The first day of July brought in relief. I remember how the pitter patter of the rain calmed the heat in Mumbai and it was a relieving balance between windy, cloudy and mildly sunny. As I scrolled social media, I read a post that said “July has a nice, soothing orange heart vibe.” An orange heart represents warmth, support and care. This for us at Unhurry® and our mother NGO Kindness Practice Foundation holds true through the month and always, as we spread awareness on mental health, nutrition and sustainability.
And that’s what made July special (apart from me being a July baby!). It marks Self-Care awareness month. There are still individuals who look at their calendar and pick out a Sunday and declare it as their “self-care day.” What we still don’t realise is that it is daily process. Remind yourself of the many layers of your daily choices that impact your quality of life. Even nature supports this aspect – In aNature Vs Nurture research, nurturing a child holds higher impact than their genetic make-up, study finds. Research also supports movement for the elderly agility and highlights that golfing regularly could be a hole-in-one for older adults’ health. Self-nurturing means being kind to ourselves and the environment we inhabit. Our health is connected to the health of the planet and this means being conscious about what/how much we buy, how we eat or ways in which we manage waste. As per a study, consumers have a huge environmental impact. July also had awareness days on Sarcoma, Bone Cancer, IVF, and Hepatitis. These are conditions that impact mental health, but are spoken about less.
As we hit publish on each story daily, the string that holds them together is the importance of holistic health. On July 24, 2024, Self-Care Day, we conducted The 10th Autoimmune Community Meet®. As part of our foundation initiatives, since 2021, we have been doing The Autoimmune Community® meets as a support group for autoimmune warriors. To hit the 10th one on self-care day and meet 40 Autoimmune Warriors from across the world was gratifying. This time, we received practical advice from Dr Hardik Parikh, an ophthalmologist, about eye health. As with this meet and other medical professionals who join these meets, the core we all address is the same – What are we doing for our own holistic health? So if you are an autoimmune warrior struggling with physical and emotional upheavals, join our support group – click here.
We live a fast paced life. But, if we don’t stop to Unhurry® on a consistent basis, a health emergency can catch up and force us to pause. Don’t let that happen.
Breathe Deeply. And remember, self-care is a daily necessity, just like bathing.