Self-care is an important part of the healthcare system.

Self-care is about maintaining your own health.

How do you decompress and recharge after work?

It was a ice-breaker question that members of a business group needed to answer as part of their introduction. Almost everyone in the group started with something along the lines of “well I know that I should be exercising” but what I really do is …. guess what the answers were.

After hearing everyone’s “confessions”, I almost felt bad introducing myself and sharing a bit about my lifestyle. If you’re wondering, I am a strong believer in regular maintenance whether it’s my car or my body. Both work better when they are cared for properly. Regular maintenance is in essence self-care.

People know that they need to exercise to stay healthy.

Inspiring, nudging, and telling people to workout might not be the right approach. It makes people feel ashamed and it makes people initiating the conversation feel bad. It’s awkward all the way around.

Shame steers people into a life of silence, inactivity, lying and hiding. ~ Dr. Harriet Lerner, author of Why won’t you apologize?

Some in the business group talked about caring for others. There is no shame in caring for others. So maybe the better question is “how do you care for yourself?”.

Self Care helps lower the cost of healthcare.

Digital health solutions will enable self-care to a whole new level as the solutions are integrated into the healthcare delivery system. If you’re wondering what digital health is, it’s all the applications and devices used to track caloric intake, exercise, steps, bodily functions and metrics as well as new ways to interact with your doctor online.

The new iWatch announced this week is a good example of how digital devices will empower you to a whole new level of self-care.