45 Self-Care Ideas
International Self-Care Day
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self care as “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” WHO’s definition of self-care recognizes that individuals have varying levels engagement with health care professionals.
Due to the lack of access to many essential health services, it is critical the individual, and surrounding community, takes action to ensure needs are being met to help increase overall health and well-being. By being an active participant in your own health you can increase prevention measures to reduce illness in the future.
Here’s a list of 45 self care ideas to help you feel good and take steps to improving your health and well-being. Please note: you don’t have to do all 45 things to practice self care. It’s not a contest! Take what resonates, and leave what doesn’t.
Tidy Home, Tidy Mind. Declutter, reorganize, clean and wipe surfaces. It doesn’t have to be your entire home, simply pick a space that needs some love and get it clean and tidy. The feeling you will have once it’s done will be worth it.
Build a fort and watch a movie - creating a child-like environment will make watching a movie that much more enjoyable.
Rearrange your furniture, getting a fresh perspective can make all the difference.
Light some candles and play music, change up the mood.
Give yourself a self-massage, incorporate essential oil to stimulate more than one of your senses
Listen to a new podcast about something you’re interested in learning about
Organize your books and pick 1-3 books that make you think of a friend you’d like to lend them to
Clean your makeup brushes
Replace your toothbrush
Try art therapy - check out TikTok or YouTube on the ‘how to’
Go through your home and find items you can donate
Sit outside and take a moment to listen and watch all the activity around you while breathing in fresh air
Consider starting a new hobby, something that’s just for you and something that brings you joy!
Write someone a handwritten note and mail it to them
Vacuum, sweep, and/or mop - say goodbye to dust bunnies!
Add special national holidays to your calendar, such as national cookie day, national dog day etc. and think about how you’d like to spend them
Improve your recycling system at home and designate specific bins based on your towns recycling standards
Try a local yoga class
Start a journal - try to create a routine to do this on a regular basis
Set up a small amount to donate each month to the charity of your choice
Go to therapy! Make an appointment with a local therapist near you
Buy some fresh flowers to place in your home
Volunteer in your community
Join the 1000 hours outside project and start counting your time spent outdoors!
Set up automatic payments for your bills so you don’t forget to pay on time and you contribute to improving your credit score
Take yourself on a date - order a coffee and sit at your local coffee shop or buy yourself and ice-cream and watch as people walk by
Set boundaries and take an intentional break from the news
Take an Epsom salt bath
Go one full day without social media
Join a meal subscription service and take the guess work out of cooking
Get dressed up in one of your favorite outfits that makes you feel good
Ask for someone form of physical touch from a loved one such as a hug or a kiss
Follow a guided meditation on breathing
Establish a routine for some form of exercise
Open a recipe book and pick something at random to make
Create a personal grooming routine such as a ‘clean face’ process before you go to bed
Drink enough water, with electrolytes! Having a favorite drink container can help encourage you to drink enough water throughout the day
Spend time consciously having ‘play time’ with your pets, it will be beneficial for you both
Stretch in the morning and before you go to bed
Make sure to wear sunscreen, even on cloudy days!
Write down positive affirmations then read them aloud, often.
Add plants to your home to bring extra life into your living environment
Establish a bed time routine that helps you wind down from the day - that means no doom scrolling until 2am
Create a mood board, you can do this using magazine cut outs etc. or you can create it on Pinterest
Call a friend just simply because you are thinking of them, be sure to tell them that.
