Self-care does not have to be a huge thing. There are plenty of easy ways to take care of yourself without breaking the bank or spending the entire day alone.
Let’s look at some of the best budget-friendly ways to take care of yourself.
Self-Care Tips
Self-care is more than taking a bubble bath once a month. It will help strengthen your mental and emotional health while reducing your stress.
Even though self-care is crucial when you are overwhelmed, you should make it a daily habit even when life is good.
Here are a few tips to help you make self-care a daily routine in your life.
1. Schedule in Time
When you put something on the calendar, you usually stick with it. It also allows more time to find a babysitter if you need or to work it out with your spouse.
Just the simple act of writing down a time for self-care is one way to show yourself that you are a priority and will help you realize just how much you truly deserve that time.
2. Start Off Small
Don’t try to spend an hour by yourself when you first start out. Even something that only takes a few minutes at a time will still be more beneficial than doing nothing at all.
Those couple of minutes will add up fast!
3. Change It Up
Don’t do the same thing every time you take time for yourself. Change it up! Maybe one day you focus on your physical health and the next day your mental health.
Keep it light and fun to help motivate you to practice self-care more often.
4. Don’t Feel Guilty
Self-care is not selfish. You need time to recuperate and reset in order to take care of your children.
Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup! Self-care will help you be your best self.
9 Simple Ways To Take Care of Yourself
Here are some of the best ways to look after yourself so you can be healthier mentally, physically, and emotionally!
Many of these are the perfect 5-minute self-care activities when you have a busy day, and they don’t even require you to spend money!
1. Start Your Day With Mindfulness
One of the best ways to begin your day is with meditation. Even a little 5-10 minute guided mindfulness practice can make all the difference between a good or bad day.
Mindfulness is great for any part of the day, but when done in the morning, it helps you set the right tone, so you naturally focus on the good.
Instead of starting your day thinking, “Oh man, I didn’t get any sleep. Now today is going to be awful!” begin with meditating. It will help you reset even if the night was bad.
2. Stretch Before You Go to Bed
Right before you go to bed, take a few minutes to stretch to help melt away the tension from the entire day.
You can do some great guided stretches that help you get a deeper sleep or simply do any stretch that helps you relax.
Stretching will help release tension and prepare your body to go to sleep. In addition, you can meditate while you stretch, further helping you to take care of your body and mind!
3. Forgive Yourself
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This is especially important for your emotional health. So often, we beat ourselves up when we make mistakes, even small ones.
Embrace mistakes. They will always be a part of your life. No matter how hard you try, mistakes are part of the process for success.
When you mess up or accidentally hurt someone, you have to forgive yourself. If you would forgive your family or friends for the thing you did, why not forgive yourself?
This takes a lot of time and can be a challenge for some. But, as long as you try, eventually, you’ll be able to move forward and release the burden of holding onto those painful moments.
4. Drink Plenty of Water
How often do you drink water throughout the day? As a result, most people do not get as much water as they need. This, in turn, hurts you more than you realize.
When you are dehydrated, you have less energy, you can get sick, and your mental health will suffer.
Carry a water bottle with you wherever you go. This will naturally help you to drink water, and you should see an improvement in your mood and energy when you do!
If drinking water is not your favorite, try adding some electrolyte powder or other additives to help motivate you.
5. Journal
Journaling has so many amazing benefits that it is a great habit to incorporate into your self-care routine.
You do not have to write about your day unless you want to. Journaling is so much more than the mundane things we do.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, try writing down every thought that comes into your mind.
When you are angry, you can journal what happened to help you fully release those feelings.
Keeping a gratitude journal where you list a few things you are thankful for every day helps you have a positive mindset and will boost your mood.
6. Go on a Nature Walk
There is just something special about taking a nice walk in nature. This will usually help us slow down and appreciate the beauty all around us.
Breathing in the fresh air helps reset us and just to live in the present moment. So try going for a walk outside as often as possible.
7. Release Your Emotions
While you can release your emotions through journaling, often, that is not enough.
Find a family member or good friend you know you can trust and who won’t judge you. Then, when you are struggling, reach out to them and just release everything you’ve been carrying for so long.
You can do this in a text, a phone call, or in person. Do what you are comfortable with.
Consider going to see a therapist as well. Everyone can benefit from going to therapy, not because something is wrong, but rather to teach you better ways to manage stress and life in general.
8. Social Media Fast
Every now and then, it is good to do a social media fast and take a break from your entire phone in general.
We get so caught up in checking social media that we end up wasting a lot of time we could be doing more beneficial things.
Social media also is an easy outlet for comparison, which will only bring us down. Nowadays, the news ends up on Facebook and will quickly depress anyone who reads it constantly.
Take a break for as long as you can. Try maybe an hour, then two hours, then a whole day, etc.
You will be happier and more relaxed when you take time away from your phone. You will be so relieved!
9. Mirror Talk
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Mirror talk is super beneficial for your mental health. This is usually awkward at first but will slowly become natural.
Stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself positive things. It can be things you love about yourself or positive affirmations about your day, life, or who you are as a person.
Some examples include:
- I am strong
- Each day is a new day. Good things will happen today
- I can do hard things
If, at first, you are too uncomfortable, say them to yourself in your head. Then, eventually, try saying them out loud.
Doing mirror talk is a way to help you rewrite negative thoughts about yourself. This is one of the most important things to do every day to gain self-love and self-esteem. When you have love for yourself, you can do anything and everything.
Take good care of yourself. You deserve it! Spend a few minutes every day for self-care for a happier, healthier life.
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A Dime Saved
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.