senior vice-president at Center for Nursing Advancement at United Health Group stated in the same study, “My ability to be more centered and focused expands my capacity to give to others and ultimately be more effective as an employee and human being.”
REFERENCES
Greaves, Colin J, and John L Campbell. “Supporting Self-Care in General Practice.” The British Journal of General Practice 57.543 (2007): 814–821.
Experience In Motion. “5 Dimensions of Self-caring that Heal Healthcare: The foundation of an experience management strategy”. (February 2010)