Over the past few weeks, we set out on a hunt for the best self-care ideas we could find. With the New Year, we have had self-care on our minds as we are setting out to make this year a year with more self-love and acceptance. We know the journey to self-love and acceptance can come with ups and downs but we do know that we can consistently practice self-care to help us through improve this journey. So we thought why not think about all the different ways we know how to practice self-care and curate a list of self-care ideas to refer back to at any given moment to give our self-care routine some variety. As a result, we have come up with a list of twenty five self-care ideas, some of which we use with regularity and some of which we want to be more intentional about using in this new year!
Twenty-Five Self-Care Ideas
- Get a good night’s sleep! We recommend figuring out how much sleep you need in order to feel your best, and making sure that you get to bed early enough to get that amount of sleep and wake up feeling energized. Check out our post on ways to avoid/ cope with revenge sleep procrastination so that you are getting all the sleep you need!
- Stay hydrated! Seriously- drinking enough water and being mindful in doing so has been a game changer in
our day to day. We know some of us are not huge fans of just drinking water which is why we shared some ways to make drinking water more fun with these water infusion ideas! - Movement- Endorphins, need we say more? Make it even more fun by trying out a fun workout class with your bestie. Or if you are looking to get moving from the comfort of your own home and on a budget check out our favorite workout essentials under thirty.
- Fuel yourself! Make sure to eat and get the energy and nutrients your body deserves 🙂 Take the time to plan your meals out so that your meals are fun and easy and most importantly delish. Check out some of our fun easy recipes for ideas.
- Aromatherapy- The power of scents is amazing in what it can do for our moods. We love using candles to put us into a good mood, especially during the winter time when we want to feel warm and cozy. Check out our favorite self-care candles for some lovely scented candles.
- Listen to great music! Hit shuffle on that inspirational or hype playlist that you have and let the music feed your soul.
- Meditate! This is a great practice that allows us to clear our minds for even just a few minutes, and can help us find our center even in the midst of a chaotic day. Of course, there is the more formal an traditional ways to do so but on busier days even something as simple as listening to meditative sounds in the shower can be helpful!
- Practice deep breathing! This is a great practice that can allow us to calm down when we find ourselves worked up throughout the day.
- Dance it out! Whether you’re just turning on a little music and having yourself a dance party in your living room, much like we do weekly, or finding an aerobics class to take, dancing is a great way to put ourselves in an upbeat mood and a great form of self-expressive movement. Check out our blog on the five best online dance cardio classes if you need a little inspo!
- Get outside! Nature is healing, so get out and let it heal you!
- Spend time with animals. Whether it’s your own pet or a friends, who could possibly not be smiling when spending time with a kitty or puppy?
- Read self-care books! They can offer even more tips than we’ve compiled here for you.
- Find some water and spend some time being near it! The beach is our happy place, maybe it can become yours too!
- Get your day organized! Getting yourself into a routine can reduce stress and allow you to budget some more free time, even if it’s just an extra five minutes.
- Use 5 extra minutes to do something quick and healthy that will better your day! Check out our blog on this topic.
- Turn off your phone for a day (or maybe just a couple of hours)! Give your eyes a rest and let yourself be fully present for a while.
- List your goals and put a timeline to them! This will help you stay consistent in your efforts each day.
- Call a friend/ loved one! Reach out to someone who you haven’t talked to in awhile and show them some love. It will make both of your days.
- Plan a fun day trip or girls day out! Knowing you have something fun to look forward to in the near future is always helpful and allows us even more sense of excitement about the future adventure that await us and serves as a reminder of happy days ahead 🙂
- Take a nap! The power of a twenty minute nap can help you during a long day.
- Comedy- Laughing always seems to help us when we need a break especially after a long day. It shifts our minds from whatever stressors we are concerned about and eases us up and of course lightens the mood with laughs!
- Journal! Buy a beautiful journal and fun pen and write down all the things that are in your brain: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Getting them all down onto paper will free your brain to think about other, happier things!
- Buy some fresh flowers to have around the house! Who doesn’t love a beautiful bouquet? Not only that but the color of the flowers can help provide some color therapy which can heavily influence our moods! If you want to use your creativity and or pick up a new skill check out our DIY guide to make a beautiful floral arrangement.
- Volunteer- Finding a cause you care about in this new year and volunteering will not only help spread love and kindness but it can help you find more of that in finding something you are passionate about. Additionally, giving back and being around others who are doing the same can build another community for you to be apart and feel connected.
- Keep a gratitude journal! This is different from your regular, day to day journal. A gratitude journal is somewhere you write only what you’re grateful for each day. It might seem silly at first but we promise that once you get into practice it will change your attitude and your life! Having a gratitude journal has done wonders in my (Maddie here) self-care morning routine.
We hope you’ll find the time to incorporate a few of these twenty-five self-care ideas into your daily life and self-care routine and that they provide you with more ways to practice self-love in 2022!
If there are self-care ideas you have been finding especially helpful that we missed- we would love to hear them!
