Do you neglect your self-care routine? Do you forget to take a long hot soak in the bath instead of a rushed shower? Fail to prioritise sleep over tomorrow’s laundry? Dive into processed food instead of cook yourself a nourishing meal? We can all forget to put ourselves first and practising self-care is more essential than ever.

There has been an increase in people suffering from loneliness and isolation since the pandemic, increasing the risk of self-neglect. This can be a difficult matter for practitioners to approach due to finding the balance between respecting a person’s autonomy and carrying out a duty to protect their well-being.

“There were two dominant narratives about self-neglect. The first narrative concerned the early identification by volunteers of ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ people that they were supporting. Some people had care and support needs and were known to adult social care services, others either did not care and support needs but were at risk of abuse or neglect or they were not considered to have been at risk of abuse or neglect.

The second predominant narrative was the increasing difficulties that practitioners were experiencing in getting people who were self-neglecting to engage with them during the pandemic; the pandemic was given as an additional reason as to why people were unable to communicate with professionals. Health partners were reported as identifying increased numbers of patients who had been ‘hidden’ during lockdown and then presented with more acute self-neglect when they presented at the health setting following the easing of lockdown.”

COVID-19 Adult Safeguarding Insight Project – Second Report (July 2021) Local Government Association.

To help combat self-neglect and focus on our own well-being we need to look at various practises to promote our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health. So what can we do?

Make sleep a priority

Lack of sleep makes us more sensitive to stress and can enable us to make poor decisions, cause irritability and make us more emotionally unstable.

Practise yoga

Yoga has been proven to help combat stress, tone and strengthen our muscles, improve cardio and circulatory health, as well as increase our energy levels.

Cook yourself a nourishing meal

Research has shown that cooking from scratch can be therapeutic giving us a sense of connection and  belonging, allowing us to reveal our creativity.

Try aromatherapy

Studies have shown that aromatherapy helps reduce anxiety and depression in adults. Certain fragrances can help make you feel calm such as lavender, jasmine and bergamot. 

Practice a positive affirmation

Positive affirmations have become extremely popular and there is reason why. Practising a positive affirmation each day can motivate us, help us to have a positive attitude, boost confidence and enable us to concentrate on our goals.

So try these tips for yourself and embrace a new self-care routine!