Tag Archives: wellness reset

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 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 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 10

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Take a Social Media Break

If you’re like me, it’s a little challenging to escape social media for a whole day when it’s part of running your business or doing your job. Sometimes, what I do is just what I need to for my business, but avoid my personal pages.

Other options include making your evening social media free for a few days or taking a weekend off. Just log out of those apps that inevitably show you something that gets you all agitated. You might (not) be surprised at the benefit to your blood pressure!

Self-Care Day 5

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Stretch

Stretching is one of those things that you (I) know makes you (me) feel better, but it’s so hard to remember to do! At least for me. And I should, theoretically, know better!

It’s always a good time to stretch

Of course, there’s the obvious stretch before/after a workout or physical exercise (or giving a massage), but there are some other times where stretching may benefit you physically and mentally. Stretching when you get up in the morning helps you get your blood circulating and loosens up those movable parts that have stiffened up overnight. Stretching before bed can help prevent leg cramps and other muscle spasms. It can also relieve the tension that may cause headaches, neck pain, and injuries from “sleeping wrong”.

Don’t be a cheese curl

Stretching during the workday is especially important for those who spend a lot of time at a computer. Take time to look up at the ceiling, lean back in your chair to stretch your neck and pecs to help prevent “tech neck”, tension headaches, and upper back pain. Check out something called the Pomodoro Technique – breaking your workday into 25-minute blocks with 5-minute breaks in between. After four or so, you take a longer break of 15-20 minutes. Use the short breaks to get up, walk around, and stretch your neck and shoulders. You can even find apps that do the timing for you.

“Motion is Lotion”, so get started today keeping all of your moving parts stretched and moving well to reduce pain and increase your mobility!

Self-Care Day 3

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Go to Bed Early

I can’t even tell you how many times I tell myself I’m going to go to bed early tonight… right after I get this “one more thing done” or my husband has to show me one more video on YouTube, or I remember that I needed to switch out the laundry, or, or…

Pick a night this week, put it on your schedule, and try going to bed half an hour to an hour early. And actually go to sleep when you get there. Try not to stare at your phone. See how you feel the next day after getting that extra hour of sleep! I’ll let you know if I manage to do it. 🙃

Pick a night this week, put it on your schedule, and try going to bed half an hour to an hour early. And actually go to sleep when you get there. Try not to stare at your phone. See how you feel the next day after getting that extra hour of sleep! I’ll let you know if I manage to do it. 🙃

Self-Care Day 2

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Make a Goals List

“Resolutions” make me cringe-y. Most don’t last a month for me. So, this year, I’m thinking about some goals. Yes, fitness is among them, but other stuff, too. Like, you know, self-care. Business goals. Have more fun. Make more art.

If you kick @$$ at resolutions, you go, you rockstar! If they freak you out, maybe just take this beginning of a new year to set a few goals for yourself. Make small ones, like setting your alarm a little earlier, or big ones, like a trip (pandemic willing). Give yourself something to look forward to, rather than something you HAVE to do.

Self-Care Day 1

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Take a Nap

While napping may not be for everyone, I think many of us agree that the thing that we fought against as children is now something magical.

The Mayo Clinic suggests that you keep naps to 10-20 minutes in length. Much longer and you’ll just feel groggy afterward and potentially disrupt your evening sleep. A short nap can be a great way to reset when you’re feeling unproductive, tired, and/or cranky.

While a bed is ideal, I have been known to nap in my car during lunch breaks in the past. If I have time at the office, I have occasionally napped on my massage table or in my comfy chair. I also have a giant beanbag chair that is awesome for naps. Maybe you have a comfy couch or a nice recliner.

Pick a day, set an alarm (I recommend setting it out of reach to prevent hitting ‘snooze’), and see how a short nap makes you feel!

30 Days of Self-Care

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A Self-Care Reset for the New Year

Happy New Year! I don’t know about you all, but I’m a bit of a mess from the last couple of years, and I was inspired to create a way for myself and any of you who want to do a self-care reset to get started.

There are a lot of self-care checklists out there, but a lot of them are geared towards just moms or include more “pampering” stuff than actual self-care. So, I scoured the interwebs and found the parts I liked the most, threw in a few of my own, and ideas from friends.

Now, I’m pleased to present “30 Days of Self-Care” – a self-care reset from Birch Tree Wellness. I will share one a day through January. They will be on Facebook, Instagram, and my website. At the end of the month, I’ll also create a checklist of all 30 so you can use it as a reference throughout the year.

An important tip: Don’t stress yourself out trying to self-care yourself. You don’t have to do them on the exact day I post them. It’s okay to skip a day. It’s okay to skip the ones you don’t like. Just do what you can and what speaks to you. That’s part of the process.

Notably, you won’t see “get a massage” on this list. That’s kind of a given, but also I tried to keep this list mostly free or minimal expense. I know you’ll get a massage if that’s what you need.

Let the self-care begin!