International Self-Care Day Is July 24

International Self-Care Day is July 24. While this one day is meant to highlight the importance of self-care, you need to practice self-care every day to reap the benefits.

What is self-care?

Self-care means different things to different people. For some, it’s getting a massage, sleeping in on the weekends, meditating or journaling. For others, it’s cleaning out a closet, making a to-do list, changing their bed sheets or declining a social invitation in favor of some alone time.

Simply put, self-care means fulfilling your own physical, mental and emotional needs.

Self-care allows you to show up as the best version of yourself for both you and others. The benefits of self-care include:

• Lower anxiety, depression and burnout

• Reduced stress

• Better concentration

• Greater frustration tolerance

• Improved mood

• Higher energy

To help you integrate self-care into your life, we’ve compiled some best practices for work and home.

Self-care best practices

Find out what self-care means to you

Social media is full of influencers touting the healing powers of meditation, yoga, juice cleanses, supplements and expensive gimmicks. While those may work for some, they are not the only path to self-care. In fact, sustainable self-care is completely free.

An article in the Harvard Business Review suggests starting out by reflecting on how you’re feeling. What makes you feel happy? Relaxed? Content? What makes you feel overwhelmed? Anxious? Annoyed? When you make this a habit, you will notice patterns. Once you can pinpoint what makes you feel good, you can begin to integrate more of it into your life. Alternatively, if you find that something is making you feel bad, honor that feeling and make adjustments.

Practice mindfulness

If you’re able to tune in to how you’re feeling, congratulations! You’re practicing mindfulness. Like “self-care,” the term “mindfulness” is somewhat loaded. But it just means paying attention to your thoughts and feelings in the moment. 

Traditional mindfulness activities include yoga and meditation, but there are other ways to align your body and mind. Some examples are coloring, cleaning, walking, or just sitting outside and noticing sensations like the warm sun on your skin. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing; the important thing is to be present. 

Set healthy boundaries

Self-care doesn’t necessarily mean adding to your to-do list. Sometimes it requires paring back on your commitments. 

For example, say you find yourself feeling burned out at work. Stop and reflect on what you can handle and what’s becoming too much for you. Set expectations with your colleagues and supervisor about what you can reasonably accomplish. This will enable you to perform at your best and avoid burnout.

Here’s another example: Imagine you have a friend who frequently relies on you for child care. It’s starting to get in the way of your plans. Tell your friend you can’t this time, but if they give you a heads-up, you’ll be happy to help next time. You can be a good friend and not be available 100% of the time. 

Take it slow

You aren’t going to transform your life overnight. Start with small, incremental changes you can maintain. For example, maybe you feel great when you get a good night’s rest, but you often find yourself checking your personal email or social media accounts in bed. Make a habit of placing your phone out of immediate reach an hour before bedtime. This can help you stick to your goal, which inherently feels good, and wake up well-rested.

Self-care is a lifestyle

Self-care isn’t just a coping strategy during times of stress. It requires a lifelong commitment to recognizing and meeting your own needs. This Self-Care Day, pick one thing that makes you happy and commit to it. You might be surprised by how much better you feel after showing yourself a little care.   

This content is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing professional, financial, medical or legal advice. You should contact your licensed professional to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem.

Copyright © 2026 Applied Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.