Self-care is an essential aspect of any nursing as it helps to resolve numerous health problems or even prevent their development by introducing appropriate health practices. The modern healthcare system also accepts the enhanced importance of activities aimed at caring for self as they contribute to better outcomes. Cooperating with therapists and health workers, patients can significantly improve the state of their health. At the same time, self-care could be used not only in acute conditions. A person might identify his/her existing problem areas and act aiming at their elimination. In such a way, this sort of intervention becomes an extremely potent tool that could be used with preventive purposes to decrease the probability of the emergence of a particular disease (Nevins & Sherman, 2015). Self-care also acquires the top priority if a person has a negative family history complicated by numerous genetically determined illnesses or leads a lifestyle that might create the basis for the development of undesired states.
The Basic Concepts
As for me, I completely accept the idea of self-care, its importance, and its unique role in the preservation of health status. The concept of health could be defined as the soundness of body, mind, and the absence of any diseases or problematic states (Livingstone & Gaffney, 2016). In such a way, to achieve this soundness, it is fundamental to perform activities aimed at the cultivation of a healthy lifestyle and immune system reinforcement as the only barrier that protects us from the deterioration of the bodys normal functioning or a disease (Livingstone & Gaffney, 2016). Correctly realizing his/her current needs, a person might create a self-care plan that can help attain outstanding outcomes. Numerous investigators and theories evidence the fundamental role of this activity. For instance, Orem in the Theory of self-care deficit revolves around patients ability to contribute to the improvement of their states on their own (Hartweg, 2015). Defining self-care as a set of activities performed to support individuals mental, emotional, and physical health, Orem emphasizes its central role in recovery and prevention (Hartweg, 2015).
Aspects to Be Altered
Accepting the concept of self-care, I also realize the necessity to engage in a particular activity to improve my health or cease the emergence of health issues. At the moment, I can differentiate several aspects that should be considered. First, my lifestyle should be altered as there is a significant lack of physical activity and cardio exercises that are beneficial for the cardiovascular system and the overall state of the body. I correctly realize that this aspect could result in the emergence of diverse health problems such as heart failure, stroke, limited mobility, etc., and deterioration of the quality of my life in the future (Nevins & Sherman, 2015). For this reason, changes are needed. The second factor is poor dietary habits. Analyzing my daily ration, I might admit that I eat numerous harmful products containing fat, salt, and sugar. The last substance is extremely important as an appropriate sugar balance is the key to a healthy lifestyle and absence of diabetes (Nevins & Sherman, 2015). For this reason, some alterations to my lifestyle and food habits should be introduced to ensure the improvement of my health status and its preservation at a high level. To achieve this goal, the following plan could be suggested:
Plan
- Reconsideration of food habits with the primary aim to minimize the use of sweets and rich in fat products.
- Use specific applications to monitor the consumption of calories and sugar.
- Consultation with a fitness instructor to create an appropriate program that considers my current physical status.
- Creation of a new schedule to devote time to new physical activities.
- Constant assessment of the health status to discover new health issues if they appear.
- Evaluation of the efficiency of the created plan. Introduction of alterations if necessary.
The suggested plan could help me to address all problematic issues and significantly improve the quality of my life and health status. Its efficiency is proven by several factors. First, it considers all peculiarities of my lifestyle and the most problematic areas that should be affected. Second, it introduces a comprehensive and well-thought-out approach to the mitigation of negative effects of poor dietary habits and the lack of physical activity (Nevins & Sherman, 2015). Finally, it considers my current demands and desires. For this reason, the given plan should be accepted as an efficient way to engage in self-care activities and ensure the gradual improvement of my state along with the elimination of the causes for the development of diseases.
Conclusion
Altogether, self-care is a potent tool that could be used by both patients and health workers with the primary aim to enhance their health status and ensure the preservation of the high quality of their lives. Being rather simple, these activities are often mentioned by theorists like Orem in her self-care model as an efficient way to attain better outcomes and remain healthy. For this reason, I also use this approach to reconsider my lifestyle and ensure that no chronic disease or some other undesired state will appear in the future.
References
Hartweg, D. (2015). Dorothea Orem: Self-care deficit theory (notes on nursing theories). New York, NY: SAGE Publications.
Livingstone, J., & Gaffney, J. (2016). Relationship power in health care: science of behavior change, decision making, and clinician self-care. New York, NY: Routledge.
Nevins, C., & Sherman, J. (2015). Self-Care practices of baccalaureate nursing students. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 34(2), 185-192. Web.