With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to show yourself, and your health, some proper self care. Is it time to take stock and commit to improving and maintaining your mind and body this Valentine’s Day? We think so.
While cupid’s arrow is flying, it’s a great time to set some ‘resolutions’ or affirmations for how you want to improve or take care of your health and wellbeing this year.
So, starting today, why not take a moment to plan and execute those small improvements that will help you live better throughout the rest of the year.
Get a check up
The covid-19 pandemic has, for some, made it more difficult to see your GP and as a result many individuals with severe medical conditions have gone undiagnosed and untreated. Although the waiting lists for operations are still at an all-time high, you should not be deterred from booking an appointment to discuss anything with your GP, practice nurse, dentist etc.
Routine screenings for cancers, heart conditions, asthma etc have been interrupted in the past 20 months but you should check with your local surgery or clinic whether you can book for anything you’re due.
Remember that early intervention and treatment is the most successful way to treat any condition so now is the time to speak to your medical professional about any niggles or issues you might be having.
Do Some Home-Checks
If you’re suffering from a condition that requires regular health checks you might be able to run some of those checks at home, to save you some of the time and pressure of booking an appointment at your local surgery.
With a condition like high blood pressure there is substantial evidence to suggest that the use of a home blood pressure monitor can actually give a better indication of blood pressure than being tested in a clinical setting. Regular home testing is more cost effective for the NHS, it reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and it’s much easier for you, the patient, in the long term.
Similarly with diabetes, regular testing with a glucose monitoring system is the key to keeping your condition under control.
Perhaps now is the time to invest in a testing kit to streamline that aspect of your health care - and show yourself some self-care at the same time!
Daily Self-Care
Self-care is, simply, the practice of taking positive action to preserve or improve your own mental and physical health. And the best bit is that while self care doesn’t need to take a lot of time or money, it can hugely improve your day to day life.
Finding what works for you might take a bit of time but it might be that you simply need to stop for 20 minutes every morning to practice some breathing techniques in order to improve your mood/energy each day. Perhaps you need to seek therapy, remove stress from your life or pledge to improve your diet.
Regularly taking time to engage in simple joys can make the world of difference in your mental and physical outlook.
Seek Help Online
We’re lucky to be living in a time where we can access so much help and information from the comfort of our own homes.
No matter what condition you might be struggling with you will find an online resource to match it. If you’re suffering from a medical condition (such as arthritis, mobility conditions, auto-immune disease, heart condition etc) there is a wealth of tools and chat groups online where you can find support, track your symptoms, and more.
Maybe now is the time to download that app, join that Facebook group or register with that charity which can help immensely with your situation.
So, this Valentine’s Day, why not take a moment to plan some health goals for the year and put in place some simple, self-care measures to improve your day to day life, maintain your condition and even make your mental and physical health all the better.
Need more help? We're always here to help so get in touch today.
For all your Medical and Homecare supplies give us a call at Mediworld.
We have over 40 years experience in medical, surgical, mobility and home health supplies and we're always on hand to chat if you need support or advice and don't forget to read our other great health blogs!
February 2022