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Self-care article

Self-care is all about you. It includes knowing about your health and taking simple lifestyle steps to being healthier, including eating healthily, taking regular exercise and dealing with common conditions as well as managing long-term conditions effectively.  

Self-care is the best choice to treat minor illnesses and injuries. A large range of common illnesses and injuries can be treated at home simply with over-the-counter medicines and plenty of rest.  

What is self-care? 

Self-care means looking after yourself in a healthy way, whether it’s eating healthily, taking medicine when you have a cold, or doing some exercise.  

How can I self-care? 

Self-care includes the actions you take every day in order to stay fit and maintain good physical and mental health, meet your social and emotional needs, prevent and treat illness, and care more effectively for minor ailments.  

Can anyone help me to self-care? 

Your pharmacist can help you to stock up your medicine cabinet with remedies for minor ailments and illnesses. Some useful additions to your home first-aid kit include:

• Painkillers for adults and children
• Medicines to help with all kinds of tummy upsets
• Tweezers and sharp scissors to remove splinters or cut bandages
• A thermometer to check for fever
• Antiseptic cream
• Antiseptic wipes
• A range of bandages, plasters, and dressings for minor cuts, sprains and bruises  

Why should I self-care? 

Keeping yourself fit and healthy can help protect you from illnesses like colds, flu and infections. Making lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or losing weight can also decrease your chances of getting a serious illness like cancer or heart disease. By caring for yourself, you’re helping to make sure NHS services are available for those that really need them.  

What if I don’t know if I can self-care? 

Advice is available free 24/7 on 111 and your pharmacist can also provide support and guidance.

Used by clinicians and now prescribed by clinicians, ShinyMind is a mental health and wellbeing app that has been co-designed with NHS staff and is now available to you as a wellbeing prescription, to help you live better with your condition and feel happier.

Sign up for your FREE access to ShinyMind here.

Hear what our clinicians have to say about ShinyMind:

• Dr Tayo Kufeji
• Dr Asha Chandola

Update February 2024 *

We are currently inviting some of our patients to take part in Shine Bright Virtual Groups. This is a free 4-week online Mental Wellness course delivered by the ShinyMind team and Dr Tayo Kufeji. If you have received an invitation message, please follow the links for more information and to book a place.

http://www.selfcareforum.org/

http://www.selfcareforum.org/resources/patient-portal/

http://www.selfcareforum.org/fact-sheets/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/

http://www.whenshouldiworry.com/view-booklet.php

Self referral to services

Patients can refer themselves to Healthy Living, a free web-based NHS structured education programme, clinically proven to help users to live well with type 2 diabetes. It can help users to feel confident in managing diabetes, improve mental wellbeing, and make and maintain healthy lifestyle choices.

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