What is self-care? Self-care is defined as the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own physical and mental health.

As looked after children and because of our past experiences and trauma we need to take care of ourselves or have help to do this. When I was younger, I did not really care about myself as I was more concerned about what was happening in my life and what was going on around me, and I do not think I really liked myself and if you do not like/love yourself it may be difficult for others to like/love you. This type of thinking can lead to poor mental health, low confidence, and low self-esteem.

Taking time to look after yourself and your health is really important for your well- being as it is therapeutic and beneficial. By implementing a self care plan and improving our quality of life, this sends a message not only to ourselves but also to
others that we are worthy of care, love, and attention. So, what can we do to help ourselves? Some of the things I do is, making sure I have a healthy diet, regular sleeping pattern, I play competitive hockey twice a week, I swim/work out once a week, walk my dogs, listen to my music, talk & go out with my friends. By doing these things I have become more confident and value myself and my life.

Have a think about what you could do, you could, go out for a walk with your looked after family, read a book, play board games, take a break from social media, you could also write down things you are grateful for. Do not feel scared or worried about asking for help or asking your looked after family to come up with ideas about how they can help you. One thing that I found helpful was discussing this subject in our family meetings, if you do not already have family meetings maybe you could discuss introducing them to your looked after family, it is a fantastic way to express yourself and your feelings. Take it in turns to discuss anything that maybe concerning you or anything that you have enjoyed and would like to do more of.

Remember to take care and feel great about yourself.

The Nameless Onion.

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