Sometimes it can seem that self-care is portrayed as something that can take a lot of time out of your day or only counts if it is something lavish. Self-care can definitely be those things (and believe me I do love a luxe self-care moment) but most of the things that I do to self-care are things that easily fit into my day.
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Here are 10 ways that I practice self-care
Set Boundaries
Being able to set boundaries is incredibly important when you are trying to practice self-care. For me, setting boundaries is especially helpful when work requires more of me than I am able to give. The work that I do is 24/7 so there is always more room to help out, but I’ve learned that it doesn’t always have to be me.
Positive Affirmations
I talked about using positive affirmations previously in my post about healing after a break-up. I still use positive affirmations to help boost my mood throughout the day. One positive affirmation that I use is “May I Let Love In”. I love this affirmation because it reminds me to think about the love and positivity that I encounter throughout the day, instead of the negative. To take it one step further, I have this affirmation printed onto a bracelet that I wear every day. The specific one that I have is MyIntent (here), but you can find similar ones here and here. It serves as a great physical reminder.
Journaling
I first started journaling when I was in middle school. Mostly about my daily life and the current boy that I was crushing on. I stopped in high school and then started (and stopped) multiple times throughout my life. My own coach encouraged our group to journal and I’ve made it a habit to do it every night. I’ve been going strong for 4 months now.
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Get Massages
Massages are one of my favorite ways to treat myself, especially for my back pain. I just started getting massages earlier this year and they are so NICE. I usually go to a local massage when I can, but I also have a massager that can work in a pinch. It was a life-saver for me when I was having some pretty bad neck and shoulder pain earlier last week.
Sleep
I’ve learned over the years with working full-time and being in school, that enough sleep is absolutely essential for me. I know that I work best when I’m able to take a nap during the afternoon, especially if I know there are important things that I need to get done that night.
Delete Apps From My Phone and iPad
A few months ago, I was at a point in my life where Facebook was becoming a negative influence on how I felt about myself (and the world at large). So I decided to take a break from social media. I deleted the Facebook app off of my phone and iPad. After a few weeks, I eventually installed it back to my phone but left it off of my iPad. I recently also deleted an app for work off of my phone so that when I am away from my computer, I truly am away from work.
Are you a busy woman but still want to make time for self-care? The Self-Care Toolkit Workbook may be for you! Click here to learn more.
Read Books
I’ve always had a love for reading and books. When I was younger, I had a bookcase made out of plastic milk crates (does anyone remember those?). All of them were filled to the brim with books. While I don’t have as many books now, I still try to read as much as I can, both for fun and to enhance my understanding of my professions (social work, education, and life coaching). Two of my favorite books are The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson and The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.
Watch Youtube
Watching Youtube is one of my favorite ways so self-care. I watch a little bit of everything, depending on my mood. Recently, I’ve been watching video essays by Lindsay Ellis. Her content is incredibly informative and entertaining.
Masturbation
Time to get a little adult. Learning how to make myself feel good physically and sexually is 1) incredibly powerful, 2) helps when I’m in a relationship and 3) feels absolutely amazing. I masturbate at least once a day, sometimes multiple times, and have a whole drawer full of toys. You can find my favorite one here.
De-Clutter My House
I used to be obsessed with subscription boxes, getting multiple boxes every month from food boxes to beauty boxes. I’ve since stopped getting subscription boxes (finally canceled my last one earlier this month!).
Getting subscription boxes overloaded me with a lot of “stuff” and mostly things that I didn’t want or need. Over the past year, I’ve slowly begun decluttering, with a huge decluttering before I moved. It feels like a breath of fresh air every time something leaves my house.
Briana Hollis is a licensed social worker and self-care coach. She earned her Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University in 2014 and her Master of Education from Tiffin University in 2019. She has spent the last 5 years working in crisis intervention. Her passion for serving others is the heart of this site. She started Learning To Be Free to assist others in bringing freedom to their lives.
Briana is also the author of The Self-Care Journal for Young Adults.
Reading is one of the ways I love me the most! Loved this post
Reading is one of the ways I love me the most! Loved this post
There are some great suggestions! I recently started journaling, practicing affirmations, and and setting boundaries. It has been such a great experience so far.
These were some really good tips on how to care for yourself in more of an internal form as opposed to the external things that people look for when discussing self-care. I appreciate your perspective and you definitely caught me by surprise when I got to the masturbation point, but it is truly another way to get to know yourself.
There are some great suggestions! I recently started journaling, practicing affirmations, and and setting boundaries. It has been such a great experience so far.
These were some really good tips on how to care for yourself in more of an internal form as opposed to the external things that people look for when discussing self-care. I appreciate your perspective and you definitely caught me by surprise when I got to the masturbation point, but it is truly another way to get to know yourself.
Great tips… I will never go to a masseuse again…horror story
These are great ways to treat ourselves! It seems that we have similar ways to care for ourselves. I love, love, LOVE massages, I journal often, read, I recently decluttered my room, and to add to the mix, I go to therapy once a week and workout.
Thanks for sharing these as a reminder to care for myself and love myself.
Great tips… I will never go to a masseuse again…horror story
Oh no! I’ve only had good experiences so far but I’ve definitely heard some bad stories.
These are great ways to treat ourselves! It seems that we have similar ways to care for ourselves. I love, love, LOVE massages, I journal often, read, I recently decluttered my room, and to add to the mix, I go to therapy once a week and workout.
Thanks for sharing these as a reminder to care for myself and love myself.
Therapy is amazing! Finding a new therapist is going to be one of my goals for next year. And hopefully I’ll get into working out (though I say that every year!).
These are all really great tips for self-care. Setting boundaries is an amazing way to truly take care of yourself. Reading this was such a reminder of that for me. I was a little surprised by the masturbation as that’s not something I do frequently or at all really but I do agree that it’s a good way to learn about yourself.
These are all really great tips for self-care. Setting boundaries is an amazing way to truly take care of yourself. Reading this was such a reminder of that for me. I was a little surprised by the masturbation as that’s not something I do frequently or at all really but I do agree that it’s a good way to learn about yourself.
I agree! Setting boundaries is so important to make sure that people understand how to treat you.
The idea for masturbating is fresh and new and i like it. I recently started thinking about journaling and i will get to it! Thanks for this great post
The idea for masturbating is fresh and new and i like it. I recently started thinking about journaling and i will get to it! Thanks for this great post
Thank you! I hope you enjoy journaling 🙂
Great tips! I also believe sleep is super important to be able function optimally. Journaling – I used to do it! Thanks for the reminder.
Great tips! I also believe sleep is super important to be able function optimally. Journaling – I used to do it! Thanks for the reminder.
I agree! I love sleeping too.
Great tips to treat ourselves. I want to add-on that, “Respect yourself and world will respect you. ”
Thanks for sharing such great post
I agree with respecting yourself! Thank you for reading!
I love everything about this. The honesty is amazing! ?
Thank you!
These are such amazing tips. Love it!
Thank you for reading!
Such a wonderful post! I love anything to do with self care and this is no exception!
– Nyxie
https://www.nyxiesnook.com/3-key-types-of-therapy-in-recovery/
Thank you for reading!
Self care is so important !! Glad you’re practicing it & I love the tips !
Thank you for reading!
This is a really great list of self-care strategies. I appreciate how the simplicity and speed of each varies, allowing for however the day is going.
I’m in the process of decluttering my house, (thank you Marie Kondo) and it really makes a huge difference in my day to day.
I’ll need to focus more on de-cluttering. I hope to get my second bedroom set up by the end of the summer.