The moment we acknowledge the importance of self-care, our journey toward a fulfilling life begins. It is one of the most vital components of our wellness routines and overall health. To have a better understanding of self-care practices and the positive habits that impact our wellbeing, we must rely on the information that is available to us and adopt a personalised approach that is suited to our needs. According to the International Self-Care Foundation, the first of the seven pillars of self-care is knowledge and health literacy. It’s the crucial first step in creating a healthy lifestyle worth living for and improving upon. Those with health literacy skills live better lives and walk on a consistent positive path of making the right choices regarding their well-being.
Today, around 3.6 billion people across the globe lack access to essential health services. To help cope with these numbers, entities such as the World Health Organisation continue to advocate for self-care education, emphasising the importance of seeking and assessing health information to understand and follow both simple and complex instructions in a daily medication regimen. It is critical to educate people on how and when to access healthcare in order to make more informed decisions, as well as to share health-promoting activities with their communities in order to promote awareness of health challenges that people face every day.
The more we know, the better we can take care of ourselves and each other. There must always be open dialogue and collaborations between private and public organisations in order for society to create a strong culture of self-care. In today’s digital-driven world, many platforms or channels can be utilised to boost consumer health education. From promoting good habits of consuming health supplements to wearable technology that provides individuals with full self-monitorisation of health, higher engagement between healthcare professionals and the public has driven people to prioritise methods of improving one’s wellbeing as quickly and as safely as possible. Enhanced health literacy helps individuals to realise their wellness potential by taking greater control of life choices, avoiding dangerous behavior, and preparing for future health-related challenges with affordable and efficient treatment.
Implementing self-care strategies through healthcare organisations provides undeniable benefits for patients. People are given the opportunity to protect their own health, know where to look for information, how to use that knowledge, how to utilize self-care products and practices, know exactly about the medicines they are consuming, seek professional advice at ideal moments, and help and motivate others to do the same. While it is important to build trust between patients and their care providers, it is as crucial to equip patients with both innovations and insights that expand their knowledge of health, giving them the skills to distinguish what is both good and bad for their well-being.
We cannot underestimate the power of education and our ability to apply the information we need to create a healthier and happier life. As techniques and practices for enhancing the patient care journey evolve, we must never stop learning. As individuals who want the best for ourselves and others around us, we must continue to navigate through the challenges of healthcare together. We have the ability to transform the way society lives by adopting simple self-care practices driven by a rich ecosystem of self-care knowledge. And what we have learned from the recent pandemic is that we are more than capable of overcoming unprecedented hurdles in healthcare, powered by empathy, resilience, and proactively leveraging self-care insights to build a stronger foundation for our mental and physical health.
