Each year July 24 is recognized as International Self-Care Day (ISD). This is a worldwide campaign designed to bring awareness to the importance of self-care and to encourage the general public to practice responsible self-care 24 hours a day seven days a week. At the Lavallee Health Centre, we understand the importance of self-care in the journey of healing. The ISD is based upon seven pillars, all of which are in alignment with the values of our Centre. We would like to encourage our clients to consider cultivating some of these small but highly effective self-care strategies into your daily lives. Health Literacy – Becoming proactive about your health leads to better decisions about what you need to do for self-care. Our healthcare team is always available to discuss your health needs and to assist you in discovering the best ways for you to understand the needs of your body. Self-Awareness – What is your body telling you? When was the last time you had your body metrics taken, conducted a detailed screening of your blood, received an assessment of your mobility? All the members of our healthcare team are capable of conducting various body assessments as well as creating plans to address your specific health concerns. Physical Activity – Moving the body positively affects the quality of life. We understand that there are many things that can prevent you from engaging in movement. Our center provides many services that can help you get your body moving again in addition to the support tools to implement small changes to make moving your body a consistent priority. Healthy Eating – Most people don’t realize that the foods they eat play a major role in their quality of life. There is so much conflicting information about what is considered to be healthy. Partnering with our nutritional professionals will assist you in making realistic dietary changes that can dramatically improve mood, weight management, mobility, pain and sleep. Risk Avoidance or Mitigation – It is natural to adopt unhealthy ways of dealing with the stress in our lives and we witness first hand how these activates negatively impact self-care. Our mental health team works with clients to create healthy alternatives to unhelpful behaviours. Good hygiene – Without a quality nights sleep, our lives become unmanageable. Sleep is one of the areas we can all “clean-up” in our lives. Adopting good sleep hygiene strategies will have you sleeping like a baby and starting each day refreshed. Massage, diet and acupuncture are just some of the services that can positively affect your sleep. Rational and Responsible use of Health Products and Services – In this fast paced life we want to feel better … yesterday. This often can lead to the over prescription of medication and the unhealthy use of substances that may be creating more damage than good. Holistic approaches to health concerns help clients discover the root causes of their health conditions. Together we investigate deficiencies in the body and develop plans to support your body’s unique needs. Book an appointment today to see how we can assist you in improving your self care routine.