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As we mentioned in our post about how to create a self-care plan, a good self-care strategy can involve physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual and social aspects. They influence each other and our general well-being, so it’s essential to balance activities. If you often feel like you prioritize some areas and neglect others, it may be time to reevaluate and add new self-care ideas to your list!
We’ve listed 45 self-care activities for each area of well-being, inspired by suggestions from the University of British Columbia. Check them out:
Physical self-care
- Adopt a balanced diet and eat regularly (avoid skipping meals!)
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, every day
- Find a physical activity you love and practice regularly: dancing, swimming, running, riding a bike, growing a garden… so many options!
- Get enough sleep
- Take time to rest between activities
- Get regular, preventative medical care
- Take your medications regularly
- Get a massage
- Take care of your teeth
Psychological self-care
- Make time for self-reflection
- Write in a journal
- Read for pleasure, something unrelated to work
- Learn new things – it helps keep your mind sharp!
- Learn to say “no” sometimes
- Learn how to delegate and receive from others
- Start a new hobby
- Find ways to infuse humour into your day, laugh more
Emotional self-care
- Spend time with people whose company you enjoy
- Avoid people that bring you down, whenever possible
- Keep in touch with the important people in your life
- Allow yourself to cry when you feel like
- Play with children or pets
- Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places and seek them out
- Practice self-compassion
- Look for inspirational content, like books, talks, documentaries…
- Treat yourself with the same kindness you treat others
Spiritual self-care
- Spend time in nature
- Pray and practice your faith, if you have one
- Find a spiritual connection or community
- Be optimistic, adoptive a positive view on things
- Volunteer – helping others makes you feel better too!
- Meditate
- Sing
- Be aware of the immaterial aspects of life
- Accept that you don’t know – and don’t need to know – everything
Workplace/social self-care
- Take a break during the workday
- Stand up, stretch, go for a walk after sitting down for a long time
- Enjoy some coffee or tea
- Avoid having lunch at your desk
- Take time to chat and get to know the people who work with you
- Set limits with coworkers
- Plan your tasks and make quiet time to complete them
- Have a peer support group
- Identify projects and activities that are exciting and rewarding
- Offer help, and be open to receive help as well
We hope you’ll find this list helpful in your self-care routine! Do you have any other self-care activity you’d like to add? Share it with us in the comments!
