Simplicity in authentic, heartfelt self-care together

• Written by: Simone Janse van Rensburg — Healthy Valleys — Women Living Well (in Clydesdale) Project Lead
• Published: 10th February 2026

Simone Janse van Rensburg reflects on the impact of their Women Living Well event which featured as part of Self Management Week 2025.

Participating in Self Management Week 2025 gave us an opportunity to reflect on our respective self management journeys and spend time for self-care together. It was a fulfilling experience for both Healthy Valleys and participants at our Women Living Well event.

Our event

Our session was co-designed with our beneficiaries and volunteers, including women/people who are at various stages of the menopause transition and/or with a long term condition. We provided an opportunity for individuals who have benefited from one-to-one support to meet others, those who had worked together in groups to meet again, and new people to engage. It was an opening for all to discover a new skill or enhance their existing knowledge of self management.

We appreciate that each person’s daily self-care practice is unique and can often be affected when dealing with unpredictable symptoms or a flare-up.

We understand that needs change and people have to get to know themselves as they are now, without judgement, before being confident to recognise and react to whatever is going on for them that day. By offering a variety of sessions, it meant that everyone was able to choose what worked best for them without pressure.

We sought to show how self-care can be a straightforward, everyday activity that can be adapted if needed and how, in an appropriate environment, relationships with welcoming people can be calming, rewarding, and joyful. These simple steps can help contribute to a unique self management journey that works for everyone.

Volunteers

Volunteers play a vital role in our work. Our volunteers’ knowledge, skills, plus their own lived experience, some of whom are managing symptoms of menopause or a life-long condition, help to create closer connections with our beneficiaries. They are excellent role models who acknowledge that each person using our services is unique, but they also demonstrate that we are all in this together.

Our ‘Wise Women Walking’ volunteers led some participants on a gentle health walk around the pond, whilst others attended ‘Pause for Positivity’ to discover small things you can do every day to build mental health resilience. We all enjoyed a nutritious meal together prepared by our remarkable volunteers, once again reminding us of the benefits of supporting your body with a balanced diet.

After lunch some of us enjoyed a ‘blether’ at our impromptu ‘Women’s Wellness Conversation Café’, whilst others joined Louise Davidson’s online event ‘Calm the Storm: Movement & Breath to Lower Cortisol’ – another event as part of Self Management Week.

People at the heart

We firmly believe in putting people at the heart of our services and supporting them to take control of their own health wherever possible, in a person centred way. It is essential to listen to what people are saying and being open to offering a variety of options, while bearing in mind the intersection of the various disparities that each person may experience (Gaun Yersel, 2008).

Some of our beneficiaries have commented that what they value most includes learning from each other’s experiences, expanding their knowledge, and gaining courage to speak up and make decisions. One participant discovered at the event, “I didn’t realise I was so open to newness” and another said, “I’m feeling much better about myself, talking out – not feeling embarrassed to speak about things in life” and “I feel more positive in my decisions, choices in my life. I will try to do less overthinking and worrying’.

We are grateful for the chance to raise awareness of self management and to support so many women in the Clydesdale area, especially those in the more isolated rural areas. Participating in Self Management Week made it possible to connect with people who share our enthusiasm for helping each other, especially those going through challenging life changes, to discover ways to live well no matter what.

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Simone Janse van Rensburg is a Project Lead at Healthy Valleys and hosted an event in Lanark as part of Self Management Week 2025. For more information on Healthy Valleys and on Simone’s Women Living Well (in Clydesdale) project, visit their website here.

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