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Hello Lovelies:

Raise your hand if you’ve ever put self care on the back burner! I certainly have. And I know I’m not the only one. We all get busy and the easiest thing to forget to do is to take extra good care of ourselves.

But doing that is a huge mistake! For both our mental and physical well-being. And I think that we should vow to make our self care a much bigger priority. Are you in? Heck yea!

Need a hand fitting self care into a busy schedule? Here are 10 easy self care ideas that will help you relax. Super bonus – many of them can be done in 10 minutes or less! Ready to get your self care on? Let’s do this!

We Could All Use a Little More Self Care

Prioritizing self care can be super hard! And if you’re feeling that way you definitely aren’t alone. It’s totally normal to struggle sometimes.

And hey, we aren’t exactly taught put our own needs first. We’re often taught the value of being selfless and putting ourselves last on our to-do list. Boy does that idea ever set us up for failure (and even negatively affect those closest to us too).

Don’t get me wrong. Knowing how and when to be selfless is magnificent. Being kind to your fellow man and putting goodness out there is not only admirable, it’s necessary. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t provide the same amount of time, love and care for yourself too.

If anything, practicing self care recharges our batteries and allows us to be more present for others. It helps to prevent us from feeling stressed, drained or burnt out. Which means that we have a lot more of ourselves left to spread around.

Everyone benefits! So take good care of yourself hun. You deserve it.

The best part, self care absolutely doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive or even take up a ton of time when you’re a busy bee. Let’s take a piece a look at some options:

10 Easy Self Care Ideas That Will Help You Relax

This Self Care Ideas List has 10 simple and quick activities that you can do (right now!) to relax and de-stress. Need a little more me time? Well, this list is designed to help you live more mindfully in your spare time, so that when you have a few extra minutes here and there, you can pull out this list and choose a self care activity that makes you feel awesome. Easy!

And of course I couldn’t help but gush about the goodness each of these activities has to offer your health.

Here’s a quick peek of your list:

1. Meditate
2. Bust out a colouring book
3. Schedule a doctor’s appointment
4. Gratitude journal
5. Treat yourself to a bra fitting
6. Dry brush
7. Enjoy a homemade face mask
8. Workout
9. Read
10. Do nothing

Don’t worry, we’re about to dive deeper into what each activity has to offer your well-being.

But first, if you need a little extra help making time for self care, here’s a printable self care planner. Sometimes penciling some you-time in is a huge help.

1. Meditate

Before I totally lose you, I do know that meditating can seem a little daunting if you’ve never tried it before. But, good news, you can do it for as short or as long as you want! Even 2 minutes is awesome if that’s what works for you. Ease into it!

Even better, there are tons of ways to meditate. No one size fits all here honey!

We’ve got:

• Mindfulness meditation
• Meditating with music like a Tibetan Singing Bowl
• Mindful eating (if that isn’t having your cake and eating it too I seriously don’t know what is)
• Moving meditation like walking or yoga
• And tons more

There’s no one right way to do it! And the relaxing benefits you have to gain are too much to miss out on.

Including health benefits like:

• Reduced anxiety and stress
• Improved focus and concentration
• Decreased blood pressure
• Increased empathy and compassion

Ready to stop, drop and relax? Meditation is where it’s at!

Related: How to Meditate with Ease – Awesome Tips to Get Your Om On

2. Bust Out a Colouring Book

Colouring isn’t just for kids! Put on your creativity hat, grab your pencil crayons and get ready to feel awesome.

Colouring helps to:

• Lower stress
• Foster creativity
• Increase relaxation
• Create a better night’s sleep
• And it’s so much fun

Super bonus – there are tons of marvelous options.  Intricate, entrancing mandalas, holiday themed goodies… even colouring books based on your favourite novels (this bookworm may have a few…)

And if you’re a parent, this is one of the easiest self care ideas to tap into whilst also spending time with your little ones. Colouring together can be a great chill-fest for the whole family!

Related: 4 Awesome Stress Relieving Activities From Your Childhood

3. Schedule a Doctors Appointment

Self care isn’t all massages and bubble baths. Getting your booty to your doctors office for a checkup (or to discuss any concerns as they may arise) is an incredibly important form of self care.

Take it from an autoimmune disease warrior – you should never take your health for granted. It’s the most precious thing you have. And yet it’s so easy to put this form of self care off (or to forget it all together).

So pick up the phone and book an appointment. It’s quick and easy baby! 

This appointment gives you a chance to talk about any health issues you may be experiencing. But it also lets your doctor examine you and make sure that everything’s ok too. All win yo!

You can even ask your doctor about undergoing screenings to make sure that everything’s ok. Having occasional blood tests, blood pressure checks, pap tests, breast exams and even a genetic screening can be informative. And catching things early can seriously save your life!

According to Dr. Harry Stylli:

“Genetic screening can alert specialists to the risk of us developing a disease in our lifetime. It can also help doctors select the right care program and medicine.” (source)

Yes, I know that a doctor’s appointment might not seem so relaxing. And it definitely isn’t one of the most exciting self care ideas. But it is one of the most important ones.

There is really nothing better than piece of mind! Getting a clean bill of health or developing a treatment plan to protect your well-being and allow you to thrive is the best stress relief there is.

So pick up that phone and pencil in an appointment.

4. Gratitude Journal

This is such a sweet little self care activity. All you need is a journal, a pen and a few minutes to jot down some goodness you’re feeling extra grateful about!

Write down what you’re grateful for, who you are undeniably blessed to be surrounded by and positive quotes and affirmations that make you exude joy. It may be difficult at first, but you will find that your list will grow every time you sit down to create one.

And it will help you build a grateful mindset! 

The more we practice gratitude the easier it is for us to find things to be grateful for. It’s a beautiful chain reaction.

What’s in it for your health?

• Creates more sustainable feelings of happiness
• Boosts our mood
• Helps us prioritize self care
• Improves our relationships
• Promotes better sleep

It’s all win! Especially for your mental health. Yahoo! Pretty cool, right?

Related: How to Practice Gratitude and Feel Awesome

5. Treat Yourself to a Bra Fitting

Maybe this seems like one of the weirdest self care ideas, but more than 80% of us are in the wrong bra size… and that can actually have some serious health-related consequences.

How can a ill fitting bra affect your health?

• Back, neck and shoulder pain
• Pinched nerves
• Chaffing and skin irritation
• Headaches

And all of this pain is completely preventable with a properly fitting bra. 

So do yourself a huge favour, remove bra related stress and treat yourself to a professional fitting. It won’t take long, you can get some rocking new underwear and your health will thank you.

And you won’t have to worry about busting out of your top or feeling any major pain. Goodbye boob-stress. Hello undies!

Related: 4 Ways Bras Affect Your Health and How a Professional Bra Fitting can Help

6. Dry Brush

What combines self care, self-love and skin care all into one? Dry brushing sugar!

What’s in it for you when you pick up a dry brush?

• Self-love and body positivity
• Boosted confidence and self-esteem
• Lymphatic and circulatory support
• Soft, smooth, clean skin
• Fewer blackheads and pimples
• May improve immune function
• Lowered stress
• Improved sleep
• Reduced inflammation

And it’s so simple! Grab a dry brush at your local health food or drug store. Strip down to your birthday suit. And dry brush away! Easy, peasy and it feels A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Related: These 3 Incredible Benefits of Dry Brushing Will Make You Reach For a Brush

7. Enjoy a Homemade Face Mask

Not only is this fun, great for your skin and feels like a total spa day, there are so many different options.

A little clay and some water can go a long way, and has this to offer your skin’s health:

• Has a gentle antiseptic effect
• Increases collagen fibers in the skin
• Removes oil build up
• Exfoliates
• Totally relaxing

And if you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can make a ton of different masks! This Chocolate coffee face mask is a personal favourite.

Plus, treating yourself to a clay mask is just one of those self care ideas that encourages you to pamper yourself and relax. This is one of those self care ideas that just keeps on giving!

Related: Top 3 Clays for a Quick and Easy Homemade Face Mask

8. Workout

Exercise has so much to offer and a ton of health benefits, including mental health support! Holla!

And that doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym or do strength training exercises if that isn’t your thing. There are so many options. A simple walk, a yoga session, jump rope… even dancing around to your favourite tunes. Whatever you enjoy that gets you moving and grooving.

What does exercise have in store for your health?

• Supports muscle and bone health
• Boosts your mood
• Supports cardiovascular health
• Promotes good brain health and boosts memory
• Boosts your energy
• Improves sleep
• May reduce your risk of developing a chronic illness

That’s a heck of a lot of awesome right?

Related: 8 Super Benefits of Exercise and How to Make it Fun

9. Read

Snuggling under a cozy blanket or soaking in a hot bath with a good book is pure heaven (at least in my world!) And, good news, it’s a seriously wonderful way to relax!

Reading distracts your mind, allows you to unwind and immerses you into another world. And offers some serious stress reduction.

Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis found that reading for just 6 minutes can help to reduce stress by up to 68%. And it also stimulates your creativity, which is a total bonus, don’t you agree? (source)

Next time you’re trying to come up with some self care ideas just grab a book and get ready for an awesome adventure!

10. Do Nothing

If you have a few minutes to spare and you just want to sit down and space out, DO IT! Sometimes we need to give ourselves permission to rest and relax. And 10 minutes of nothing can be the ultimate gift to a tired self.

Oh, and there are some sweet health benefits to that too!

• Supports your mental well-being
• Boosts productivity
• Improves your relationship with yourself
• Allows you to reconnect with yourself
• Improves attention span
• Breeds creativity

You can absolutely do nothing and get tons of goodness from it. So don’t feel bad if you take those 10 spare minutes to unplug.

Related: Why You Need To Make Time To Do Nothing

If you want this self care planner to work a few more self care ideas into your schedule, just click the image below and start planning! Enjoy friends!

Which of these self care ideas are you most excited to try? Are there any that you would add to the list? Share all of your thoughts and feels with us in the comments below!

Health and love,

Thought of the day: I am worthy of the same time, care and love that I give to my loved ones.

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