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Health Outreach Partners https://outreach-partners.org/blog-post/modern-day-self-care-how-effective-is-it/ Export date: Mon Mar 31 18:33:02 2025 / +0000 GMT |
Modern-Day Self-Care: How Effective is It? Adjusting to life post-COVID-19 pandemic has proven difficult on a worldwide scale. Since the 2020 lockdown, there has been an approximately 25% increase in anxiety and depression, as reported by the World Health Organization. Stress factors such as increased isolation, financial worries, fear of death, and exhaustion have been linked to these increasing rates of poor mental health. Of the individuals most affected by the pandemic, healthcare professionals have been identified as having higher levels of suicidal thoughts as a result of higher work-related stress levels and exhaustion. The pandemic set in motion a “self-care boom.” Social media platforms became beacons of hope as they provided audiences with useful tips to “stay sane and stay healthy” in the months following. More and more people immersed themselves and relied on the internet to help bring them comfort and help them take control of their lives once more. During the pandemic, I was one of the many who found themselves struggling to stay afloat. My mental health crumbled as I spent hours upon hours locked inside with my thoughts. I found it extremely difficult to assimilate to this new form of life and saw these effects trickle into my life post-COVID. My social anxiety was at an all time high. I felt uncomfortable surrounded by people and was overwhelmed by the human interaction I craved while being forced to stay indoors. I turned towards methods of “self-care” in hopes of finding some “peace.” I spent extra money pampering myself, went on mother-daughter dates, and listened to music to try and block out some of my inner thoughts. - I relied on what I saw on the internet. I figured, “This MUST work; everyone on social media is talking about it.” It wasn't until my fourth year of college that I truly understood the meaning of “self- care.” One of my classes heavily revolved around deconstructing what self-care actually meant and how it could be used to help those around us. It highlighted the fact that true self-care, or radical self-care, dealt with partaking in practices that nourished the body as a whole. The practices worked to target our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual selves. My professor explained that more well-rounded self-care practices involved meditation, time spent outdoors and in nature, journaling, and improved sleeping patterns. Moreover, she discussed the importance of taking care of our inner struggles in order to be better equipped to support those around us. Boy was I wrong- I was addressing the issue on a superficial level! I thought that monetary investments would help alleviate some of the anxiety and mental anguish I was experiencing. I failed to nourish my body on a deeper level and saw that reflected in the lack of improvement. As Public Health workers, we must first learn to take care of our own needs so that we might better address the needs of the communities we aim to help. Being fully charged and ready to go will allow us to better support our targeted communities for as long as they need without experiencing burnout. Resources: https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in- prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide |
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Post date: 2024-08-23 12:28:03 Post date GMT: 2024-08-23 19:28:03 Post modified date: 2024-08-23 12:28:03 Post modified date GMT: 2024-08-23 19:28:03 |
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