14 Acts of Self Care and Love
We all need to take a moment to breathe, take a little time for ourselves and slow down just a bit in life. Here are some thoughts and ideas to help you on this journey of self-care and enjoying yourself in life.
1. Take a drive. I’m not talking about driving in the center of town at rush hour. I mean take a “Sunday” drive, even if it’s a Tuesday… Get in your car with no end point in mind and drive. You may see a part of your town that you never knew existed. Just getting out of the house, driving around town seems to get my mind relaxed. Drive around neighborhoods to look at front yards for get ideas on how you may want to add or change up your curb appeal. Take a drive with some dinner or picnic basket of snacks to watch the sun set over the horizon.
2. Eat a healthy well-balanced diet. The healthier you eat, the better you feel mentally and physically. I won’t tell you how to eat healthy. We each have our own thoughts and opinions on what we think is healthy. Eat for your own body type. Listen to and pay attention on how you feel when you eat certain foods. If you feel bad, quite eating it. Alternately, if you feel great, then by all means eat more of that food. It is known that if you eat healthy, you feel healthy, your immune system is better, you don’t have as many aches or joint pains, and you probably think clearer and aren’t as cloudy headed.
3. Reflect on the 3 best things that happen each day. Even on crappy days, there has to be at least 3 positive things you can reflect on. Focus on the positive in lieu of the negative. Positive thoughts lead to positive feelings and more joy. Remember there’s always a silver lining, even if it seems faint and hard to see. Be thankful that you have food to eat, a bed to sleep in, a child to hug, a pet that always loves you no matter what, and the thought that tomorrow is a new day with new possibilities.
4. Take a walk. Get outside! Walk around your neighborhood. Take a hike in the mountains. Getting some fresh air & sunlight is good for the mind and soul. We are all inside right now more than usual. Just getting out of the house for as little as 15 minutes can boost your emotional state like you wouldn’t believe. Exercise releases happy hormones called endorphins that make you feel good and aid in sleep. Give it a try and enjoy nature.
5. Get plenty of sleep – Lack of sleep can play a factor in how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of many health problems, diseases, etc. Sleep plays an important role in healing and repairing your heart and blood vessels. No one likes to feel groggy or worn out all day. Getting sleep helps you regain energy to get through the next day. Some doctors say that sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same hormones or sections of the brain. These hormones drive your appetite. So the less sleep you get, the hormones kick in telling you that you’re hungry and you tend to overeat or make unhealthy food choices, leading to weight gain.
6. Take a bubble bath or soak your feet in warm water and Epsom salts. This just gets you so relaxed. I mean you are sitting a tub full of water – you have no where else to go at that moment. It makes you stop and rest. There are no to-do lists, dishes to clean, shoes to pick up, emails to respond to. It’s just you relaxing and letting go of the stress or worries. Light a few candles, close your eyes and relax. It really is so calming and stress relieving.
7. Sit back, choose a great heartfelt or funny movie and paint your fingernails. This is the best of both worlds here. You get to laugh, cry and pamper yourself all at the same time. Sitting down to watch a movie is the ultimate time to do your nails. This gives them plenty of time to dry and your hands look great to top it off!
8. Declutter or organize. I know this may seems stressful to some… But hear me out. Do you feel overwhelmed, unorganized or flustered when you look around your house or open that closet door? These feelings are more than likely due to simply having too much stuff! Letting go of the things you don’t need, want or use can be so freeing and relieving. The less you have, the tidier your space will be naturally. Give it a try, you’ll be glad you did.
Try yoga or meditation. This can actually be quite hard to start. You feel silly, it’s hard to clear your mind or you just can’t seem to bend that way hahaha. I hear ya. Yoga and meditation create mental clarity, relaxes the mind, and relieves stress and anxiety. Yoga can improve flexibility and balance as well as help alleviate pain in your joints and other areas of your body.
10. Try something new. Take an online cooking class. Cook or bake something new that you’ve never made before. Paint an old piece of furniture and bring new life to it. Start a garden. It doesn’t have to be huge, you can start in your kitchen, pots on the balcony, anywhere you get some sunlight would be great.
11. Video chat with a family member or friend. Keep the connections and relationships going. It’s good for you and them = win / win all around.
12. Light the candles! If you’re anything like me, you wait for the perfect moment or season to light the beautifully scented and decorated candles. Go ahead a light them even on a Tuesday for no special occasion. It will fill the room with scents you love and bring joy and happiness. You bought those candles to enjoy – so do it – right now – light them & ENJOY them! Guess what, you can always buy more 😊
13. Get off the computers, laptops, tablets and phones. News and social media can really suck you in and lead you down the rabbit hole. Before you know it, 2 hours have gone by, you feel lazy, a little snacky and unmotivated. Change it up and watch a heartfelt or funny movie to lift your spirits and make you laugh. Read a book. This can be any type of book, self help, motivational, fantasy, history or spiritual. Reading books can really give you knowledge, spark a new interest, or just take you away to another time and place to escape your day to day less adventurous life.
14. Watch the sunrise or sunset from your porch. Grab you beverage of choice and take in the beauty of the changing from day to night or night to day. It can really be some of the most beautiful and calming moments of the day.
I hope you are able to take away at least a few of these suggestions on your journey to self care. Taking care of ourselves is the kindest most loving thing you can do for your self and for those around you. The happier, less stressed and healthier you are means you are kinder, more loving and patient with those around you. This makes for a better day and life for all 😊 xoxo ~
