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Self-care can be defined in so many ways. In fact, a study conducted by the International Self-Care Foundation (ISF) in 2011 discovered a whopping 139 various definitions of the term. Crazy right? With all these different definitions floating around, there was a potential for people to get confused and be misled. Their solution? Create a clear framework that incorporates some of the main ideas present across these definitions so people have something to base their self-care on. This is where the ISF’s ‘Seven Pillars of Self Care’ framework was born. This framework involves the following seven “pillars”: knowledge and health literacy, mental well-being, physical activity, healthy eating, risk avoidance, good hygiene, and rational use of products and services. These pillars help guide your self-care and show you the key things you need in order to have good lifelong health. 

In this post, we will discuss each of the seven pillars of self-care mentioned above and give you some examples of self-care activities that fall under each of these pillars. 

The Seven Pillars Of Self-Care (Based On The ISF Framework):

1. Knowledge and Health Literacy

It can also be so overwhelming when you go to see a healthcare professional and they throw a whole bunch of information at you and expect you to first be able to understand it and then second be able to make decisions about it. One of the biggest sources of overwhelm in these situations is that the healthcare industry is full of complex language, procedures, medications, and more that most of us have never even heard of! This is where having a good level of health literacy is so important. Health literacy is having a good level of knowledge about things surrounding your health like self-care and disease. It is also about having skills like being able to research and understand information about health so that you can be more in control and play an active role in your healthcare.

Having good health literacy and knowledge allows you to:

• Understand any information given to you by different healthcare professionals
• Be able to understand and follow instructions and plans given to you by healthcare professionals
• Seek out accurate and reliable information by yourself and be able to interpret and understand this information
• Be able to evaluate information and identify when information is inaccurate or potentially harmful
• Be able to use health information appropriately to look after your health
• Make more informed decisions about your health
• Be able to make healthier choices, engage in less risky behaviour and have better overall health
• Have the ability to question healthcare professionals and properly discuss options that are available to you
• Have a knowledge and understanding of risk factors that might affect you
• Understand the appropriate use of tests and treatments
• Know what healthcare resources are available to you and be able to access them when you need them

Ultimately knowledge and health literacy are two of the greatest tools you need to have greater authority over your healthcare. If you understand your body and your health you can take the necessary actions to look after it in the best way possible. 

Ideas on how you can improve your health literacy:

• Develop a basic level of health knowledge. Understand how your body works and know the causes of common diseases and illnesses like the flu. Know how lifestyle factors like smoking, eating fatty foods, how often you exercise and what type of exercise, drinking water etc affect your health. 
• Learn how to evaluate information sources so that you can start finding more reliable information (here is a good guide from Benedictine University to help you get started).
• Learn how to read food labels and know what to look out for so that you can make better choices around food purchases

2. Mental Wellbeing, Self Awareness and Agency

According to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, mental well-being is defined as “feeling good, functioning well, and feeling connected.” Mental well-being includes how you feel about yourself and your life as well as broader concepts like having a feeling of purpose and a sense of belonging.

Self-awareness is your internal evaluation of yourself. It is being able to be in tune with your physical, mental, and emotional state as well as being aware of your behaviour, values, and actions. In terms of self-care, self-awareness is being able to recognise the condition of your health and apply both your internal knowledge and health literacy to your particular circumstances. 

Agency is your ability to take action! It is about using your self-awareness regarding your condition and circumstances to give you the purpose for action (which you then act upon).

Altogether these three terms mean being aware of your mental and physical states and having the motivation to do something about it in order to improve and/or protect your day-to-day functioning. 

How you can use this pillar for self-care:

• Have knowledge of what screening tests are applicable to you and when you should start getting them (and then actually going and getting them done). This could be stuff like breast screening, prostate checks, bowel screening etc.
• Learn your family’s medical history so that you know any potential conditions you have inherited and can offer this history to medical professionals if necessary. 
• Know what lifestyle factors affect your health: Develop an awareness of the food you consume and the amount of physical activity you do. Also develop an awareness of how much alcohol you drink or cigarettes you smoke in a week, if this applies to you. This helps you with reporting this to health professionals if asked and developing an awareness about lifestyle habits can provide you with the agency needed to make a change. 

3. Physical Activity

The third pillar of self-care is physical activity. Physical activity is important for maintaining your overall well-being including your physical, mental, and emotional health. The benefits range from improving the health of your heart to positively impacting your learning and thinking. The key is to find physical activities that you enjoy doing so that you are motivated to do them and won’t have to force yourself to do them (I’m sure you are all familiar with that slippery slope of talking yourself out of going to the gym). 

The World Health Organization recommends that adults between the ages of 18-64 should have at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity included in their week. Alternatively, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity or a combination of the two can also be included to a similar effect. 

Ideas for including physical activity in your self-care routine:

• Go for a walk in your lunch break
• Join a social sport
• Swap out driving to work with cycling
• Challenge yourself to try a sport you never thought your would (e.g. social dancing, badminton, fencing, table tennis)

4. Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is essential to maintaining good health. It helps you ensure that you have the right nutrients your body needs for fuel, growth, concentration, general functioning, and weight maintenance. This is because healthy eating is eating the right amount of the right foods to ensure that you get all the nutrients you need to fuel yourself, without leaving excess energy to be stored as fat by the body. 

Some ways to improve your healthy eating

• Educate yourself about what a healthy diet actually looks like (you probably know that you need to eat less sugar and eat more vegetables etc, but do you how much of these things you should be consuming in order to stay healthy). Here is a really good resource from the World Health Organization if you would like to educate yourself about how to eat healthier. 
• Don’t stock non-nutritious snacks in your house (this is great for eliminating the need to exercise self control).
• Meal prep if you can so that when you get home after a long day and don’t feel like cooking, you already have a nutritious meal ready and waiting. 
• Experiment with new recipes! Healthy food does not have to be boring- there are so many ways to create delicious healthy meals. 

5. Risk Avoidance or Mitigation

This self-care pillar is all about you taking the responsibility to look after your health by not doing things that are going to increase your risk of harm or even death. This includes not involving yourself in risky activities like driving dangerously or risky behaviours like binge drinking. It is also about taking on the responsibility of not harming other people with your actions. A lot of risky activities and behaviours have the potential to seriously harm other people. You need to therefore be aware of such consequences and seriously consider them before choosing whether to engage in a particular activity.  

Ideas to Mitigate your risks:

• Quit smoking/vaping (or don’t even start)
• Practice safe sex and get regular check-ups if you are sexually active
• Practice good sun safety (e.g. wearing sunscreen and a hat and don’t overexpose yourself to high UV levels)
• Wear the proper protective equipment for the activity that you are doing (e.g. wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle, bicycle, or e-scooter). 

6. Good hygiene

This pillar is all about keeping both you and the spaces you occupy clean and healthy. It is also about the day-to-day practices that keep you free of unwanted germs. Keeping good hygiene habits reduces your risk of getting sick as well as passing on illnesses to those around you. 

Ways to practice good hygiene:

• Learn how to prepare and store food properly (reduces your chances of getting and spreading tummy bugs)
• Learn how to wash your hands properly and actually put it into practice 
• Make sure to brush and floss daily
• Change your sheets regularly (you’ll be surprised how long some people go without doing this…)
• Opt for your sneezing into your elbow rather than your hand
• Keep your living spaces clean (doesn’t have to be tidy if that’s not your style, but definitely make sure to clean and sanitise your home frequently)

7. Rational use of products and services 

This last pillar is about using the resources and tools available in a safe and responsible manner as part of your self-care to look after your health in an effective way. There are so many different self-care products and services available to us nowadays, from medications and natural health products (like vitamins and supplements) to devices and health and wellness services (like acupuncture or gym memberships). 

When used rationally these products, resources, and services can delay, resolve and/or maintain your health condition. However when used incorrectly, they come with their own range of risks and potentially harmful effects, so it is essential that you use them properly!

How to use products and services rationally for self care:

• Understand the risks and effects of using a particular medication both when it is used properly and when it is misused. 
• Always read the label and instructions of any medication or self care product before using it. 
• Stick to the instructions. If your medication says not to eat a particular food, if your product says you can’t use it if you have a particular condition, or if a professional tells you can’t do a particular activity with your condition, then please listen to those instructions. 

Self-care is an essential part of making sure you live a long healthy life. 

You now know the seven fundamental ways to practice the types of self-care you need in order to achieve this life. Some of these pillars are definitely easier and more engaging than others, but they all play a vital role in protecting and improving your health, so be sure not to neglect any of them. 

“You are a VIP, a very important person so take care with self care. If not you, who? If not now, when?”― Toni Hawkins