Unplug
I don’t mean never look at your phone, but set a time before bed or in the morning where you have “me” time without your phone.
Obsess Over what You Love
Always compliment yourself, “Wow, my hair looks great today” instead of “Wow, my skin looks awful today.” Words are EXTREMELY powerful. And the negative ways you talk to yourself are training your mind to always think those negative thoughts. I personally recommend keeping a list of things you love about yourself in a place you see often. Click here to see more about the sticky notes on my bathroom mirror.
Spring Clean
If you can't keep your entire home clean (or you’re like me, and cleaning is the worst thing EVER), choose one room to tackle, and clean. The amount of peace you’ll feel by surrounding yourself with a clean space is worth the work to clean it.
Declutter
If you declutter your life, you will ultimately feel a lot more happier. Get rid of objects that have no meaning or use. Any clothes you haven’t worn in the past 6 months, should go. Go through your social media and get rid of any negativity and do the same with any relationships. Marie Kondo the crap out of your life, and you won’t feel like you’re suffocating.
Brain Dump
Writing anything & everything relieves stress & anxiety. Write your heart out. Write everything you're thankful for. Everything you love about yourself. I don’t journal as often, but when I do, I feel a weight lifting off my shoulders.
Talk a Walk
Even if it’s just a 5 minute walk outside. Seriously, it will do wonders.
Re-binge your favorite show
You can catch me doing this daily. I have a whole string of comedies that I can choose from to play before I go to sleep. It helps break up my thoughts between work and the thoughts that come into my brain as I’m trying to fall asleep. Instead of stressing about everything I wasn’t able to finish that night, I think about what Chandler Bing and Dwight Shrute are up to.
Paint your nails
You paint your nails, and suddenly you feel like you’ve got your s**t together. I can’t be the only one! It’s the same concept as putting on a face mask, except your immediately see the results.
Stretch when you wake up
This one only takes TWO MINUTES, y’all. If you’re a morning person, this one’s pretty easy. If you’re like me and you’ll wait until the last possible second to jump out of bed, find a few minutes in your morning routine. Stretch while you’re brushing your teeth. While you’re waiting for the shower to warm up. Taking just a short amount of time to stretch will help you clear your mind and realign your focus for the tasks of the day.
Create a vision board
Oh hey there, Pinterest! Create a board on Pinterest to serve as your “vision board.” It should include more than just the things that you like, it should be filled with dreams and goals you have for yourself! A few examples of things that might go on your vision board: Inspirational quotes. instructional videos, book titles, blog posts, links to purchase. There’s not any pressure to act on those pins now, because you’ve essentially saved them to look at/purchase later. Having a plan set for how to better your life will help put your mind at east.
Dance it out
Any Grey’s Anatomy fans out there? Whenever Cristina Yang and Meredith Gray had a rough day at the hospital (or with whatever relationship drama was going on that day), they would stop whatever they were doing, put on some music, and just DANCE. And they danced like no one was watching because they were simply blowing off steam. If you get antsy from sitting still too long, this option probably works for you.
Water
HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE. When you continuously pump your body with crap, of course you’re doing to feel like crap! Drinking more water helps with bloating, acne, and curbing hunger. I mean, I may still pump my body with mostly crap, but hey, at least I drink a ton of water!
These methods of self care will not work for everyone, but several of these have personally helped me. This post is focused on completely free activities that don’t cost a thing. Chime in below if you have a favorite form of (free) self care that I may have missed!