This post is all about the best self care ideas in under 10 minutes!
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Self-care is an essential part of taking care of your whole self, not just on occasional days, but every day.
However, it’s not every day that we have the luxury of having an extensive self-care routine. That’s why it’s important to find small daily activities that make you feel good but don’t take a whole lot of time.
Having this list of activities is also incredibly beneficial when creating the habit of self care, as these small actions make it easier to stay committed to your goal.
So whether you are looking for easy and fun self care ideas, are a self care beginner, or for busy days you are in the right place!
In this today article, we will cover the 26 best self care ideas for busy days so that you can actually practice self care, instead of wishing you had time for it!
I will also share with you how to choose the best daily self care activities for you, so make sure to stick to the end!
How to choose the best self care activities for you?
There are soo many self care lists full of ideas, but which one to choose?
Well, an important thing to have in mind about self care is that it’s about taking care of our whole selves. And this is something we said at the beginning of this article, but does that exactly mean?
Well, self care is more than face masks, skin routines, and hot baths.
Sure those things are fun to do. But it’s so much more than that.
Self care basically, could be anything that you do to take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health.
The thing is there is no right or wrong when it comes to self care routines.
The important thing to have in mind when creating yours is to make sure that you are covering your needs and doing daily actions that make you feel good and balanced.
And how can you discover that? Here is one simple method to find the best self care activities for you!
Know your love language. Discovering your love language is not only useful when you are in a relationship, but also when it comes to self care.
Why? Because it helps you understand so much about yourself, how you feel loved, and the types of actions that make you feel taken care of.
It´s your exact blueprint of how you feel and express love. And it’s the perfect place to begin to create your self care routine.
There are 5 types of love languages:
- Receiving gifts. Having this type of love language means that you feel loved when you receive gifts (visual representations of love). It’s not that people who have this type of love language are materialistic or that they take into account the monetary value. It´s about the symbolic meaning behind the gift.
- Words of affirmation. People with this type of language value verbal acknowledgment of affection. Like the frequent, I love you’s, compliments, and verbal encouragement. These words of affirmation make them feel understood and appreciated.
- Quality time. People with quality time as their love language feel appreciated and value their partner wanting to actively spend time with them giving them their undivided attention, having meaningful conversations, active listening, eye contact, and full presence…
- Acts of service. If your love language is acts of service it means that you appreciate when your partner goes out of his/her way to make your life easier. Like bringing the coffee to bed, or picking up the laundry when you’ve had a busy day at work. This type of expressing and receiving love is based on the phrase: “Actions speak more than words”.
- Physical Touch. If your love language is physical touch it means that you feel loved when you receive physical signs of affection, including kissing, holding hands, cuddling on the couch, and sex. Physical intimacy and touch can be incredibly affirming, and it serves as a powerful emotional connector for people with this love language. They value the feeling of warmth and comfort.
If you don’t know yours yet, you can take this simple test right here to discover your love language!
*Side note: you can have more than one love language (mine for example are physical touch and quality time). So if you feel like you resonate with two or more love languages have this in mind when creating your self care checklist.
Best self care ideas for women to take care of yourself
#1 Start your day writing 3 things you are grateful for
#2 Do a quick 5-minute meditation (here´s a great one to start with!)
#3 Whenever you are feeling stressed or are having negative thoughts, ask yourself these 5 questions:
- Is it true?
- Can I absolutely know it’s true?
- How do I react when I believe that thought?
- Who would I be without the thought?
- What can I say to myself to turn this thought around?
#4 Find 3 things in your home or workspace that you can clean/organize in 10 minutes. For example, taking all the coffee mugs to the kitchen, taking out the dishwasher, organizing your work papers, etc.
#5 Create a playlist with your favorite happy songs and refer to them every time you need a quick mood boost
#6 Do some journaling for ten minutes. Journaling is a very powerful self reflection tool. And it´s not only an excuse to buy a new cute notebook but it also improves mental health, boosts your mood, and reduces stress.
Here are a couple of guided journal prompts to help you get started:
#7 Take a quick 10-minute walk in nature. I know it sounds cliche by now, but taking a walk in nature or just being in the sun for a couple of minutes does wonders for your mental health.
#8 Have a little dance break just because! Yep, you read that right. Even if your dancing skills consist of moving your arms up and down, put on some music and move those arms girl! Life is not as bad as it seems and NOTHING is forever. So whenever you feel stressed or anxious simply dance it out!
#9 Choose a daily affirmation to keep in mind when things get tough (here are some of my favorites).
#10 Give yourself a quick massage! There are a ton of youtube tutorials you can learn from.
#11 Cuddle your pets if you have them.
#12 Watch an inspiring TED talk (here are a couple of great ones worth checking out).
#13 Write yourself a love note or reminder for the day/ week.
#14 Do a brain dump. Simply take a piece of paper and write down everything that going through your mind. It could be your to-do list, grocery shopping list, how you are feeling, etc.
This is incredibly helpful whenever you are feeling stressed or anxious to come back to the present moment and take off some of that mental load.
#15 Tackle a DIY manicure session. If you cannot make it to the salon, bring the salon home!
#16 Create a Yay! list every night. Before going to sleep try to write down 3 Yay! moments of the day that made you happy. It could be anything like finding money on the street, sunny skies, your makeup looking gorgeous, or having a great meal.
#17 Discover a new podcast. Don’t have time to read a book? Why not try a podcast then? Here are my top 10 personal growth podcasts!
#18 Pamper yourself. I know I said self care is more than just doing face masks. But they feel great from time to time! And while you are at it… give yourself a face massage with a jade roller, or simply use your hands. I promise you you´ll feel incredibly relaxed afterward!
#19 Have a good laugh. This is your official excuse to watch those funny cat videos that always get a smile on your face!
#20 Create mindful moments. You don’t need to be an expert or have an extensive practice to feel mindful. You can simply sit straight up (or cross your legs). Then close your eyes and move through each of your senses, noticing what you hear, feel, see, taste, and smell. Tapping into your senses is a great way to ground yourself in your body and the present moment.
#21 Do nothing. Yes really! Not every minute of your day needs to be filled with productive habits. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do for yourself is rest. So make sure to schedule some “nothing” time into your routine, and say bye to the guilt and pressure of just letting your mind and body rest!
#22 Listen to an audiobook. Books will always be my favorite personal growth tool. But we don’t always have the time to actually read them. Aand that’s where audiobooks come in! They are perfect for that ride home in the car or the bus, to listen during your hot girl walks, while you are cooking, or simply while you are lying in bed.
You have no excuse now, girl. It’s time to finally complete your TBR (to be read) list with audiobooks. Here are a couple of my favorites if you don’t know where to start:
- Atomic Habits. James Clear
- 12 Rules for Life. Jordan B. Peterson
- The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage into Self-Mastery. Brianna Wiest
You can try audible premium plus for free and get up to two free books right here!
#23 Enjoy your breakfast (and be mindful with every meal!) Most days we either eat breakfast on the run, stay on our phone while we eat it or completely skip it. But having a healthy diet is not only about what we eat but also how we eat it. This is why it’s so important to be present and mindful with your meals. So whenever you can leave your phone aside, eat in a peaceful place and take the time to truly enjoy every bite.
#24 Set an intention for your day and check in with it periodically throughout the day
#25 Chill Out to Some White Noise. It could be white noise. Bird song. Rainfall. A steady gurgling of a nearby stream. The exhilarating rush of a waterfall. Simply put on some relaxing music and chill. You can find these on Youtube or even Spotify!
#26 Give yourself a compliment. Sometimes you just have to practice being kind to yourself to change that negative self talk and give yourself some love. And why not do that by giving yourself a pat on the back before bed each night?
And that completes the list of the 26 best self care ideas in under 10 minutes!
Self care is an essential part of our lives because at its core meaning it’s about actively and consciously taking care of ourselves.
And no, despite what you might have heard self care isn’t selfish or bad. It’s about putting your needs first and YOU ABSOLUTELY DESERVE IT.
Thank you so much for investing your time in this article! I hope the tips, ideas, and tools in this post will help you show yourself some love while working to become your best self.
Remember that you are worthy of even your deepest and wildest dreams!
Now I´d love to hear about you! What was your favorite self care idea? Read you in the comments!
Want to learn more about self care? Start here!
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