24 June – 24 July
Self-Care Month starts on 24 June and ends on 24 July. 24 July is International Self-Care Day, an annual celebration to raise awareness about self-care and the self-care interventions for maintaining good health and wellbeing. Self-care can be practiced 24 hours a day/7days a week. The benefits of self-care are life-long and do not just relate to a single day.
Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.
Self-care includes health promotion, disease prevention and control, self-medication, giving care to dependent people, seeking primary care, hospital or specialist when needed, and rehabilitation and palliative care.
Self-care interventions are tools that support self-care and promote individuals’ active participation in their healthcare. These include evidence-based, high-quality drugs, devices, diagnostics and digital interventions.
Self-care works as a part to support the health system. While people are using self-care interventions, they can also access the health system and community support for further assistance when needed.
Self-care is necessary because of:
Self-care interventions can:
Self-care and self-care interventions are integral components of health system. They should not replace health systems, but rather enhance them.
References-
https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2022/06/24/default-calendar/self-care-month
https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/self-care-interventions-for-health
https://www.who.int/health-topics/self-care#tab=tab_2