Self-care has spread to many aspects of our lives

Fadzayi Maposah
Correspondent

I AM at that age where focus and concentration are very important.

When I am doing something, I give it maximum attention because something that may appear minor may just take me off course.

I woke up in and decided that I should take out one of my prepared frozen relish packs from the freezer because I wanted to have a brunch (combination of breakfast and lunch).

Get to the kitchen and discover that the dust on top of the fridge could just be a small build up to my own desert in the kitchen so I got a dish, water, dishwashing liquid and a kitchen swap and try to clean the outside of the fridge.

Then I realised that the kitchen cupboards needed order.

I asked myself when was the last time those cupboards were cleaned.

I raced through the brain and found no answers. I should make time to clean the cupboard, I told myself. I hope it will be soon, I answered myself. I do a lot of self-talk. I cannot really call it self talk but more like self- conversations. I ask myself questions, I answer myself.

I am not sure whether it is good self-love or not, but I have been doing a lot of it and I am sure that it will continue for some time or even much time. Given that I stay mostly by myself means I have to love myself more and adjust to being alone.

Back to cleaning the fridge. Fridge cleaned and done and then thought that I should make a few transactions on my phone. This mobile banking is a whole new experience I tell you. Some of us are advanced in years and our first experience with banks taught us that we had to go physically to the bank and do whatever needed to be done during strictly working hours. I think that is why some people my age have no challenges waking up and going places. There were times we would wake up early to be by the bank. We would wait while the bank staff went about their business so that they could then serve us. Then the bank would open and we would go to the tellers or the information desk if one had a query. I have kept a few bank books (some of you reading this have no idea what that is! While those who are my peers feel the nostalgia!) as part of my personal archives. To withdraw money, to deposit money, to ask a question that related to bank issues, one had to go to the bank! At times one would wait before the bank opened, wait in line to be served and then have the issue responded to in less than a minute!

So there I was, left the kitchen and went looking for the phone. Yes, most times that I need to use it, I have to look for it. I am always losing it! Found it, looked for my spectacles and then sat down to do the transactions. You know when doing the transactions one has to really concentrate. The mobile application asked me to enter the amount that I wish to transfer, I instead enter my pin. Then I am surprised that I am getting a message to inform me that the transaction was successful when as far as I was concerned, I was not done yet.

There was another message to inform me that money has been deducted from my account, but the amount was not what I requested, how come? The amount that had been deducted from my account has the same digits as my pin and also in the same order.

Then it all begins to make sense, I am the culprit. I start calling people I know who may need airtime so that I am able to recoup my money, which has been converted to airtime. Let me correct that, which I had erroneously requested as airtime!

So within minutes of cleaning the fridge, I had become an airtime marketer! I was disappointed that people did not want large amounts of airtime so that I could actually dispose of the money as I sat. After a number of transactions, my phone rang, it had been noted that there were many movements of airtime to different mobile numbers from my phone.

I explained what had happened. I was informed there was a solution, simply inform the bank of the error made and then the bank will reverse the transaction. No need to go to the bank. Self- service has moved to many aspects of life, health included.

Zimbabwe has begun roll out of self-care for an injectable contraceptive. One can self-inject the contraceptive in the comfort of their home and not have to worry about going to a health facility and waiting in line to be served. The injectable which has been health care worker provided for some time is effective for three months.

Service providers have been trained to inject the contraceptive because it is slightly different from the injectable contraceptive that has been available which had a vial and a syringe.

This one being rolled out is in a single package, the port containing the contraceptive and the attached syringe with a cover. One can only be given the injectable to self-inject after the health care provider is certain that the client has understood the instructions and is able to self-inject.

The initial procedure is done while the service provider watches and then the client is given one dose to self-inject at home after 13 weeks. Of course there are those who fear injecting themselves, these can always access the contraceptive at the health facility. This contraceptive adds to the options in the contraceptive basket.

P.S I only remembered that I had gone to the kitchen to take out a relish packet when I was preparing my meal.