Taking care of ourselves like someone we love is the best way to improve the way we feel about ourselves. Here are 11 self-care ideas that will undeniably help you love yourself more!
1. Positive Affirmations. Repeating positive affirmations to ourselves, aloud or in our heads, is SO important and helpful because our thoughts and words are extremely powerful! It’s important to be aware of the voice in our heads that may be overly critical any time we make a mistake or we’re feeling down about something. If you wouldn’t speak to a friend or a loved one the way you speak to yourself, then something needs to change. Change the dialogue you use towards yourself and watch how much your self-love grows!
2. Exercising. Physical activity has been shown to increase serotonin and dopamine production in the brain, which affect mood and pleasure. Exercising can easily give us a natural “high” which will make us feel better almost immediately. Not only does exercising make us feel good physically, but the results we see with our bodies will boost our self-confidence and make us feel good emotionally as well. It’s a win-win!
3. Meditating. Meditating and breathwork are one in the same. It’s important to take a pause every day and just be–just breathe. Taking time to focus on what’s going on inside your body is essential to loving yourself! Meditating for just 10-20 minutes a day has been shown to reduce stress, spark creativity, improve awareness, give us a greater sense of purpose, and more!
4. Unplugging. I feel like so many people forget this one when it comes to self-care. Taking breaks from social media, or smartphones in general, are CRUCIAL for your mental health! In the popular Netflix documentary, “The Social Dilemma,” the detrimental effects of social media on our society were highlighted. Since social media was introduced and made available on mobile devices, mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and rates of suicide have skyrocketed. Finding the balance between social media/smartphone use and being present in the moment is essential to feeling fulfilled in life.
5. Journaling. Journaling is a creative outlet that allows us to release our thoughts and feelings, rather than letting them build up inside of us and create inner resistance. I often find journaling brings clarity to those thoughts and feelings as well. Getting emotions from our heads onto paper forces us to make better sense of what we’re actually feeling. And once we’re able to better understand our feelings, we’ll be able to show more grace and compassion towards ourselves.
6. Cleaning/Organizing. Decluttering our outer environment usually helps declutter our inner environment as well. Cleaning something is a task we can check off our to-do lists, which will help us feel productive and proud of ourselves too! Cleaning definitely has the potential to be exceptionally therapeutic.
7. Spending Time in Nature. This is one that I think is EXTREMELY underrated!! Nature is healing in and of itself. Just sunlight makes our brains produce chemicals that alleviate stress and boost our mood! Trees are said to absorb negative energy. And there’s a phenomenon called grounding, or earthing, that Healthline.com defines as, “electronically reconnecting you to the earth.” It goes on to talk about how “electrical charges from the earth can have positive effects on your body.” Mother Nature is where we all come from, so it makes sense that we’d better connect with ourselves through her.
8. Expressing Gratitude. What better way to let the Universe know you’re in love with yourself than having an attitude of gratitude? When we express gratitude for what we already have, we attract more things, experiences, and people to be grateful for. The opposite is also true. It’s a simple energy exchange and once you start practicing gratitude every day, I can guarantee your life will change for the better!
9. Learning Something New. This is one that we might not instantly think of as self-care, but it most definitely is! Learning new things helps us to feel accomplished and proud of ourselves inside. Not only that, but it equips us with a new level of knowledge or skill that contributes to our overall wisdom.
10. Reading. Reading is something that I find especially calming! Reading stimulates your brain while forcing you to be present with the text. It is something that’s often done in a quiet or silent space, which can contribute to the calming vibes too. Depending on what you’re reading, you could be learning something new, connecting to a higher power, re-enforcing positive habits, and so on simultaneously! There’s something magical about it being just you and a book.
11. Getting Adequate Sleep. It’s no surprise that we need to take care of our bodies to take the best care of ourselves, and getting a good amount of sleep every night helps with that. Making sure that we wake up feeling refreshed and rested should be an important part of our self-care routine. Try to get between 7-9 hours of sleep every night and watch how much your body will thank you!
Conclusion
Self-care is something that has to be intentional and consistent. If you don’t practice taking care of yourself, then your self will not be taken care of. You don’t always have to do the same things every day, but you do need to make sure you’re doing something(s) every day. This is just a short list of ideas, but there are countless other self-care activities that I did not include in this singular post. Remember to focus on the things that make you feel good and try to force yourself to do some of those things, even on days when you don’t feel like it–especially on days you don’t feel like it!! That is self-care my friends.
(RELATED POST: What It Means To Love Yourself)
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