The term self care has become quite popular with more and more people opting to put themselves, their needs, and their health first. We’re diving into what exactly self care is, why self care is health care, and if it’s related to your health insurance.
When a term becomes so popular, it very often loses its true meaning and becomes a watered-down version of itself. This then leads to people questioning its validity or importance or it causes a belief that it’s more of a trend than something really important.
This is why we thought we would go into what exactly self care is, why self care is health care, and how it relates to your health insurance (because it really does!).
What is self care?
Self care is not about being selfish or self-indulgent or treating yourself to a tub of ice cream because you had a tough day. There’s more to it than that.
Essentially, what self care is, is making conscious decisions and actions that benefit your overall physical, mental, and emotional well-being. That’s why we say self care is health care.
There are many forms of self care, like ensuring you get enough sleep every night or stepping outside for a few minutes for some fresh air. No matter what though, self care is important for you to build resilience against various stressors in life that could potentially impact your health in the long run.
Self care is more often than not seen as a luxury rather than a necessity. On social media platforms, it’s painted as heading to the spa, binge-watching series, or overindulging in treats. It’s not that at all though, it’s about creating habits that will benefit you in the long run.
How to practice self care
There are various ways you can practice self care but you need to make sure that the self care plan you implement will benefit you holistically.
Physical
Think about what your body needs to perform optimally. Some ideas of how to practice self care to benefit you physically would be to:
- Make sure you’re getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night
- Eat a well-balanced diet that fuels your body
- Move your body at least once a day for 15 – 30 minutes
Related: Everyday Workouts: Daily habits that exercise your body without you noticing
Social
When people think about self care, they often don’t think about the social aspect of it. This is where you ensure you’re seeing friends and family that add to your life and make you feel good. It is so important to make sure you’re spending enough time with your loved ones and that you nurture these relationships.
Mental
Your mental health is one of the most important aspects of self care. Make sure you are filling your mind with positive thoughts. The more negatively you think, the more this will take a toll on your mental well-being and in turn, your physical well-being.
Practice a positive inner-self dialogue and focus on strengthening your mind through puzzles or reading.
Emotional
You need to be able to deal with uncomfortable and difficult situations in a healthy way. It is vital to find healthy coping mechanisms to process your emotions and feelings. This could be by talking to a partner, a close friend, or even a professional. A massive part of self care is processing your feelings and finding ways to make yourself feel recharged again.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Dealing with Anxiety: 3 Simple Tips Nobody Tells You About
Spiritual
Research has shown that finding a deeper, spiritual connection can lead to a healthier way of life. This can be a religious connection, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s about finding something that calms you and helps you feel connected to the universe. You could do this through meditation, yoga, or praying if you are religious.
So self care is health care, but how does it relate to insurance?
Now that you have a better understanding of the importance of self care, you must be thinking “okay but how does it relate to insurance then?”
Well, by practising adequate self care and having an effective self care routine you could help:
- Reduce feelings of anxiety and depression
- Reduce stress and improve resilience
- Improve feelings of happiness and joy
- Increase your energy levels
- Reduce the possibility of burnout
- Create stronger interpersonal relationships
- And more…
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self care is important because it can help promote health, prevent disease, and help people better cope with illness. This means that you will be less likely to claim from your health insurance.
By taking care of yourself every day, your health insurance won’t have to do that for you. You will be less likely to land up at the doctor or be in need of medication because you are prioritising your wellness every single day.
Read next: The Importance of Preventive Screenings
To wrap up…
Now, we aren’t saying that by practising self care, you will never need a doctor or health cover ever again. Unfortunately, that simply is not the case. It’s still vital to have a great health insurance policy that protects you in the event of an accident, a health scare, a doctor’s visit, and everything in between.
If self care is health care, then having a health insurance policy is part of practising self care too. You’re making sure you are protected from anything that could possibly go wrong and putting your health care first.
Make sure you look after your health and wellness by practising self care and investing in a valuable insurance policy.
Your Health Insurance Family,
Oneplan
