Self-care risks becoming a maligned notion, increasingly associated with self-absorption or framed in lightweight terms in the media and on social media.
A thought-provoking piece in The Guardian this week on the increase in people ‘flaking’ out of social plans – that is, dropping out of social engagements, often “in the interest of personal needs and desires” - drew parallels with self-care, ultimately linking it with social fragmentation and loneliness.
The reality though, is that self-care is a critical tool on the path to prevention. Prevention is a major goal for mental health, with huge potential to lessen personal suffering, build life-long coping skills and increase the nation’s productivity.
Significant and increasing A&E wait times and difficulties in getting a GP appointment show how a lack of prevention hits services hard. Data revealed in the HSJ this week showed two-year waits for children needing help from community services - driven by neurological issues and potential mental health problems - tripled last year.
What is self-care?
It’s anything that helps to maintain emotional, psychological, and physical health, from regular exercise, healthy eating and mindfulness, to sleep hygiene and making social connections.
The intentions of self-care and preventative services are broadly the same when it comes to mental health: to help people to look after their emotional and mental health needs through a greater understanding of what works for them - and to do this better and earlier. The ‘earlier’ part is important.
Early help is key to prevention, whether that’s applying self-care strategies or finding help through a GP or a service like Kooth or Qwell. What might start out as worry about exams in some cases can escalate; finding help in-the-moment can drastically reduce the likelihood of things getting worse, while also building skills and know-how for life.
This month, Kooth is sharing many different therapeutic self-care resources with schools, on our support platforms and on our social media channels.
For a taste of what we offer, see our self care video series for young people.