Self-care starts with the mouth

This International Self-Care Day, July 24, we’re taking a closer look at the mouth. It’s the gateway to whole-body wellness — where our diet begins, social life flourishes, and crucial information lives.

But, did you know oral health is also a predictor of higher stress levels, burnout, and risk for cardiovascular disease?

As the saying goes, you can’t pour from an empty cup (or brush with an uncharged battery). Self-care for mental health is no joke. It’s how we deal with stress, and it doesn’t have to mean booking a flight to an exotic beach or taking 12 supplements every day.

In fact, it’s the small, everyday habits that help you feel good, stay healthy, and keep going. Focus on the basics — decent sleep, nourishing food, good hygiene, saying no to overbooking yourself, and yes to joyful movement. 

Oral care is an integral part of your daily self-care routine, and it’s an easy win (just two minutes, twice a day). Brushing and flossing also helps protect your whole-body health, from your gums to your gut. What does that mean, exactly?

If you don’t maintain a consistent oral care routine, that can lead to bacterial infections of the gums, which contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and other serious illnesses.^*

This is where quip makes it easier (and dare we say more fun) to build self-care habits that actually stick, because we make simple, effective rechargeable electric toothbrushes and flossers you’ll actually want to use.

You can even subscribe to get refills delivered every 3 months, so you can take free your mind — and your mouth!

Need some self-care ideas that don’t require a total lifestyle overhaul?

Start your day with breakfast, a 2-minute morning brush, a walk around the block, and some yoga, meditation, or mindfulness. Wind down with an evening self-care routine by brushing again, flossing, washing your face, stretching, reading, and relaxing breathwork.

With self-care tips that actually help you manage stress and stay healthy, you’ll have a more balanced day, week, month, and so on. Even better, create your own  easy self-care routines  — it doesn't take much, self-care at home is worth doing, even imperfectly.

Bottom line: prioritizing you helps improve mental health, lower stress, boost energy, and, yeah, improve relationships (turns out people like you more when you’re not hangry and tired).

So this Self-Care Day, give yourself a little extra “me time,” and maybe… a fresh brush head. You’ve got this.

^* https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475#:~:text=That's%20the%20long%20tube%20of,to%20disease%20throughout%20the%20body.