Self-care is a phrase that gets tossed around, but what does it really mean? Self-care means taking time to better your health, whether that means your physical health, mental health, social health or spiritual health. It helps “recharge” your battery so you can be a better you. Here are some of our top ways to make time for yourself.
Take a long bath
This is probably the most clichéd self-care idea out there, but taking a long, hot bath can do wonders. It can relieve stress, allow you to concentrate on yourself, and it can give you time to reflect and decompress.
Exercise
Get moving — it allows you to not only work on your physical health, but exercise is also a great way to deal with stress. Exercise releases endorphins that help you feel terrific, so no matter how you prefer to work out, carve out some time to do so on a regular basis (and yes, dancing around to your favorite tunes definitely counts).
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Cook a healthy meal
Discovering a delicious dish, made with healthy ingredients, can help you recharge in more ways than one. Firstly, nutritious meals feed your body with quality, energy-boosting foods, and secondly, learning and conquering a new meal is great for self-esteem.
Rewatch a favorite
If you have some downtime, queue up an old favorite movie or TV series and relax. Old characters and storylines can help surface feelings of contentment (well, as long as your old favorite film isn’t Old Yeller or something similar).
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Read a book
Hopping into your favorite chair and bringing out a book is a classic way to make time for yourself, whether you have 15 minutes or a couple of quiet hours.
Meet a friend
Too often, during the hustle and bustle of regular life, it’s hard to stay face-to-face connected. Make a plan to meet a friend for coffee or lunch. You’ll feel more socially connected and can get caught up all at once.
Declutter
Yes, decluttering and organizing is actual work, and it’s not always that much fun. However, if you concentrate on a small area that you can tackle in a certain time frame, it’s much easier to contemplate. Once your task is completed, you might find yourself mentally recharged.
Unplug
Yes, it’s easy (and can be relaxing) to relax and check your phone, but that relaxation can be broken apart the second an upsetting post comes across your social media feed. Also, just glancing at your phone can cause eye strain and can lead to headaches.
Everyday life is full of responsibilities from work and from home — and, well, basically everywhere. It can feel like it’s very difficult to get a moment to think, much less tend to some quality self-care. If you feel like there just isn’t any time in the day to take a bath or exercise, do a quick audit of your schedule and see if there isn’t a half hour here or there to get some “me time” in. It can help you feel refreshed, recharged, accomplished and better able to conquer the rest of your day or week.