4 Important Reasons For Teaching Kids The Value Of Self-Care
4 Important Reasons For Teaching Kids The Value Of Self-Care
Self-care is the process of actively taking care of oneself to maintain overall health and well-being. While the practice of self-care maybe different from person to person, the effect is to create a positive impact on one’s physical, emotional, and even spiritual aspects.
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4 Important Reasons For Teaching Kids The Value Of Self-Care
Sanofi’s “Power To Love Yourself Completely” online event
I recently had the opportunity to attend Sanofi Philippines’ Instagram live event dubbed “Power to Love Yourself Completely.” This event was organized in celebration of the International Self-Care Day and tackled topics related to self-care.
The Instagram live event guested MommaNManila founder Michelle Aventajado and She Talks Asia Co-Founder and CEO Lynn Pinugo, who both shared their valuable insights about self-care and how they personally practice it, how to teach kids about self-care, and how those who are working from home can take care of themselves.
Furthermore, consistent with the Global Self-Care Federation’s theme, #SelfCarePromise, the event encouraged participants to share their self-care promises online. In doing so, the event inspired the attendees to make the first step in consciously caring for themselves even in the smallest of ways.
An important part of Sanofi’s panata is to promote a well-rounded approach to health, and encouraging other people to regularly do self-care is a part of this.
“We need to realize that self-care in itself is the goal. Not just for others, but just for yourself,” Jill Ong-Lim, Group Brand Manager of Sanofi Consumer Healthcare shared,
Janeena Chan, who moderated the discussion, shared her own take when it comes to self-care. “Your reality is shaped within your mind, so as long as you know that you can get back up again, you’ll be okay.”
Self-care vs. self-soothing
In the event, I also learned about the concept of self-soothing, a notion that is slightly different from self-care.
Self-soothing techniques are quick exercises that we do when we are not feeling well. Lynn Pinugo expounds on this topic: “Self-soothing are those emergency routines that we do when we’re feeling bad, while self-care are the things that you do so you build emotional agility. For self-care, it’s the things you do so you don’t gas out, it’s more for the long term.”
Self-care doesn’t need to be fancy
For mom-of-four Michelle Aventajado, self-care can be anything simple. “Self-care can be so many things. For me, it’s waking up early enough and having quiet time for myself, reading my bible, and drinking coffee. For me, it’s to rest when I’m tired, stop when I’m overwhelmed, pause, and reflect. And when my kids see me doing that, I’m setting an example.”
Teaching kids the value of self-care
It’s important for kids to know the value of self-care and I believe we can start them early on even as toddlers.
In fact, the moment that children can understand simple instructions, we can already start teaching them simple self-care habits such as wiping their mouth, cleaning their hands and face with a soft cloth, dressing up, and even packing away their toys after they have finished playing.
Here are some reasons why teaching kids to take care of themselves can be beneficial for them:
1. They will learn to be independent
Most parents would want their kids to be babies as long as possible. We are like that, too, but the reality is that they will grow up. When that inevitable time comes, it’s best that they’d know how to take care of themselves independently. I guess that will also help them to grow up to be responsible individuals.
2. They will know how to take control of their emotions
Personally, I think kids who know the value of caring for themselves will be able to take control of their emotions better. That’s because when they feel bad or if they don’t feel that they are at their best, they can find ways or diversions that can help improve their overall mood.
3. They will be more in tune with their needs
Individuals who know how to take care of themselves are fully aware of what they need, both mentally and physically, to achieve the level of wellness that they desire.
4. They will be able to handle challenging situations better
Lastly, I think one important positive effect of self-care is during challenging situations. When a person knows how to take care of themselves, they can gauge when it’s time for them to pause, relax for a while, assess the situation, and carry on with a renewed energy to cope with life's challenges.
Again, it’s important if we can impart the significance of self-care to our children and the best way to do this is to lead by example.
Epilogue
Self-care is especially important these days when the pandemic is taking its toll on our physical and mental well-being. By actively taking care of ourselves, we save ourselves from the possibility of being burned out.
Sanofi Philippines encourages everyone to make their own self-care promises via selfcarepromise.org and share them on Instagram, tagging @sanofi.ph, with the hashtags #SelfCarePromise, #ISCD21, and #HealthierPhilippines.
Watch the event video here.
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Photo by Madison Inouye from Pexels