Tag Archives: stress management

30 Days of Self-Care Summary

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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.

Take care of yourselves!

graphic featuring 30 days of self-care suggestions

Self-Care Day 21

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I tried to look up some different breathing exercises for this post and there. are. so. many.

My personal favorite is just a nice deep breath, hold it for a moment, and let it out slowly. Long, slow exhales can stimulate the vagus nerve and send a calming message to your nervous system. In turn, this can lower your heart rate and blood pressure.

There are different breathing exercises out there for helping with anxiety attacks, stress, and calming… as always you can do a little research to find different techniques that suit you.

Self-Care Day 18

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Take a News Break

Every. Time. The news is on tv, my phone, my laptop… my shoulders creep up around my ears, my jaw gets all clenchy, and I’m certain I can feel my blood pressure rise.

Of course, there’s so much going on these days “My desire to stay informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.” – to quote a cartoon I saw a few years ago. But, as I’m sure you know, all that jaw clenching and blood pressure raising isn’t great for you.

I live with a news junkie, so it’s not easy to take a break from it. The main thing I try to do is make sure I’m avoiding the news for at least an hour or so before I go to bed. Sometimes this means I just get up and leave the room if the news starts playing on my TV.

I also tend to try not to read the news while I’m at work unless there’s some big breaking news thing I want to pay attention to. It helps me stay better focused on what I’m there to do, which is to give a restorative massage.

Pick a day or a time of day and turn off the news. You can catch up tomorrow, or later. Fill the time with something positive, or just focus on your to-do list. Watch something funny as a “palate cleanser”. You might notice your shoulders lowering and your jaw feeling a tad less clenchy, and your body and brain will thank you for it.

Self-Care Day 17

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Make a List of Your Accomplishments

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.

Self-Care Day 16

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Turn Off Your Phone for an Evening

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 🙃

Self-Care Day 15

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Purge Your Social Media

A little different than just taking a break from social media, this is taking a serious look at your “friends” and who/what you follow on social media (think Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc…) and asking yourself if it really brings you anything positive. Maybe you don’t have to completely unfriend or unfollow people or pages, but just turn off notifications.

Life is stressful enough these days and social media doesn’t help, at least not for me. I’ve gotten better at filtering out things that give me stress and focusing on posts by friends and family and sites that are funny or uplifting, or just photos of friends and family I haven’t seen in ages.

On Facebook, you can “snooze” a person or page for 30 days or unfollow them outright. On TikTok, you can look at your profile, who you’re following, and unfollow or turn on/off notifications (there may be other things you can do, but I am mostly just a lurker there). On Instagram, click on a post you don’t want to see and choose “hide” or “unfollow”.

You’re the curator of your social media experience. Think about making a place that brings you smiles and memories.

Self-Care Day 14

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Start a Journal

I think that journaling can seem a little intimidating because you feel like you need to commit to journaling every single day, or you need to write something profound, or you need to have a special journal and a special pen *coughcough~me~coughcough* But all you really need is a cheap notebook, some looseleaf paper, or a file on your computer to make it happen.

And you don’t really need to write anything deep and prophetic. You can write “today sucked” and leave it at that. Or maybe you can elaborate about why today sucked. I did some searching on the interwebs and found that there are even journaling prompts you can use for mental health, creativity, inspiration, whatever you like.

You don’t need to write every day. I love to journal and don’t do it as much as I’d like, but one of my favorite things to do is to sit down and freehand write about a problem or idea that I’m trying to work out. I might just say blah, blah, blah… ramble on about bad ideas, or list out options. I don’t worry about paragraphs or punctuations, just sort of brain dump onto the paper. It’s surprisingly helpful.

Whatever method you choose to try, it may be a great way for you to sort out that chatter in your head!

Self-Care Day 12

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Take a Long Bath or Shower

OMG I miss having a bathtub so much. Long soaks are among my favorite things. More often than not I’m just taking a quick “get ready for work” shower, but every now and then I appreciate a nice long shower.

Warm water eases muscle tension and gets your circulation going, but did you know you can wash away more than grime? If you’ve had a rough day, hop in the shower! Visualize washing away negative emotions, angry words, or any of the crud people flung at you that day.

All that and you can sneak in a few minutes of alone time! (maybe… minus pets and small noisy humans). Enjoy!

Self-Care Day 11

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Doodle or Color

This is one of my personal favorite self-care tools. I definitely see a difference in my stress levels when I haven’t done anything creative in a while. I have done a few different coloring books over the last couple of years. As many of you know, I am also an artist and regularly doodle or create art.

I recommend treating yourself to a big box of markers and your favorite themed coloring book. There are some funny swear word ones out there. I have a dragon one, and one with general abstract, swirly designs. You can also just grab a pencil and an inexpensive sketchbook.

What’s your favorite creative outlet?

Self-Care Day 4

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Meditate

I know, I know… who has time to sit and say ohhhm for a half-hour? I can’t shut my squirrel brain off that long! Who can get their body into that weird pretzel position for that long?!

Did you know you can just sit in a comfy chair to meditate? You don’t even have to say “ohhmmm”. Here are some tips to incorporate meditation into your life:

Guided Meditation

YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify… the interwebs are full of recorded guided meditations. I’m a long-time fan of Jason Stephenson on YouTube. He has a huge collection of meditations for practically anything you can think of, including anxiety relief, sleep, affirmations, and healing. He also has what I think is a very soothing voice. Find his YouTube Channel here.

Soul Soothers: Mini Meditations for Busy Lives

This is a book written by a friend that features one-page meditations that can be practiced all day—while doing the dishes, waiting at the doctor’s office, or even in the shower. See? No pretzel required. (Great, now I want pretzels.) You can find the book here.

Make It Up As You Go

You don’t have to really even have a recording or an intent. Sometimes there’s magic in just putting down the work, phone, or responsibilities for five minutes and sitting quietly, staring into space. If your squirrel brain wants to gather nuts, just let it. Sometimes you might even find a solution you couldn’t see before around all the distractions.

Bottom Line

There aren’t really any rules to meditating. There are different styles you might find you like, or you can totally make up your own. Like anything, it takes a little practice, so don’t give up after the first attempt. You got this!