We wrote last week about the potential health benefits of being in love, and since we are now well into February, our focus on health continues as we are also well into National Self-Check Month! If you haven’t heard of it before, each February has been designated national self-check month to remind us all that our health is our responsibility, and that a self-check up can help us spot warning signs earlier. Let’s dive into it and see how to check ourselves, and each other.
Why We Should (But Don’t) Check Ourselves
By checking ourselves, noticing signs, and seeking treatment, we can often prevent conditions, such as most cancers, heart problems, diabetes, and weight issues worsening before we catch it. However, many of us avoid doing this for various reasons. When asked why we don’t do it, the usual answers come out. “I’m just too busy.” “I’d rather not know.” “I keep forgetting to do it.” “I always eat healthily and work out, I’m never ill.” “I’m blessed with good genes, I won’t get sick.”
Taking part in national self-check month is an opportunity to be proactive and that in itself is self-empowering. You might be one of those people who already is proactive, but knows someone who tends to avoid anything they think might be scary. Self-check month can be an opportunity for you both to overcome whatever obstacles together.
Maybe you already have a self-check routine, but if you don’t, now is a great time to start one.
What is a self-check?
If you believe in the concept of self-care and practice self-love, you should also embrace the idea of self-checks as this is one of the most basic yet important examples of self-care. A self-check is a simple process of asking yourself some questions and performing basic examinations of your body to make sure all is as it should be.
All bodies are different, checking your body regularly will help you understand what “all is as it should be” means for yours. This will help you to identify any issues, should they arise, and then you can take whatever steps you feel are necessary.
5 Questions To Ask Yourself Ahead Of Your Self-Check
Here are five basic questions and explanations to get you started with your self-check.
1. What’s my family history like for medical issues?
You should ask yourself this to determine how your health may be vulnerable. Genetics, lifestyle choices, and the environment around you can all have an impact. Those factors may have impacted other members of your family. If you take their history into account, you may be able to spot a pattern.
That doesn’t mean you’ll definitely have the same medical issues, just that you are more likely to. Knowing what symptoms to look out for can help you to make any necessary changes in advance, with the help of your doctor. Do you know your family’s medical history?
2. How do I do the self-checks?
We’ll get into the physical self-checks later. For now, let’s contemplate some checks you might not have thought of. It’s important to understand your personal risk factors and be able to spot warning signs that something is amiss.
As well as various cancers, it’s helpful to be aware of heart disease, diabetes, and weight. The recommended self-checks will be impacted by your age, gender, family history, and lifestyle. If in doubt, seek guidance from your physician.
3. When did I last see my doctor?
We mentioned earlier that regular self-checks help you to determine what is “normal” for your body. Well, the same is true for your doctor. Seeing them regularly will help them to understand what healthy means for your particular body, and help identify when things are not as they should be. Seeing your doctor can help you to take your family medical history into account, and determine your risk factors to make positive changes to help prevent an illness.
4. What changes can I make to benefit my health?
Knowing your risk factors and family medical history means knowing what may lie ahead, and knowing how to prepare to help prevent becoming ill. You should discuss potential changes with your doctor.
5. What do I do if something is wrong?
No need to think negatively, but it is good to plan ahead. What will you do if something is amiss?
- Do not panic. The body goes through many changes. Spotting something different does not mean you have a life-threatening illness. Do not spiral or let fear consume you. Stay calm.
- Do not ignore it and “hope for the best”. Instead, book an appointment with your doctor.
- Make note of what you’ve found, how it feels, what other effects it’s having on you, and jot some ideas to ask your doctor so you don’t forget during your consultation.
5 Basic Self-Checks Everyone Should Perform
- Check your temperature
One of the preliminary steps you should take is a temperature reading. This is also a nice and gentle way for the more fearful among us to ease into self-checks. Often the first sign of a bacterial or viral infection is a high temperature. Remember that the average temperature for a healthy adult should be around 98.6 degrees F.
Just as with checking yourself, regularly taking your temperature means you can establish a baseline for your healthy body temperature so you have something to compare when needed.
2. Women should check their breasts
Women should regularly check their breasts to spot any unusual lumps or thickening. Women should also look out for any changes to the nipples and skin. If you notice bumps or anything unusual, see your doctor for a more thorough check-up.
3. Men should check their testicles
It is no less important for men to check their testicles to catch any signs of unusual swelling early. Lumps or swelling can indicate cancer which can be spotted with regular checks. If there are any abnormalities, men should see their doctor for guidance.
4. Everyone should check their skin
It is very simple to check yourself for skin cancer. It takes just two minutes to check your skin for any new growths or moles. Also check any existing ones. Have they changed at all recently, or begun to itch? Are they bleeding or crusted over? Do they look or feel burned? If any of these symptoms become apparent, have your doctor check you over.
5. Check your blood pressure
Being aware of high blood pressure and making positive changes can help avoid issues such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney disease. These can often strike without much warning. Remember an adult’s normal blood pressure should be between 90/60 and 120/80 mmHg.
Too much alcohol or salt can contribute to high blood pressure. Cutting these will help, as will weight loss and regular exercise. Home blood pressure monitoring devices are affordable so you can check yourself at home. If your blood pressure is high, you should mention it to your doctor.
If you’re concerned about checking your own blood pressure, you should see your medical practitioner. If you or your loved one receives visits from one of EJAI Loves Homecare’s many qualified, registered, and reliable care providers, they will check your blood pressure in your own home as part of their in-home care duties.
Any Other Checks?
Yes! There are mental health checks; it’s always a good idea to check in with ourselves to determine that we’re emotionally healthy. It might sound a little tricky to do a mental check that doesn’t require another person; we’re so used to the idea of seeing a counselor or therapist for mental health. Once you perform a mental self-check, you can decide whether you need to make any changes.
Here’s how to perform a mental self-check:
- Set the tone by recognizing that you’re allowed to feel however you feel. Don’t try to ignore negative feelings as these can fester and develop into bigger issues. Remember that good feelings are also part of your mental health and should have as much attention as other feelings for better mental health.
- Ask yourself: “How do I feel right now? What is the feeling in my head right now?”
- Ask yourself about your recent feelings. Run through all the feelings you can think of and notice how you feel about each one. Try to notice how your body changes with each feeling you touch on. Does your body tense up or relax? Do you smile or wince? Our emotions can yield physical reactions.
- Is there a recent incident, such as a conversation, that you keep replaying? What do you feel when you run through the memory? Does the feeling get stronger or fade with each run-through?
- Are you concerned about anything? Ask yourself: “What can I do about what is worrying me?”
- Remind yourself what you do for recreation and to unwind from the day.
- Are you living with your emotions using substances, such as cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs?
- Ask yourself: “How well am I eating? How well am I sleeping?”
Once you go through this mental health self-check, you should be able to determine which areas you are doing well in, and if there are any areas where you need to make any changes. However, it will only work if you’re honest with yourself. That goes for the rest of the self-check too. It will only work if you do it properly and honestly.
DISCLAIMER: You should always seek medical advice as necessary. This blog post is not a substitute for advice from a qualified medical professional.
If you or a loved one need a little more help with care, EJAI Loves Homecare is here for you in Florida. Contact us today with the link below and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs and options for quality affordable in-home care in your area.