Ideas for Practicing Selfcare

Selfcare is the practice of taking care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health through activities that help you manage stress. These are activities you regularly take part in to allow you to step away from life’s stressors in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

There are many ways to practice selfcare and I wanted to give you some ideas.

Physical

• Drink water. This is so important! Staying hydrated keeps us alert and helps flush toxins out. One clue that you’re dehydrated is a headache.
• Exercise or play a sport (or play outside with your kids)
• Dance. I know it’s part of exercise, but dancing in your room while holding a hairbrush doesn’t seem like exercise, but it is if you do it for at least 30 minutes.
• Get a physical, and don’t be afraid to ask your doctor questions about your body and health.
• Get a dental check-up. Gum health affects our overall health.
• Get a massage
• Take a bubble bath. This crosses over to mental and emotional health, too!
• Get a mani-pedi or give yourself one
• Apply moisturizing lotion all over your body after a shower (take your time, it’s relaxing)
• Get a haircut.
• Stretch.
• Get enough sleep.
• Change your alarm clock’s alarm from a blaring horn to music that builds up. I read somewhere that blaring alarms that jar us awake contribute to stressful mornings because they abruptly break our sleep cycle.

Mental

• Read a book you want to read.
• Play a musical instrument.
• Craft something.
• Listen to classical music or instrumental music while you work or do chores. This is a sneaky one because you’re still working, but it’s basically turning off other sources of noise around us to help our minds process one experience at a time.
• Take a technology break. Turn off your phone, the radio, and TV. Log out of social media. Take a break from the noise of the entire world and just enjoy your home, your family, and your own company. This is good for your emotional and spiritual health as well!
• Talk to a therapist or a confidante.
• Solve a puzzle: a traditional puzzle, a crossword, a Sudoku, the Rubik’s Cube (although that one personally stresses me out…those colors refuse to cooperate! :-))
• Take silly personality quizzes on the Internet. It lets your mind think on something else for a few minutes. Try: What is Your Disney Personality and Are You a Tea or Coffee Person.

Emotional

• Have a good cry. It’s cathartic.
• Scream. It’s cathartic, too.
• Laugh. Again, also cathartic. Try watching funny YouTube videos like the boy who baptized himself or Kristin Weber caught in a middle school group text.
• Write in a journal. You can use the good ol’ pen & diary, the Journey app, or FutureMe.org to send a private email to yourself a year from now.
• Talk to a friend or confidante. You can talk to your therapist, too, but sometimes we just have to rant or cry to a nonjudgmental listening ear that good, genuine friends offer.
• Try coloring for adults like this one.
• Play a boardgame.
• Go on vacation (this is also for your physical and mental health).
• Give yourself a time-out. Grab a cup of coffee or tea. Take longer than necessary in the bathroom. Eat a Snickers.

Spiritual

• Spend time with God.
• Meditate. Think on a Bible verse. Try listening to a worship song while you do it. Have a pen and paper handy. God might give you new insights or an encouraging word.
• Give back or volunteer. Do something small and personal to bless others like donating old clothes or toys, giving food to your neighbors, visiting someone in the hospital, or packing a shoebox. It’s amazing how taking care of others is one way of taking care of ourselves!
• Try Bible journaling. Here are some Pinterest inspirations to get you started.
• Fellowship with believers. Try joining a small group in your church (but do consider your time and family before doing so).
• Read inspirational books.
• Attend a retreat or worship night event.