How do I self care? 43 quick, easy and cheap ideas to love yourself up
Relax the skin on your face. Relax your jaw. Part your teeth. Let your tongue relax. Let the skin around your temples and eyes relax. Exhale and feel your shoulders sink down and a little bit more space in your belly
Look at the sky for 15 seconds.
Tell someone you appreciate them or even something they did for you or others in the past year that you noticed it and why it touched you. You could even send a message to your favourite author or social media poster if appropriate.
Get a book or books by authors you know and love and start reading - find inspiration, comfort and perspective in the pages.
Touch something living - it could be a tree, a plant, an animal or just placing a hand on the earth (I know it’s not the time of year for it, but go on... then you can have a muddy hand and a bad mood ;))
Check out or download some films or series where you find similar solace and perspective
Prepare a music playlist that you know nourishes and soothes you
Get outside. Notice at least five things on your walk that make you think or please your eyes or senses. Maybe even take a picture of those things.
Reach out to someone who you also know is having a hard time and ask how they are. Be willing to share your challenges honestly too
Put one hand on your chest and one on your tummy. Feel your body. Remind yourself that you are fundamentally human, no worse or better than anyone else and you deserve to be here and have as much happiness as is available to you in this present moment. The universe is for you too. As long as you are still breathing there is more right than wrong with you.
Start a Whatsapp group for anyone who wants some extra group support or who is going through the same thing. Avoid colluding or blaming as much as feels honest for where you are but listen and support each other. You could set up a Whatsapp group for family or siblings if you feel like it
Give yourself a small gift every day. Doesn’t need to be expensive. You can even pick up a pine cone and have it symbolise something and bring that back in to your home.
Do something that feels manageable but is outside your comfort zone. It can be big or small depending on capacity. It could be paying a bill, answering a text or going outside. Or it could be going to a new event.
Pick up the phone and call someone just to say hi and ask how’s it going. Remind yourself that the action is in itself worthy even if no one picks up.
Bake something. Give it to a neighbour or donate it if you don’t feel like eating it.
Keep it in the day - we can do something for 24 hours that would appall us if we thought we had to do it for a lifetime
Swap around and use what you don’t want to show you what you do. It’s hard to get anywhere if we don’t know where we are going.
Go somewhere that means something to you or that feels healing - might be a familiar shop, cafe, church - even if you’re not religious. A space that feels good to you.
Write a list of gratitudes - explain why you are grateful - what it had you learn or feel. You can include things that felt negative at the time.
Do a 10 or 15 minute meditation from YouTube
Write down any thoughts zooming round your head that you want to let go off then rip up the piece of paper and imagine handing them back to the universe.
Shake your body, just move in any way. If you have limited mobility, shake a part that does have mobility. Break the spell
HALT stands for hungry angry lonely tired - if you have any of these it’s hard to reach an equilibrium - do any of them apply? Can you do anything that helps that thing? Eat. Accept or let it go for just ten minutes. Set a timer. Sleep. Say hi to someone.
Make your exhales longer than your inhales for five breaths.
Wash if you haven’t already today. Shave if you shave.
Make yourself a hot drink. Sip it mindfully and notice the sensations in your body
Learn something new - challenge your brain or engage it in some way for half an hour
Declutter a bit of space. Even a drawer or a small corner
Say no to something that you really don’t want.
Ask three friends to say what they love about you. You can tell them you’re having a tough day and lack perspective.
Name the emotions showing up for you right now without judging them. Notice where you feel them in your body. List them
Light some candles
Sing in the car /with or without the windows down
Get some dates in the diary to see friends or try out some new activities
If everything is a blessing, a lesson or a test - what might you be learning in this spot? Are there any positives associated with this that you can imagine will be available to you in the future?
Say something, anything out loud. Even if it’s just saying hello there to yourself in the mirror. Free your voice. Have a little chat with yourself. Be kind.
Get rid of anything that reminds you of negativity - donate it or throw it again. Imagine that leaving your life.
Have a cry in the shower
Go ‘off duty’ for a few hours and give yourself permission to do whatever you need or want - forget tidying up or what you feel you should do, just do what feels good. Put your phone away
Ask yourself : am I willing to forgive myself? Or ‘Am I willing to be willing to forgive myse;f?
Write a compassionate letter to the part of you that is struggling
Wrap yourself in a cozy blanket and dim the lighting
Tell any negative playlists (Why me? Am I not good enough? No one likes me) to FUCK OFF!