Self care and self love is so important yet so many of us struggle to find the time or the motivation to do something nice for ourselves. You might also struggle to find self care ideas that work for you. It’s important to note that self care isn’t just about the simple act of taking a bath— it’s about reconnecting with yourself.
Finding self care ideas that work for you are important. There are lots of different ways we can care for ourselves and some of them may seem a bit obvious. But quite often it’s the simplest ideas that are the best.
Buy yourself something that you don’t need
Most of us don’t have a problem with buying ourselves something if we really need it. For example, replacing a broken computer for work or studying. But when it comes to buying ourselves clothes or makeup or flowers, we hold back because we don’t think that we can justify spending money on ourselves.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find it easier to buy a gift for someone else than yourself. This is partly due to low self-esteem but it can also be due to your financial situation. Perhaps you are in a situation where you can only afford to buy the essentials, and that’s completely understandable.
On the other hand, if you can afford to buy yourself a candle or a new book (pssst, I have a book on Amazon) then you should allow yourself that gesture of kindness. After all, you deserve it just as much as anyone else.
Eat whatever you want to eat
Using phrases like, ‘cheat day’ can be very damaging because it suggests that by eating the foods that you want to eat, you are doing something wrong. There’s a lot of stresses in life, so we want to avoid putting more pressure on ourselves. Using such phrases can lead us to have a negative relationship with food, and that’s something that can be difficult to repair. Trust me, I’ve experienced this. I know from experience just how hard it is to start enjoying all foods again without feeling guilty.
You don’t need a special occasion to eat some chocolate or ice cream. Let yourself enjoy what you enjoy and remember to savour the moment.
Take time away from social media
A not-so-obvious form of self care is to simply take some time away from social media and enjoy some time away from screens. If I stare at screens for too long, I get headaches and find myself getting tired and frustrated. We’re not supposed to spend long hours looking at screens, so it makes sense for us to take regular breaks away from them.
You might not realise it, but when you keep opening social media and scroll through the same posts, you’re not taking care of yourself. The headaches and tiredness are a sign that you’re neglecting to give your body what it needs. It needs a break. So go ahead and sit down with a book or run yourself a bath and make sure that your phone is far away from you to avoid temptation.
Write down what you’re grateful for
This is a simple exercise but it’s a really great way of putting things into perspective and recognising the good things that are in your life. A lot of the time, we don’t stop to consider these things. We often take them for granted.
I want to suggest that you take some time out of your day or your week to think about what you are grateful for. It could be something small like a stranger smiling at you in the supermarket or it could be the consistent love and support from your friends and family.
You’ll probably find that you feel a lot more positive and upbeat after doing this exercise, which is exactly the kind of self care that you need.
I hope you found these self care ideas encouraging. It’s important that you are kind to yourself to maintain a happy, healthy lifestyle. And remember that even the smallest acts of kindness can help.
