25 Courageous Self Care Tips That Will Inspire You

What is Self-Care? Self-care is a very broad term and can honestly mean anything. Self-care can be described by each person differently. To one person it can be about doing anything that is fun and exciting but to the next person, it is about being quiet and fully relaxed in the moment. And even then, someone else might think it’s a combination of both.

Self-care is an individualized plan of activities that will allow you to be mentally, physically and emotionally healthy.

Self-Care Tips and Ideas that Will Inspire You If you haven't been practicing self-care for a while or at all, it can be overwhelming at first to break it down and know where to start.

Self-Care First Just like health studies have shown exercising first thing in the morning gives the best results the same goes for self-care. Take care of yourself first to start your day off positively. When you get things out of the way you’ll feel accomplished and awesome.

Schedule Self-Care Today people are more productive than ever (or at least trying to be). But, they are also distracted. The best course of action is to schedule the things you want to do for self-care. Schedule that haircut or massage. Make time for a short phone call with friends or family during your break at work. Schedule lunch with friends. Block out time for it like any other important meeting or appointment. Plus, if you write it down you’re more likely to do it.

Be Attentive Be aware of your surroundings as well as yourself. Your environment and knowing what you like and dislike plays a major part in self-care. If you are adding things to your routine that you don't like and don’t make you happy, look for a way to remove it or make it better.

Reward Yourself Self-care shouldn't only be about rewarding yourself but it is a great way to get started. It could help you to get some much-needed work done and help you get the care you need. Maybe you know you need to exercise but it's not something that you really enjoy doing. Start rewarding yourself for doing it so that you get an immediate benefit for anything that will only provide long-term results. For example, did you do your exercise every day for a month? Schedule a facial or massage to reward yourself.

Try Meditation and Affirmations Meditation is a great way to clear your mind and help you relax. The goal is to focus on breathing and nothing else. Studies show that meditation and prayer help cut down on stress and improve memory. My girl Val over at Thoughtful Neighbor has a great post about Breathing Meditation. She gives some awesome tips, especially if you're a beginner. And the great part is that it only takes 5 minutes of your day!! Sign up to receive 132 Affirmations for Depression and Anxiety.

Take Alone Time Self-care doesn't have to be about going and spending a bunch of money or doing exciting activities. Sometimes people just need alone time. Take time away from children and coworkers so that you can rejuvenate and focus on your own thoughts.

Spend Time with Friends and Family Schedule some time with friends and family. Go out to dinner or play board games at their house. Do something different than you usually would do with them also. Make it a date so you have something to look forward to.

Buy Something Go buy a new outfit, a pair of hiking boots or a coffee at Starbucks. Add it to your budget so you don't go overboard. It's okay to splurge every now and then if it makes you feel good and isn’t completely unhealthy. Self-care can be simple. All you need to do is figure out what is best for you and do it. One thing that might help you decide what to do is to write down the goals that you have for yourself so that you can ensure that the things you do lead you towards meeting those goals.

How A Little Self-Care Can Improve Your Attitude A little self-care can go a long way toward improving your attitude. Adjusting your attitude can easily make a bad day turn into a great day. As the popular saying goes “attitudes are contagious”. It's best to do everything you need to do to be positive in life. That way when you are around your friends, family, and coworkers you are not making their day as bad as yours. There are plenty of self-care things that you can do to improve your attitude, let’s look at a few.

Get Enough Sleep Set your alarm to go off about an hour before you need to get into bed. Turn off all electronics, turn down the lights. Fix your central air to make the room cooler about 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid eating too late. If it helps you to calm down get in the bed with a good book. Getting a full night sleep is vital to waking up in a good mood. You will feel energetic and much more willing to start out your day without resentment. Having the right bed can make all the difference in making sure you get enough sleep. NECTOR Sleep Mattresses have amazingly comfortable beds. For a limited time, you can use the code SHOP125 to get $125 off and 2 Free Pillows!

Eat Healthy and Exercise Getting adequate exercise is known to release endorphins to the brain. Endorphins are hormones that are responsible for making you feel happy. Pair exercise with a healthy meal to get the best results possible. Not only will your attitude improve but your self-confidence will too.

Stay Hydrated Dehydration is responsible for headaches, dry skin, fatigue, and dizziness. These symptoms can cause you to act negatively if you feel overwhelmed. The standard rule of thumb is to drink either half your body weight in ounces in water. Read Sneaky Ways to Drink More Water to get some great ideas on how you can drink more water.

Take Your Breaks Don't pass on those fifteen-minute breaks. If you don't take them you really are doing yourself a disservice. Use this time to relax and focus on something else that makes you laugh or just sit down and breathe. If you work for yourself, schedule in 10 to 15-minute breaks at least every three to four hours.

Ask for Help Asking for help can be challenging for some people but you should never be afraid to ask. Ask your friends and family to help you out every now and then to relieve some pressure off everyday tasks. More than likely they will be happy to help. If you're finding it hard to take care of yourself don't be afraid to ask a professional either. Mental health is most important.

Learn to Say No If you are overwhelmed, too busy, or just don’t want to do something saying no is perfectly fine. You have permission. Taking on too much work or doing things you don't want to do leads to poor quality work and some unhappy people. Don’t do that to yourself. If you keep everything scheduled you can easily look at your calendar and say “No, that date doesn’t work for me.”

Decompress Take time out each day and relax. Get away from people or go get a massage, some coffee, or a cup of tea. Your time to decompress is important to a good attitude. Feel free to adjust these ideas to your own individual needs and remember to make it simple. Some people find great comfort in knowing that they can take care of themselves, get away, and practice self-care without guilt because it’s something they have a right to do.

Quick Ideas for Daily Self Care Self-care activities can easily be added into your daily routine without changing much or adding a lot of time to your day. Check out these super simple self-care activities that can add so much value to your day.

Wake up Earlier Wake up thirty minutes earlier than normal. Get your workout in. Make a cup of coffee. Go outside to breathe in some fresh air if you want to. Alternatively, you can choose to go for a walk, read the newspaper, or a book. It’s up to you but don’t do anything that makes you stressed out. This is a quiet time just for you.

Wait Times At some point in life, we all end up having to wait around for something. Waiting can be very stressful if you don’t have a plan. Maybe you are at the doctor’s office in the waiting area or waiting in line to pick up your kids from school. Take advantage of this time by trying a meditation app. Here's a great review on the Headspace app.

Breaks and Naps Don't pass up those breaks at work. Get outside and walk for 15 minutes. If you are at home and put your kids down for a nap take advantage of that time and catch up on a television series. When you’re given a break, take it.

Use Your Emergency Self-Care Kit During the hour before you go to bed, dive into your emergency self-care kit. You may want to color to bring your blood pressure down so that you sleep better. Choose calming activities close to bedtime. Learn how to make your own emergency self-care kit here.

Change Up Your Routine Sing while you clean the kitchen, dance while you pick up the living room, or see how fast you can fold laundry. Take a different route to work and blast some music or listen to an audiobook on the way there. It’s amazing one what little change can do for your mood.

Cook Something New Pick a day out of the week to cook something new and exciting. Make life easy by making each day of the week something different like meatless Mondays or Taco Tuesdays. Try different recipes for twists on these dishes.

Smell Your Food More When you sit down to eat take the time to really enjoy your food. Smell it more and really taste your food. Slow down and chew your food carefully and fully. Be mindful of the food you eat when you eat. There is no reason to rush and eat your food too fast. (If you are rushed add this to your calendar so you set aside enough time.)

Use Your Time Wisely Turn on the music or burn some incense while you get ready for work so that you can think positive while you are getting ready. This is especially important if you have a stressful job.

Treat Yo'self Buy high-quality shampoo, conditioners, and body soap for your showers. Upgrade your body and face lotions. Buy hands soaps that leave your hands nice and soft. Stick to healthy organic ingredients for an added boost to your daily pampering. I found a delicious new sugar body scrub that I absolutely LOVE to use!! It smells amazing, gets rid of dry skin and leaves my skin feeling irresistibly touchable.

Fidget Toys Keeping fidget toys like a fidget spinner or fidget cube around the house and at work can be a real stress reliever when you can’t do anything else. A stress ball and hand grip are other good ideas as well. This way anytime you feel stressed you can pick one up and play with it without interrupting what you are doing.

Conclusion Self-care doesn't need to be anything major, cost a lot, or take hours, a simple change in routine can be exactly what you need. These ideas should help you include self-care activities in your daily life without having to do everything differently. And you'll better understand how important they are to do regularly, for your own sanity as well as for those around you. A great way to get your self-care game on is to join our 5 Day Bliss Challenge! You'll be feeling a whole lot happier by the end of it!