Self Care Week reminds us to exercise self care for life

Self Care Week is an annual national event that raises awareness of what we can all do to improve our physical health and mental wellbeing. This year Self Care Week runs from Monday 14 to Sunday 20 November, and the theme is ‘Exercise Self Care for Life’.

Claire Hand, Lead Medicines Optimisation Pharmacy Technician at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin said:  Self Care Week is a perfect time to think about how we live our lives and maybe make some small changes that will improve our health and wellbeing, and that of our family too.

“Those changes could mean looking at what we eat or drink, or how much exercise we do or how much sleep we are getting. They could be about our work-life balance, as it’s important to remember that staying connected to our friends and family is also vital to wellbeing.

“Knowing what to do and where to go for help is an important part of practising self care for life. Remember, it isn’t just the GP practice that can help, local pharmacies provide teams of health experts. They are in most communities, local to you and can help with all sorts of ailments. Pharmacists can also signpost you to the right place for additional health advice or treatment, if required.”

NHS 111 can also be a good resource for health advice for things that are not life-threatening. And the NHS website has lots of information on what steps to take to look after you and your family.

Click here to read more. The Self Care Forum also has some useful fact sheets you might like to download, available by clicking here.

Practising self care is something we all need to do every day. For ourselves. For our families. And for the NHS.