Self-care is one of my favorite topics, so much so that I’ve been on a mission to help friends of mine think about self-care and how to implement routines into their daily lives. I think it’s one of the strongest acts of self-kindness, to understand what self-care means to you and how to ensure you are taking care of yourself in this way.
Self-care is about the actions you take to provide a little TLC to your physical, emotional, or mental health. It’s intentional practices that you put in place to help you when you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, tired, anxious, sad, or upset. In doing so, you trigger your body to begin to relax, calm down, and get centered. It provides a routine to leave your worries behind, if only for a little bit.
Here are some of the self-care practices I use regularly:
- Bubble baths – Yes, I know that this is a pretty basic self-care practice, but it truly is my most favorite one. I take a bubble bath almost daily, usually right after I get home from work. I make the water as hot as I can handle it, squeeze out soap (I use regular body wash; nothing fancy here!), and then sink into the warm water and bubbles with a book. There’s truly nothing more euphoric for me than the moment when I submerge my body below the bubbles.
- Naps – I love taking naps more than anything in this world. My affinity for napping is probably why I’m so hesitant about children. (I hear there’s something about getting less sleep as a mother? Ehhhh.) There’s something so delightful about crawling into a cool bed on a warm afternoon day and falling into a deep sleep with my snoring dachshund by my side.
- Five minutes of sunshine – I use this self-care practice mostly at work when I’m feeling stressed out or anxious and need a break. I take myself downstairs to this beautiful deck area that is quiet and has a great view of the water. I soak in the sunshine, let my mind wander, and enjoy the quiet. It’s blissful.
- Taking a day to read a trashy romance novel – If I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed and overstimulated, I’ll spend a Saturday stretched out on my bed reading a romance novel. I have a few authors I can always count on for giving me a book I won’t want to put down. It feels so indulgent and truly helps my mental well-being.
- Baking – I used this self-care routine when I moved a year ago and was feeling lost and anxious. Baking centered me. It’s such a precise science, baking is, and it requires your full attention. The end result is something sweet and tasty, and since I’m an emotional eater, that also takes care of this need for self-care.
- Going for a walk while listening to a podcast – I don’t do this as often as I’d like because there aren’t too many great walking paths around me (other than Bayshore Blvd, which isn’t my favorite). But I do love a long walk by myself where I can listen to a podcast and get lost in my thoughts.
You’ll notice that all of my self-care routines are solo activities and that’s because I’m a highly sensitive introvert that needs a ton of alone time to recharge. I typically indulge in self-care when I need this recharging, and then I’m free to get out there and socialize with friends and colleagues. Extroverts (and introverts who aren’t highly sensitive) might enjoy having a long phone conversation with a good friend, window shopping at the mall, or going to the beach for the day. We all have different self-care needs and it’s up to us to build these routines into our lives so that we have an action plan in place when we need to slow down.
What self-care routines do you use?
I’m seriously just trying to moisturise every day. Little thing that makes me feel good! Hard in winter as it’s cold and I just want to get into my PJs after a shower…
I love that all of yours are healthy, too! (As long as you don’t eat too much of the baked goods, lol.) Reading, sunshine, and walks with a podcast are also really good for me. Cleaning the house alone is also really therapeutic for me. Some other things are: waking up before my kids for Bible study, actually lighting my candles, and little healthy things like skincare, flossing, and taking vitamins, .
– Pedi’s every 3 weeks
– tea – love!
– baths
– naps
– workouts
– hot yoga
Must the same as you.
I have been working on not using food for rewards or self-care since afterwards it feels more like self-sabotage. I love sweets but I am trying to more to enjoy them less frequently and more intentionally, and not use them as a reward for getting through the work day / a hard meeting / etc.
Yes, yes, yes to walking + listening to a podcast (or in my case, audio book). That’s one of my favorite things.
And reading, always reading.
I’ll add some adult coloring books + Netflix to the mix when I need a break, or sit outside at home.
I’m hoping to add some naps back into my life…!
Those all sound really nice!
I’m also a big napper, so that’s a big one for me when I can sneak one in.
My others would probably be reading, writing, and reality TV… my guilty pleasure one!
I haven’t been good about self care lately. My OB limited my activity to basically nothing and exercise is my normal go-to self care tactic. Reading is another normal one for me but I can’t focus more than a few minutes right now. I would say watching Netflix has become my newest form of self care because it involves minimal movement and brain function LOL. My back pain has been so bad that I’ve been taking baths more often so I guess that counts? Trying to navigate through my new normal and some things that I guess would count as self-care don’t feel like it because it’s not what I’m used to doing. I love that you have your daily bubble bath ritual!
Self-care definitely is solo activities for me… I am someone who needs a lot of me-time as well.
It’s hard sometimes to “justify” self-care activities, because they might seem “unproductive”, but we need to recognize that they’re actually very productive periods of time in terms of taking care of our mental needs.
My favorites:
– knitting
– crafting
– reading
– napping
– walking/running
I need to be better about self care, for sure. Baths are my favorite, but in a house with no AC and where it’s 80 degrees year round… I may have to find a substitute for that one. I love doing face masks and doing my nails and having a little mini pampering session though.
Reading, walks, and using my planner are my favorite self care things right now.
Love this post! I noticed all my self care habits are hard to keep habits for me. Huh. Should work on that.
Here are some of mine:
– not stalking, you already know about this
– time alone to read, write, walk with puppy
– getting enough sleep (this is so hard for me)
– drinking enough water (even harder!)
I’m in some serious need of self-care after a hectic couple of weeks but this week is a quieter one so hopefully I can recharge my battery. Self-care for me involves reading on our deck, going for a walk on a sunny day, cuddling with Oscar, and my splurgy self-care is getting a massage! I haven’t had one in the longest time so I really need to book one soon!