Self-care is a term that is becoming increasingly popular. It is used to refer to ways in which you can take a moment to look after yourself instead of always looking after others or focusing on other aspects of life, such as work. Self care is really important for maintaining overall health and well-being but getting started can be difficult, especially for parents who feel they have lost themselves a little bit. To help get you inspired here are 36 self care activities that are easy to do, so why not try a couple today and find the ones that work for you, then build them into your routine and use them to help you become a healthy parent.
Physical Self-Care:
Taking time to make sure you are physically healthy is a vital part of being a healthy parent. It can keep you within a healthy BMI, reduce and prevent illness and disease and also relieve stress. Here are 7 self care activities to use if you want to focus on your physical care
Exercise
Increase your physical movement, either on your own or with friends or family. You can try classes at a local club or join a gym but the real key is to find activities you enjoy. If you’re not sure what you might like try a few different you tube videos at home first and see what you like.
Get outside
Spend time outdoors to clear your mind and get fresh air. Take some nice deep breaths and team it with some activity too like a brisk walk.
Stretching
Try and incorporate stretching into your daily routine to ease tension, this could be first thing in a morning, as part of your exercise routine, or just before bed, whenever works best for you. It doesn’t have to be anything dramatic or super flexible, just simple stretches can make all the difference.
Eat Well
Nourish your body with balanced meals and stay hydrated. You can even turn the cooking process into self car too if that’s something you enjoy. Find new healthy recipes and have fun baking and cooking new dishes whilst also nourishing yourself and your family.
Get Enough Sleep
Self care can be as simple as getting an early night or having a lie in. You should really aim for a 8 hours of sleep a night but if this isn’t possible try and have at least one or two good nights sleep a week.
Pamper Yourself
Self care can be as indulgent or as simple as you like. It might be that you want to pamper yourself by having a massage, getting your hair or nails done or maybe having a fake tan or facial. Alternatively you can pamper yourself at home by having a relaxing bath, spending time on your skin care routine or using a hair mask. As long as you feel nice and refreshed that’s all that matters.
Practice Deep Breathing
Why not try breathing exercises to reduce stress and promote relaxation. If you are unsure how you can follow tutorials on you tube.
Emotional Self-Care
Emotional self care is they type of activity that allows you to consider your emotional responses, deal with feelings and find solutions to problems.
Journaling
Journaling is a great self care activity that can help get your thoughts out of your head and on to paper, enabling you to make more sense of them. Here are 17 journaling prompts to get you started.
Practice Gratitude
When life feels stressful, negative and unfair use gratitude to reflect on things you’re grateful for. If you do this each day you will start to appreciate the small things in life even more and find yourself celebrating the wins instead of being over powered by the negative events.
Stay in touch with friends and family
As a parent it can be easy to become isolated, especially when they are younger and need all your attention. Try and use your self care time to schedule in meet ups or even just phone calls with your loved ones, it’s surprising what a coffee and chat can do for your emotional wellbeing.
Set Boundaries
Learn to say no to things that drain your energy leaving you more time to focus on the things you do want to do.
Speak to a Professional
If you feel you would benefit from talking to someone who is impartial in your life then book some sessions with a counsellor. You do not need to be experiencing trauma or suffer from severe mental health problems to seek help, sometimes it can be helpful to talk through the daily issues such as work, finances and parenting with someone to help you clear you mind and feel your best.
Meditation
Take some time to meditate and be alone. Meditation helps you to be present in the moment, it can be tricky at first but if you read a few meditation books or watch a tutorial you will soon get the hang of it ad see the benefits.
Listen to Music
Take some time to listen to your favourite artists instead on nursery rhymes on repeat. Even if this means paying your favourite songs whilst doing the housework you are bound to feel uplifted by the end of it.
Intellectual Self-Care
Intellectual self care is all about feeding your mind, personal growth and learning. These activities will help you feel like an individual again and improve feelings of self worth and confidence. These five self care activities will also give you something to talk about other than the kids.
Read for Pleasure
Dive into a book and escape reality for a little while. If you have the time maybe join a book club either in your area or on line so you can discuss the books with like minded people and maybe even make a few new friends too.
Learn Something New
Take up a hobby that stimulates your mind. Have you always wanted to know how to knit, learn how to horse ride or decorate a cake? Then now is the time to start.
Engage in Critical Thinking
If you don’t have the time, ability, or inclination to leave your house for self care and would rather be alone then that is absolutely fine. Perhaps puzzles or brain teasers are best for your intellectual self care activities.
Start Writing
Explore your creativity through writing stories or poetry, or maybe even start a blog. Writing can help stimulate the brain and alleviate stress, so whether it’s song lyrics, letters to friends or diary entries get writing today.
Attend Workshops or Lectures
Maybe you want to expand your knowledge in areas of interest, work towards a career change or just learn something new. There are loads of free workshops and lectures you can attend both in person and online, just google your interests and see what comes up.
Social Self-Care
Social self care is all about spending time with others and making friends. For some the idea of spending more time with people is the opposite of what they need and that’s okay, but for those that feel lonely then social self care is good for the soul.
Join a Club or Group
Participate in activities with like-minded individuals. These can be active groups like fitness classes or more sedimentary like book clubs or knitting.
Volunteer
If you have the free time then why not give back to your community and make a positive impact by volunteering. There are a number of ways you can do this; reading with children in school, running youth groups, bag packing in supermarkets or even working with charities. Find a cause close to your heart and reach out and offer your services.
Have Meaningful Conversations
Everyone is always so busy and a lot of the time we are busy doing nothing. Take some time to engage in deep discussions with others and really get to know them. This could be with your partner or friends or even via a debate group.
Schedule Social Time
Make time for socialising and connecting regularly with family and friends.
Spiritual Self-Care
Spiritual self care is all about connecting with a greater being and taking comfort in what you believe. Spiritual self care can be different things to different people but here are a few ways you can get started to see if its right for you.
Meditate
Practice meditation to foster inner peace and spiritual growth. Start small and try and free the mind for just a few minutes and gradually build up over time.
Visit a Place of Worship
If you belong, or once did belong, to a place of worship then why no re-engage in religious or spiritual practices that resonate with you. If you have never belonged then do some research in to various religious and spiritual groups in your area, find out which ones interest to you and align with your beliefs and go down, join, and meet like minded people.
Connect with Nature
Spend time in nature to feel grounded and connected. People believe that to go bare foot on the earth is to reconnect with it, why not give it a try and see if you can feel naturally recharged.
Practice Compassion
We are often so busy that we get frustrated and annoyed with everyone and everything. Take some time to show kindness to yourself and others with purpose. Stop and think about the situation someone is and be patient with the, show empathy and compassion and above all else take the time to slow down.
Relaxation and Leisure
Carving out some time to relax and do nothing can be just as important as filling your dairy with lots of activities, even if those activities are self care based. Depending on your need you may find that simple relaxation, time and space to reflect is exactly what you nee.
Watch a Movie or Show
Take some time to unwind with a film or box set and don’t feel guilty about it.
Take a Day Off
Clear your schedule and take the day off to have downtime to rest and recharge. Make sure there are no plans, no commitments and no distractions just pure down town. If you can’t manage a day try half a day or even just a couple of dedicated hours.
Go for a Leisurely Drive
Take a drive somewhere new explore the area and enjoy the scenery. This works particularly well on a nice day when the sun is shinning and birds are signing.
Have a Picnic
Enjoy a meal outdoors in a peaceful setting either by yourself or with a loved one or friend. It doesn’t not have to be anything fancy, even just taking your sandwich on your dinner break and sitting outside the office on a bench can give you a much needed recharge.
Play Games
Why not relax by playing board games, either alone or with others. It’s a great way to disconnect from the world around you, distract yourself but also keep busy and have fun.
Visit a Spa
If you have some money you can spend on self care then why not treat yourself to a spa day for the ultimate relaxation and pampering session.
Spend Time with Pets
If you’re animal lover then interacting with animals is believed to boost your mood and reduce stress. If you have your own pets set aside some time to really play with them, cuddle them or take them for a walk. If yu don’t then why not look at opportunities to volunteer at your nearest animal sanctuary or visit a farm or pet shop where animal handling is allowed.
Organization and Productivity
Cleaning and tidying sound like a strange method of self care, however lots of people do feel better when their house is in order, a clear desk clear mind mindset.
Declutter Your Space
Have a clear out. Go through your wardrobe and remove any clothing that doesn’t fit or makes you feel uncomfortable. Pick a room and have a declutter, get rid of old things, broken stuff, anything that you no longer need. You can bin them, take them to charity shops or even make some money by selling on vinted but by getting them out of your house you will feel lighter, happier and productive.
Make Plans
Buy a diary and start making plans. If you feel lonely then book in some activities with friends or find new groups to join to give you things to look forward to. If your feel really busy and overwhelmed then write down all the dates and make sure they are achievable and if any can be missed or rearranged. If you’re working towards some goals, work or personal, then use the diary to set mini deadlines for smaller tasks to keep you on track. These will all help to reduce stress and overwhelm.
These 36 self car activities whole be enough to get you started. Pick a few different ones and see which ones work best for you. Remember the key is to be kind to yourself, restore and recharge your energy and bring joy to your life.