Self Care Week 16 - 22 November 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the need to practice self-care more evident than ever: the challenges for some of managing finances or debt, being restricted in our social movements, uncertainty around employment, and/or being at higher risk of contracting the virus due various factors all make looking after ourselves even more important. 

For those of us working or volunteering in health and care environments, and/or caring for others, there are potential added challenges like the worries of preventing the spread of the virus and supporting people’s emotional and physical wellbeing needs, planning services to support the pandemic response and the rapid pace of change; working longer or unsociable hours, and the added pressure working from home might place on us.

During Self Care Week (16-22 November 2020) (opens in new window), the Lancashire and South Cumbria Supported Self-Management and Psychological Resilience Collaborative will be sharing posts across social media channels and reminding people who work in and use front line services of the importance of self-care. The videos will include messages about what self-care means to them, how they practice self-care, what they can do better and where they go for support. We would love everyone to join in, spread the message and upload their own self-care selfies and videos by following and mentioning our Twitter account @HealthierLSC (opens in new window) and using the hashtags #Share4SelfCare #SelfCareWeek #LSCSelfCare #JoinedUpLSC or by liking and tagging our Facebook page @HealthierLSC (opens in new window).

We will be hosting a live tweet chat on the @HealthierLSC Twitter channel on Wednesday 18 November 2020 from 7- 8pm. This is a special opportunity for our front line workers across all sectors to share how we can better support ourselves, our colleagues and our employees to practice self-care while working or volunteering during these challenging times. To join in, follow us and use the hashtag #LSCSelfCare at the allocated time, and remember to add the hashtag to your responses. Please join in and share your approaches to self-care. Taking some time out to connect with others is, in itself, an act of self-compassion.

Further information on the Supported Self-Management and Psychological Resilience Collaborative can be found in this blog on the NHS confederation website (opens in new window). The group meet fortnightly on Microsoft Teams calls to share great practice, learning, insights and opportunities to work together to support the communities of Lancashire and South Cumbria and share content across social media under the #JoinedUpLSC hashtag. Anyone working or volunteering in public or VCFSE sector partner organisations is welcome to join. Please contact linda.vernon@nhs.net for further details.

You may find our mental health support resources useful for managing self-care.