Self-care brings to mind long days at a spa and spending exorbitant amounts of money. Neither of these is required for at-home self-care. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to benefit from spending time relaxing and improving your wellness.
People often mistake self-care for self-indulgence or selfishness, but there’s nothing selfish about prioritizing your mental and physical health.
Find out more about the positive impact self-care could have on your life and get new ideas for ways to unwind.
The Importance of Self-Care
Without being mindful of your wellness and the impact of chronic stress on your body, symptoms can take over your life without you even realizing it. These symptoms can include poor sleep quality, headaches, increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate, negative hormonal responses, and even symptoms like arrhythmias and long-term cardiac issues.
Stress is a natural reaction, but that doesn’t mean it has to plague you. Not having positive coping mechanisms, like adopting a self-care routine, can lead to using negative coping mechanisms like emotional eating, excessive drinking, or smoking.
Self-Care Ideas
We put together a few ideas to inspire you to come up with your own self-care routine!
Take Up a Hobby – Whether it’s reading, gardening, cooking, or another hobby, set time for an activity you enjoy. Even spending a few minutes doing something you like can help you clear your head and feel more relaxed.
Take a Walk – Bring your family, pet, or go for a walk by yourself around your neighborhood or local park. Enjoy the sounds of your neighborhood or pop in an audiobook, podcast, or playlist. A 20-minute walk can boost your mood and improve your vitamin D intake!
Write an It’s Done List – Instead of writing a list of all the tasks you need to get done, make a list (even just a mental one) of everything you’ve already accomplished this week. Focus on your victories and pat yourself on the back.
Plan a Special Meal – Whether it’s ordering from your favorite restaurant or planning, shopping, and preparing your favorite meal, treating yourself to a special dinner is an easy way to turn a chore into an exciting evening.
Make a List of What You’re Thankful For – This is a common practice around the holidays, but being conscious of what you’re grateful for can improve your mood and release positive chemicals in your brain.
Spend Time with Loved Ones – Whether it’s friends or family, keeping up and maintaining relationships with your loved ones keeps personal priorities at the top of your mind.
Set Your Phone on DND – Take a break from the stream of texts, emails, updates, and alerts. Challenge yourself to just 15 minutes, and the next time you’re doing this exercise, try for 30!
Declutter Your Living Spaces – Living in a cluttered space is not helping you recover from the week you’ve had. Put items back where they belong and clean out messy areas. A clear living space means a clear mind which is just what you need for the coming week.
Do Something Nice For Someone – Helping others can help you. It could be something as small as lending a helping hand to a neighbor or making time to volunteer.
Get Better Sleep – Improve the quality of your sleep by creating a mindful evening routine. One hour before you go to bed, put away all screens, phones, tablets, computers, etc. Start your pre-sleep ritual earlier, so you go to sleep earlier and wake up refreshed and ready for the next day instead of snoozing late into the morning.
At Makina, we’re focused on your health and wellbeing. We hope you use these suggestions to give yourself a little self-pampering that can go a long way to improving your mental, emotional, and physical health.