Thank you so much for following #30daysofselfcare – I hope you found a handful of ideas that you’ve already tried or that you’re looking forward to trying out. Remember, you don’t have to do them all in one month. You don’t even have to do all of them. Just pick the ones that speak to you and maybe make a practice of doing them once or twice a month.
I’ve put them all together in this full 30-day compilation so you can bookmark it or save it somewhere to refer back to whenever you feel like you need a little pick-me-up.
Just when you thought #30daysofselfcare was over, POOF! Day 31! Here’s a little bonus self-care tip. Take yourself on a date. I learned about this tip from Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way” – as a tool for helping boost your creativity. She called them an Artist Date, but you can call it a Vet Tech Date or a Nurse Date or a Tired Mom Date, or whatever makes you happy.
Take a little me time. Find a way to get away for an hour or a whole afternoon. It doesn’t have to be an expensive date. Take yourself to a museum or art show. Go to your favorite cafe. Go for a walk in your favorite park. Treat yourself to lunch at your favorite restaurant.
The key is to do it by yourself. And don’t let it turn into a date with a bunch of errands. Try to do it on a day when you’re not in a rush to get back to work. Just take some time for yourself to do something that brings you a little peace, joy, or relaxation.
I am the least wardrobe-oriented person I know. I have clothing that is so old I don’t even remember where/when I bought it! When you wear a uniform for work, it certainly reduces the need for a lot of extra fancy work clothes.
That being said, I am actually TERRIBLE at getting rid of clothes I don’t wear. I have some stuff in my closet I never wear, but you know, I MIGHT need it!
There are a few ways you can get rid of old clothes. You can donate them, of course. Various thrift stores, shelters, and charities accept clothing.
Another neat thing I found is ThredUp. ThredUp is an online consignment and thrift store. Not only can you shop for quality used/upcycled clothing, but you can request a “clean out kit” and they’ll send you a bag you can fill with all your unwanted clothing. Once they receive the bag, they will process it and post it for sale on their site, and you get a portion of the proceeds added to your account that you can spend on the site!
There are possibly other sites that do this, this is just the one I’ve tried and liked. Maybe you can make a little extra space in your closet/dresser this week! Where is your favorite place to donate clothing?
It can be a nice little walk down memory lane to dig out old photo albums and look back at fond memories. Maybe you’ve got some old photos that need to be sorted into albums *coughcough*me*coughcough* – A perfect little task for a rainy weekend!
I think most of us have something in the back of our minds we have always wanted to learn. Maybe it’s as complicated as a musical instrument or a new language. Maybe you want to learn to knit or sew. Whittle? Origami? Cake decorating? Tap dancing? (I know someone who can help you with that if you’re into it!)
Pick a new skill and give it a whirl! It’ll stimulate your brain, get you out of a rut, or give you a new way to make gifts, have fun, or create a little side hustle!
Who doesn’t love receiving a special treat? Who doesn’t like waiting until special occasions like birthdays, holidays, or anniversaries to get special treats?
You don’t have to spend a ton to treat yourself. Maybe you spot a pretty bunch of daisies at the grocery store, or you stop and get a single rose from the flower shop. Take a little side trip to your favorite specialty chocolatier and get a couple of sweet treats. Go to a local artisan shop and treat yourself to a handmade treasure.
Invent your own special occasion! Maybe you’re celebrating getting some of the trickier self-care tips done! You deserve a little treat.
In our house, we tend to read/watch a fair amount of dystopian fiction (no, not just the nightly news). One of the themes I’ve seen come up a few times is when there’s no power, a character is carrying around a dead cell phone just hoping for a chance to look at a photo of their loved one again.
While I’m not saying that we’re headed for a dystopian future (fingers crossed), how many happy memories or fantastic photos of loved ones do you have that only exist on your phone, computer, or up in the cloud?
Pick a few this week and get them printed! If you have a decent home printer, you can usually get some photo printing paper and check the printer for photo printing settings. Remember One Hour Photos? They still exist in a more digital format. Many department stores and drug stores have kiosks where you can print your photos. If you want to get really fancy, there are specialty printers just for printing from your phone.
You can frame them relatively inexpensively with frames from a craft store or even a dollar store. Put them on your fridge with magnets. Display them in your office. Get a photo album! Put them somewhere where seeing them makes you smile!
I’m not at all a morning person, but I’ve kind of made myself one in the last year or so. I’m sure many of you can appreciate during this pandemic finding “alone time” when EVERYONE is home. ALL. THE. TIME.
My answer was to drag my butt out of bed an hour earlier in the morning. I use the “quiet time” to read or get some work done when I have something I need to think about with less distraction.
It can be 15, 30, 60 minutes earlier. You might need baby steps, just creep your alarm back 5 minutes each day or week. What will you do with your extra time?
I kind of love this idea. Maybe you just write it on a Post-It Note, type a list on your phone or computer, create a resume of your greatest hits, or even get super fancy and make something with colored paper and embellishments.
Take a moment to think about what you’re proud of about yourself. Did you win a spelling bee when you were a kid? Get a ribbon at a science fair? Learn to kayak or ski? Graduate? Have children? Travel? Accomplish goals? Win a Major Award? Anything goes!
If you’re prone to feeling imposter syndrome about your current career or passion, make a list of everything you accomplished to get there. Training, education, hard work, sweat, glory. If you’re stuck ask a friend or family member for ideas!
Keep that list (or lists!) around in case you’re feeling in a funk. Remind yourself why you’re badass.
I confess that I sometimes do this sort of accidentally. I have gotten so that all the bings and buzzes and notifications drive me crazy, so I tend to keep my phone on silent. Then, of course, I set my phone down and wander around and realize it’s been two hours and I have no idea if anyone has tried to reach me
But maybe we can all pick a night and be a little more intentional about it. For many of us, it’s the only actual telephone we have. One option is to put your phone on do not disturb.
I know that on my phone I can go into my do not disturb settings and choose to allow calls from the favorites on my contact, family, or other specific groups. This makes it so they can still reach you in an emergency.
The purpose of this tip is to not be “on” for a few hours. Not responding to every text or instant message… instantly. Not mindlessly scrolling news feeds or videos. Instead, read a book, work on an art or craft project, knit/crochet, or watch a movie.
Give your neck, eyes, and brain a break from staring at your phone for a couple of hours. You might like it, it might make you twitchy, but hey, you tried it
