Taking time for self-care is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Oftentimes we get stuck in a go, go, go mentality, and rarely take time to check in with ourselves.
Here are ten things you can do each week to add a little daily self-care into your life!
1. Treat yourself to an at-home spa night.
We can’t all take a day off each week to get our minds right at the spa, but we can treat ourselves to some spa action at home. It’s easy to find a few extra minutes to care for our bodies once a week, which in turn cares for our minds and our moods.
Whether you shower in the morning, the evening, or have a long, luxurious warm bath, make time one day a week to give your body an exfoliating scrub from head to toe with a rejuvenating and spicy scented body buffer or an easy to use body wash infused contouring exfoliating glove.
Exfoliation not only removes build-up by removing dead skin cells from that top layer of skin for a beautiful glow, but it forces you to slow down and really focus on the nooks and crannies of your body, taking time to scrub every inch while enjoying a luxurious and relaxing, massage-like feeling on the skin.
Don’t forget to slather your body with a deep moisturizer after to lock in hydration and continue the relaxation!
2. Take a walk.
It’s incredible how a simple, slow walk can reinvigorate the soul while helping you explore new places.
A walk speeds up the metabolism just enough to release the feel-good endorphins. It is also said that taking a short walk can boost your creativity up to 60%, and can also help boost your self-confidence! This means that a 15-minute walk on your lunch break can help prepare you for the rest of your workload and help you conquer water cooler conversations with confidence.
3. Volunteer at a local animal rescue.
We all love looking at cute pictures of baby animals on the internet but think of all the amazing benefits of going to an animal rescue to volunteer.
Volunteer work is uplifting and makes us feel good by doing good in our community. Add adorable, cuddly, and playful kittens into the mix, and you have a do-good act that is fun and helpful. The best part--most rescues will appreciate any volunteer time you have, so even an hour a week is doable!
4. Switch your morning cup of coffee for green tea.
We all love our coffee.
Some of us can’t survive without our cup of Joe in the morning. But we all know coffee can cause the jitters and even lead us to crash and start the cycle all over. A great alternative to coffee that is full of antioxidants, easily digestible caffeine without the crash is Matcha.
Matcha is a green tea that is made by harvesting the young tea leaves, grinding them into a powder, and whisking them into hot water or milk instead of steeping dried leaves and removing them. The act of consuming the ground leaves is way more healthful as you take in all the nutrients of the plant.
Making matcha is also about the experience. The process causes you to slow down as you wait on the kettle to boil, and whisk the bright green powdered goodness with some warm milk and honey. It’s a relaxing and invigorating experience for the senses at the same time.
5. Keep a mood journal.
Writing lists and organizing our days, weeks, and months is just a part of our busy lifestyles. However, taking the time to simply jot down your mood and take stock of your feelings will not only leave you with a record you can look back through, but it will help promote mental wellness.
It takes no time at all to track your mood and there are tons of premodern mood tracking options, like this one from Moon Turtle Co. on Etsy.
Being able to look back and track our moods, over time means that we can better predict and plan a beneficial mental wellness strategy. The act of slowing down and taking stock of you and how you feel in and of itself makes powering through your day easier.
The exercise leaves you with more awareness of where you are today and can care for yourself more intentionally throughout your day.
6. Read a book.
Take 30 minutes before bedtime to put down the phone and instead enjoy a good book. Staring at our computer, phone, and tablet screens all day actually contributes to our tiredness and fatigue.
Want to give your eyes a total break? Why not try out a top-selling author who has recorded their book into audio form? Audiobooks are incredibly accessible and cross all genres of literature.
Audiobooks are also a great way to relax and unwind after a long day. We suggest bringing the audiobook out of the daily commute and enjoy the relaxing calming vibes of having a book read to you just before you fall asleep.
7. Drink more water.
It sounds simple, but hydration is not just about not being thirsty, but adequate hydration can help improve tons of your mundane daily body functions that will lead you towards a healthier life, as well as your overall mood.
Staying hydrated also helps you:
- Have a healthy metabolism
- Regulate your digestive health
- Feel less groggy and more awake
- Have more luminous skin and hair
- Regulate your body temperature
Remembering to stay hydrated is key. Why not invest in a large and colorful water bottle to sit on your desk and remind you to drink up!
8. Eat a healthy snack.
While healthy eating is not always accessible and available throughout our work week, you can add an easy, satisfying, and healthy snack into each and every day with a little planning. And who doesn’t love snack time?
Here are some healthy snacks that you can prep on Sunday to enjoy throughout the week:
- Almonds or sunflower seeds - Full of healthy fats, seeds, and nuts, when consumed in moderation, are the perfect afternoon pick me up.
- Miniature charcuterie - Whether or not you are eating low carb, a small snack of cheese cubes, and some cured meats will definitely boost your workday activity and be a fun and easy snack to enjoy at the office or on the commute.
- Fruit - The old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Incorporating a small serving of healthy fruits like antioxidant-rich berries or a crunchy apple will give you a boost of energy from all the good fiber inside.
- Hummus and veggie sticks - Looking for a savory and satisfying snack? There are so many health benefits to the tiny chickpea. Packed with fiber and healthy fats, chickpeas can also help even out skin tone. Not to mention hummus on a crunchy piece of celery is a snicker’s dream!
9. List three things you appreciate about yourself.
We often bestow acts of kindness on others throughout our week, but we forget to take the same approach to ourselves. Simply making time each week to appreciate or congratulate ourselves for reaching small goals will change your attitude and mood over time.
Showing yourself love can give you a much-needed confidence boost. It can help you take stock of your priorities, it can help you break through a procrastination spell so you can be more productive, and even help you reach larger health goals in your life by seeing and appreciating the little things you’ve accomplished.
No goal is too small as every big win, is just a bunch of small wins combined.
10. Make a piece of art!
Getting creative and messy is the absolute best way to take care of yourself. Not only are you creating an environment where you can express yourself, but through art, you can learn to put self-judgment aside and simply enjoy the process.
Whether you like to draw, paint, or craft, there is a plethora of easy and quick how-tos on the internet as well as on apps like Pinterest to help you unleash your inner DIY maven and let your self-expression fly. Self-expression allows us to process our world, emotions, and feelings and even helps us connect with others.
You can even make your own body scrub or relaxing face steam and get double duty self-care out of your creative time.
We all have very busy schedules and jam-packed day planners just to live our day-to-day lives, but squeezing in just one act of judgment-free kindness for yourself each day can be a game-changer to your productivity and to your outlook on life.
Self-care leads to positivity and self-love, which leads to better moods and a happier, healthier, more vibrant life, so don't forget to take some time to give yourself the self-care you deserve!
Sources:
https://blog.usejournal.com/why-going-for-a-walk-makes-you-feel-so-good-3e814605aff5
https://time.com/5188377/matcha-tea-benefits/
https://projecthelping.org/mood-journaling/
https://medium.com/@info_70560/top-10-health-benefits-of-chickpeas-e99981f846bc
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/love-yourself-science-study_n_5900878
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/5066618320732292/
https://www.audible.com/ep/article-best-sellers-all-time-fiction
