INEXPENSIVE SELF-CARE IDEAS

Do you ever find that you need a hard reset or to refocus on wellness? This isn’t about detox diets or lavish spa days. We need real, sustainable self-care. Taking care of ourselves is difficult. Especially if we have other obligations: family, work, pets, bills, homes – the bare minimum can feel excruciatingly out of reach at times. And self-care adds another thing to the list. We can reframe our perspective around taking good, true care of ourselves by remembering that self-care is as simple as self-respect. Going to bed early, saying “no” to that second beer, gazing upon something green and lush instead of a taunting cursor on an empty Google doc – these are all simple ways we can practice respecting ourselves.

Below you will find ideas for taking care of yourself on a budget. And don’t forget the importance of self-compassion. It is part of the art of self-care.

SELF-CARE AT HOME

1.       Wash your bedding, towels, robes, and curtains. Once you have re-fitted them in their proper places, breathe deeply. Remind yourself that sadness and stagnancy isn’t permanent.

2.       Clear off every surface in your home and wipe it down. Consider this a practice in clearing away mental clutter.

3.       Reorganize your closet with his goal: I want to feel joy when I open this door. This isn’t a chore that needs to be crossed off your list; it’s engaging in creativity in order to enjoy your daily routines.

4.       Change up the layout of your home, even if it’s just nudging the couch a little to the left. Disrupt your flow in a positive and proactive way.

5.       Clean out your purse or everyday bag.

6.       Wipe the leaves of your houseplants to give them a lovely shine. Place them in the sunshine let them soak in the sun.

7.       Create a meditation corner.

8.       Update some of your makeup and beauty products that are expired and recycle or refill old ones if possible.

9.       List the tasks that have been weighing on you and get them done, one by one. You. Can. Do. It.

10.   Dust your home.

11.   Recycle old newspapers, junk mail, magazines. Consider upcycling them into a low-pressure craft.

12.   Add a bouquet to your home – you can purchase marked-down blooms at your supermarket, or forage one from flora already on the ground or from a few mindfully selected flowers.

13.   Organize your finances and create an accessible and sustainable budget. Securing yourself financially, to the best of your ability, can remind you how valuable your time truly is.

14.   Light a candle, burn some incense, or turn on an essential oil diffuser. Surround yourself with scents that evoke a memory or set an uplifting mood.

15.   Make a blanket fort with your couch cushions. Read a book by flashlight under your covers.

16.   Polish your jewelry, clean your makeup brushes, wipe down your mirrors, and clean your glasses.

17.   Sort through your home library and organize your books by color or genre.

18.   Create some art for your walls. Decorate your space in a way that inspires you.

19.   Organize your digital photos into folders on iCloud, Google Drive, or even on your desktop. Take time reflecting your activities reflecting all of your favorite moments and memories.

SELF-CARE HOBBIEs

1.       Give yourself an in-home mani-pedi. Soak your hands and feet, trim your cuticles, apply multiple layers of nail polish.

2.       Say no to “just one more episode” and swap in a gentle activity for twenty-five minutes – like stretching, reading, or just a prolonged bedtime routine.

3.       Find a craft that works for you and schedule it ahead of time. Some soothing options are coloring, embroidering, crocheting, knitting, or needle punching.

4.       Play a video game.

5.       Make one thing better about what you already do during the day.

6.       Switch your morning routine and opt for coffee, breakfast, and a shower – all before you check your phone.

7.       Sketch the things you see in your room around you. This is an exercise in presence, where you can let your mind unwind and practice gratitude for the here and now.

8.       Write poetry.

9.       Borrow an audiobook from your local library and listen while you are cooking, cleaning, crafting or exercising.

10.   Plan an intentional movie night in advance, instead of just winging it. Prep your snacks and your cozy blankets.

11.   Attend a concert by yourself or bring a friend and make a date of it.

12.   Mend your well-loved garments, or ask someone else to help you do so.

13.   If you have turned one of your hobbies into a business, spend time participating in your hobby like the good ole days.

14.   Bake yourself some fresh bread.

15.   Whip up your favorite meal.

16.   Make extra food for dinner and package leftovers into Tupperware that you can easily access for lunch the next day.

17.   Read a parenting book for and about yourself.

18.   Lay out a blanket and stargaze or cloudgaze.

19.   Plant something – gardening has immense mental and emotional benefits.

SELF-CARE FOR YOUR BODY

1.       Pause whatever it is that you are doing and drink a glass of water. Keep a full bottle of water with you at all times.

2.       Take three deep breaths or explore other ancient yogic breathing practices.

3.       Brew your morning coffee slowly and then use the grounds to exfoliate your skin during your next shower.

4.       Pour boiling water into a heat-safe bowl, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, and put a towel over it. Carefully bring your face under the towel, and enjoy the scent and the sensations of the steam.

5.       Put on your favorite jewelry.

6.       Try a facial mask.

7.       Make yourself a fruit platter; cut up apples, peel oranges, wash raspberries and blackberries, make melon balls – whatever is in season.

8.       If you drink, try intentionally skipping the booze on Friday night. Embrace any feelings that may arise.

9.       Take five, ten, or fifteen minutes to stretch.

10.   Practice self-massage – your hands are a great place to start.

11.   Stand up and fold forward to get your head below your heart. Cradle your elbows into one another and let your head dangle for a few minutes.

12.   Go on a walk, even if it’s just around the block.

13.   Give yourself a breast exam.

14.   Don’t turn on a morning alarm on days you don’t want to wake up early.

15.   Do something physically exerting; break down cardboard boxes for recycling, sprint to the end of the block, jump rope in your driveway.

16.   Roll out tension using a foam roller, massage balls, or even a tennis ball.

17.   Use a homemade sugar scrub to exfoliate your lips, then neatly apply your favorite lip balm.

18.   Get a lotion in your favorite scent.

19.   Schedule the appointments that support your wellbeing.

20.   Take the medicine, the vitamins, the supplements that serve you.

21.   Take exactly the type of shower you want to take. Long, short, hot, cold, filled with luxurious products or affordable bar soap.

22.   During your morning or evening routine, take a few extra moments to brush your hair slowly or massage your scalp.

23.   Ask for a hug or for physical touch that soothes you.

24.   Change your underwear. Buy cute and comfortable undergarments and bras.

25.   Go outside. Just put on your shoes and get outside; let your body decide on the rest.

26.   Swap coffee for tea, and lots of it. Tea is hydrating and nourishing.

27.   Surround yourself with sensory experiences – smell, sight, taste, touch, sound.

SELF-CARE FOR YOUR MIND

1.       Find a quiet space to pray.

2.       Spend twenty minutes unfollowing accounts on social media that make you feel less-than.

3.       Learn to meditate – even if it’s only ten minutes per day.

4.       Make a Spotify playlist of all of your favorite songs.

5.       Create or join a book club.

6.       Practice good phone hygiene. Clean your phone and update your OS.

7.       Take pictures of everything you are grateful for.

8.       Make yourself a cup of tea and unsubscribe to every unnecessary email list.

9.       Enroll in therapy.

10.   Snuggle your pets.

11.   Create a Pinterest mood board full of things that move you and inspire you.

12.   Allow yourself to indulge in a daydream while you are walking, listening to music, cleaning the house.

13.   Take an online class.

14.   Organize your Google Drive, desktop, and/or phone home screen. Set your background to an image or quote that inspires and supports you.

15.   Set a reminder of a positive affirmation for yourself somewhere in the future – a week, a month, a year from now.

16.   Update your passwords and keep yourself safe online.

17.   Re-read one of your favorite books from when you were younger, re-watch your favorite movie, eat your favorite childhood snacks.

18.   Have a park day without your phone.

19.   Plan something in advance – whether it’s the kind of takeout you’ll order on Friday, or it’s a two-week vacation. Have something to look forward to.

20.   Practice generosity by donating or volunteering.

21.   Say no to answering questions that are easily answered with a Google Search.

22.   Engage in some self-directed art therapy.

23.   Develop positive affirmations that work for you, and find visible or memorable ways to use them daily.

24.   Journal honestly.

25.   Write down your biggest aspirations and hope for yourself.

26.   Find your Enneagram number, read up on your birth chart, take a Meyer’s-Briggs assessment.

27.   Write a letter to your youngers self. What do you know now that younger you would be amazed by?

28.   Handwrite a note to your present self. What is it you want to remember?

29.   If positive self-talk is difficult for you, considering practicing neutral self-talk.

30.   Write out your values. What is most important to you, and how can you more deeply prioritize these things in your daily life?

31.   Remind yourself of who you are, beyond what you are in relation to others. Maybe you are a parent or a child – but what about outside that label?

32.   Track your moods for a day or for several days.

33.   Text a trusted friend about how you are feeling.

34.   Forgive someone – even if it’s yourself.