September marks Self-Care Awareness Month, a perfect time to hit the reset button and focus on your well-being. In the fast-paced, high-pressure world of health sciences, it’s easy to get caught up in the demands of your work and studies, but self-care is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for sustained success and mental clarity.
Self-care can be as simple or as involved as you need it to be. It’s about finding what recharges you and making it a non-negotiable part of your routine. This could be as straightforward as taking a few minutes to practice mindfulness with a meditation app, stepping outside for a short walk to clear your head, or setting firm boundaries with your time. Consider disconnecting from technology for an hour each day to read for pleasure or pursue a hobby completely unrelated to your work. A hobby you might have enjoyed as a kid or in high school is a great place to start!
The library offers resources to help you with your self-care journey. You can check out our extensive collection of e-books on mindfulness and stress reduction, or simply find a quiet, comfortable space in our library to relax and unwind with your favorite podcast. Remember, taking care of yourself is the first step to taking care of others.
Resources at The TMC Library
- Badiozaman, I. F. A., Ling, V. M., & Sandhu, K. deep (Eds.). (2023). Women practicing resilience, self-care and wellbeing in academia : international stories from lived experience. Routledge.
- Lemon, N. (Ed.). (2023). Creative expression and wellbeing in higher education : making and movement as mindful moments of self-care. Routledge.
- Lemon, N. (Ed.). (2023). Reflections on valuing wellbeing in higher education: reforming our acts of self-care. Routledge.
Self-Care Awareness at DigitalCommons@TMC
Self-Care Awareness Month at Digital Commons@TMC has many items related to self-care published in scholarly publications, written by faculty, staff and students of the Texas Medical Center area.
To view some of the research, visit a selection of Self-Care related works published in the last 3 years. Some of the highlights include:
- Gonzalez et al. (2023). Racial Disparities in Mental Health Disorders in Youth with Chronic Medical Conditions. The Journal of Pediatrics. PMID: 37030612
- Ma et al. (2023). Effects of Independent Versus Dependent Stressful Life Events On Major Symptom Domains of Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia. PMID: 38065979
- Torres et al. (2022). Predictors of Traumatic Experiences and Mental Wellbeing Among Recent Immigrant Mothers and Children. Journal of Family Strengths.
DigitalCommons@TMC is an online repository sponsored by The TMC Library that has more than 38k total items, with more than 2.92 million total downloads and 165+ countries accessing this collection. Some of the other collections in Digital Commons@TMC include Dissertations, Theses and Projects, open access e-journals and library archival materials from John P. McGovern Historical Collections & Research Center. Visit Digital Commons@TMC’s About and Digital Commons@TMC Get Started Guide for more info.
Free Online Resources:
- New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH):Self-Care at Your Desk
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): Self-Care
- World Health Organization (WHO): Self-Care Month 2025