Preventative Healthcare as Self Care

You know what to do when you need healthcare in the moment (come to Gateway, of course!) but do you know that preventative healthcare as self care will have a huge impact on your overall health, for years to come?  

There are several ways to approach preventative healthcare as self care. Read on to find out what you can do to stay on the path to a healthier you. 

This is an easy way to practice preventative healthcare. As we talked about previously, this helps address issues when they are small, preventing them from becoming larger issues down the road. While scheduling a colonoscopy or mammogram may not feel ‘fun’ or like self care, taking steps to minimize future health complications is a huge way to take care of your future self. 

Here are a few of the key screenings and tests for adults to receive as preventative healthcare. Each of these has their own recommended assessment schedule, but talk to your healthcare provider about your specific risk factors and circumstances to see if a different screening schedule is appropriate. 

Self care serves to minimize the stress we experience in everyday life. This is important, as we know that stress is linked to a whole host of health issues. When you reduce your stress load in the moment, you are also taking action to help prevent complicated health issues down the road. Preventative healthcare is self care (even if it feels boring in the moment). Here are a few things you can do to enact self care as preventative care: 

In the new year, we invite you to schedule your annual check-up with your healthcare provider and follow up with the recommended screenings. We also encourage you to start practicing self care in a few of the above ways, as a way to take care of your future self.  

To your health!