In honor of International Self-care Day, which is observed on July 24, Assistant Professor of Teaching and Associate Director of Field Education Bernardo Hiraldo explains the importance of self-care and offers ways individuals and communities can create avenues for this critical practice.
To honor International Self-care Day, I want to acknowledge the efforts made to educate and encourage individuals about the importance of taking care of themselves. It was started in 2011 by the International Self-care Foundation to raise awareness about the importance and benefits that come with taking care of yourself. As we work to stress the importance of self-care, we want to think about the barriers to this practice. When we are under a lot of stress, how do we cope with it? What messaging have we received directly or indirectly about taking care of ourselves? In our modern society, we are encountering increased challenges in our lives from balancing work and family life to social justice issues negatively impacting marginalized groups.
It can feel overwhelming to think about what it means to take care of yourself. Even the idea of “self-care” can seem self-indulgent to some. We must raise awareness about the day-to-day struggles that people experience to cope with stress in their personal lives and as members of their communities dealing with social inequities. A society that communicates that individuals should always “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” can leave people feeling isolated and defeated.
On the other hand, when we create a culture that provides more time and flexibility for families to spend more time together or incorporate wellness practices across the various institutions in our society, how will this improve the quality of life for all? If we want to make changes to promote wellness, we need to consider what steps we can take as individuals to be more proactive about practicing self-care and addressing social justice issues that can build on the health of our communities. Furthermore, we need to have more inclusive messages that say, “you don’t have to do this alone.” This messaging will help address feelings of isolation, build community, and encourage individuals to reach out, maybe when they need it the most.
We need to continue to engage in discussions around what it means to create environments that promote wellness and make it less stigmatizing for individuals to ask for help when feeling overwhelmed. We need to advocate for changes in policies that promote the well-being of people. If we can work to make changes by improving our health systems, maternity or paternity leave, childcare, and flexibility to care for our seniors or those who are sick and addressing inequities in our systems as a whole, it can go long way to improve the health of our society. As social workers, we are committed to pursuing these changes, and it is part of our mission. It may take some time to achieve these goals, but we are patient and resilient.
Happy International Self-care Day!
This story was created in partnership with Rutgers School of Social Work's Inclusion, Intersectionality, Diversity, Equity, and Advancement (IIDEA) Committee in support of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
