I remember when I was growing up, some well meaning relatives telling me that the only important thing in life was your health. Obviously I nodded and promptly ignored this! It’s something you just can’t comprehend when you’re young.

Now having just turned 40! Being a mother and having one child with a long term illness it has become glaringly obvious that this is something we all take for granted.

The truth is I hate the idea of ‘self-care’. It conjures up images of managing to take long bubble baths with a glass of wine. Finishing every book you start and disappearing somewhere to have lengthy periods of time to yourself.

While these all sound amazing, I always feel a lot of it is quite unachievable. It also bypasses the real issue which is that we should all be taking care of our very basic needs all the time.

And it’s actually very easy!

October & Breast Cancer Awareness

As you may already know October is national Breast Cancer Awareness month. I’m sure you’ve seen the swathes of pink everywhere!

Despite the fact that more people than ever are surviving Breast Cancer; over 5,000 women will be diagnosed with the condition in just October!

So please check yourself. We all know we should be doing this. Make time. You would never tell a friend to overlook this so don’t do it with your own health. If you’re unsure how to check them, read this useful guide.

Try to think of yourself as a priority. It’s just as important that we are thinking about our own future health as well as worrying about those around us.

Make sure your children feel they have someone to talk to as well. Maybe that’s you and your partner, or sometimes it helps if it’s another relative or person they trust. Whenever we are going through hard times, communication is key to feeling better.

Keep smiling

Another small step you can take to look after your own health is to love your smile! We all show our health and age in our teeth.

Not keeping up with dental appointments, lack of flossing or over brushing all take their toll.

One easy way to care for your smile is to use a quality toothpaste such as Sensodyne Pronamel Strong & Bright.

Enamel is very important for your teeth as it acts as a barrier to the sensitive dentine layer underneath. This toothpaste delivers minerals to actively strengthen your enamel. It can also help polish away stains, giving you whiter teeth and more confidence.

A special friendship

Breast Cancer Care are partnering with Sensodyne Pronamel toothpaste this month to help raise awareness for the ongoing care needed when dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

They’ve launched this campaign as both understand each other’s desire to provide ongoing care and how vital this is.

To support Breast Cancer Awareness month, Sensodyne Pronamel have turned the packs of their Strong & Bright Enamel toothpaste PINK!

You can buy these from all major retailers and 15p per pack will go directly to Breast Cancer Care.

Your network

Looking after yourself can also be accepting help and support from someone close to you.

It’s important to consider who we turn to when life gets a bit tough. That person who will just listen. Who won’t judge and is completely there for you. Even if you just need to vent and not to be solved.

I know this person for me is my Husband! I am very lucky that he puts up with all of my anxieties. He has been incredible the past year when we dealt with the devastation of our two year old being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

He always understands that there are good days and bad. Days when actually you realise you genuinely had a good day without trying but others when you just want to hibernate!

So reach out to your person, the one who makes you feel this way. Tell them how much you appreciate their friendship.

How to support Breast Cancer Awareness month

If you’d love to do something for others, whether your life has been touched by cancer or not. Remember you can buy the special limited edition pink packs of Pronamel Strong & Bright from all major retailers including: Tesco, Morrisons and Superdrug.

I would love to see your pictures supporting the campaign so please use #PinkPronamel if you share on social media so I can say hello and thank you for all of your help spreading the word!