August is National Wellness Month, which focuses on self-care, stress management, and healthy routines to promote overall health and wellness. Mental health professionals advocate doing things for yourself every day that promote your mental, physical, and emotional health.
National Wellness Month was created in 2018 by Live Love Spa, a spa and wellness company, to reinforce that idea. Every year, they promote wellness via self-care with a month-long campaign encouraging people to incorporate small acts of self-care into their daily routines.
Self-care doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive – it can be as simple as getting enough sleep and drinking enough water. Live Love Spa offers a downloadable challenge calendar on their website (you must provide an email to receive the materials), with suggestions for each day of the month.
Some of their suggestions include:
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water
- Tidy up your personal space
- Say 3 things you love about yourself
- Go to bed an hour early
- Unplug for an hour
- Share something you’re grateful for
And that’s it – do one of those every day for a month, and you’re on your way to building healthy habits. By trying something new every day, you may discover new things you really enjoy. (Several items on the calendar are spa/beauty focused – “show your lips some love with a scrub”. It is a spa and wellness company, after all. If you don’t have the budget to try new products right now, that’s okay. Sub in something simple, like the lipgloss you usually save for special occasions.)
You can also take Live Love Spa’s pledge and share it on social media with the hashtags #nationalwellnessmonth and #livelovespa. If you’re not on social media, try enlisting a friend, family member, or coworker to join you in the challenge.
“This August, join us and thousands around the world, as we take the pledge to make small daily acts of self-care a priority,” the website says.
If doing something different every day isn’t ideal for you, what is one thing you could do consistently every day? Some mental health professionals advocate for breaking self-care into categories, such as physical, emotional and spiritual. Try to do one thing every day that nurtures you in each area. Meditate. Call or text a loved one. Send flowers or a note to a friend. (Doing things for others can also be a form of self-care!)
Remember, this is about reducing stress and taking care of yourself, not adding another item to your to-do list. Think about what you need and how to best meet that need. If you love to read but your head hurts or your eyes are just tired, try listening to an audiobook. If you don’t have time for a workout or a long walk, try a few minutes of stretching. Maybe you can’t visit your best friend right now, but you can schedule a video call.
Building healthy habits only takes a few minutes a day. By taking a few minutes every day for yourself, you can improve your overall health and happiness.
International Overdose Awareness Day
International Overdose Awareness Day is held every year on Aug. 31 to raise awareness about overdose, remember those who have died without stigma, give their loved ones a place to express their grief, and work to create a future where overdoses don’t happen.
A Pennington Institute initiative, International Overdose Awareness Day is a “time to remember and a time to act.” The 2024 theme is “Together we can”, which the website says is “highlighting the power of our community when we all stand together.”
To join the campaign, visit https://www.overdoseday.com/ to learn more about hosting an event or finding resources. You can also share tributes on social media using the hashtags #TogetherWeCan #IOAD2024 #EndOverdose .