Self-care has been defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and actively manage illness when it occurs.

[2][3] General benefits of routine self-care include prevention of illness, improved mental health, and comparatively better quality of life.

[11] Socrates has been credited with founding the self-care movement in ancient Greece, and care are of oneself and loved ones has been shown to exist since human beings appeared on earth.

[15][16] Chronic illness (a health condition that is persistent and long lasting, often impacts one's whole life, e.g., heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure) requires behaviors that control the illness, decrease symptoms, and improve survival such as medication adherence and symptom monitoring.

[17][18] Routine health maintenance self-care behaviors that individuals engage in (e.g., adequate sleep) are still required of those dealing with acute or chronic illness.

[24] Self-care is influenced by an individual's attitude and belief in his or her self-efficacy or confidence in performing tasks and overcoming barriers.

[30] Perceived autonomy, self-efficacy and adequate illness representation are additional elements of self-care, which are said to aid people with chronic conditions.

Self-care maintenance refers to those behaviors performed to improve well-being, preserve health, or to maintain physical and emotional stability.

Taking medication as prescribed by a healthcare provider and receiving vaccinations are also important specific self-care behaviors.

[41] Overall health and quality of life have been found to improve, and the risk of disease and premature death are reduced due to the decrease in tobacco intake.

[42] The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends two hours and thirty minutes of moderate activity each week, including brisk walking, swimming, or bike riding.

[43] Another aspect of self-care maintenance is a healthy diet consisting of a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and other proteins.

[47] Self-care monitoring is the process of surveillance that involves measurement and perception of bodily changes, or "body listening".

Effective self-care monitoring also requires the ability to label and interpret changes in the body as normal or abnormal.

[25] Recognizing bodily signs and symptoms, understanding disease progression, and their respective treatments allow competency in knowing when to seek further medical help.

[53] Certain devices are specific to a common need of a disease process such as glucose monitors for tracking blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.

Other devices can provide a more general set of information, such as a weight scale, blood pressure cuff, pulse oximeter, etc.

Less technological tools include organizers, charts, and diagrams to trend or keep track of progress such as the number of calories, mood, vital sign measurements, etc.

Barriers include knowledge deficits, undesirable self-care regimens, different instructions from multiple providers, and limitations to access related to income or disability.

[66] Self-care management behaviors for heart failure may include taking a water pill, limiting fluid and salt intake, and seeking help from a healthcare provider.

Three major barriers to care include: insurance coverage, poor access to services, and being unable to afford costs.

Experience helps the patient develop cues and patterns that they can remember and follow, leading to reasonable goals and actions in repeat situations.

If providers are unaware of the effect of having multiple illnesses, the patient's overall health may fail to improve or worsen as a result of therapeutic efforts.

Notably, civil rights activist and poet Audre Lorde wrote that in the context of multiple oppressions as a black woman, "caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."

Lorde’s philosophy states that as an oppressed community member, the preservation of her identity through acts that energize and sustain her is a form of activism and resistance.

With the rise in social media and capitalist marketing, a more whitewashed and commercialized interpretation has shifted what is normally considered self-care.

[14] Differing from Lorde’s definition, new self-care interpretations center on the indulgence of self in accordance with white beauty standards and trends.

[14] In addition to this difference, modern day self-care as advertised on social media ignores the communal aspect of care which Lorde thought to be essential.

For Foucault, the notion of care for the self (epimeleia heautou,) following a traditionally Western (Ancient Greek and Roman) interpretation of self-care comprises an attitude towards the self, others, and the world, as well as a certain form of attention.

This popular Western theory centers on the medical facet of self-care, and explores the use professional care and an orientation towards resources.