10 Best Self-Care Tips That Will Help You To Relax

You have to nourish yourself to flourish.

Isn’t that simple to understand? And that’s where self-care comes into the equation.

In today’s fast-paced world, self-care is a necessity. Self-care is important if you want to enhance your well-being. It helps you to focus on the good things in life. With self-care tips, you get a chance to reconnect with yourself.

If your compassion does not include yourself then it is incomplete. With our ever-busy lives, we have every reason to feel stressed, worried, anxious and depressed. It can become hard to handle life in such a noisy world. Living itself can begin to feel like a burden. To deal with this type of situation, self-care is important. Whether you are a man, woman, teenager, student, teacher, or parent, you shouldn’t ignore self-care. The benefits of focusing on your self-awareness are immense.

By incorporating self-care ideas in your daily life, you can experience profound benefits in your mental health, emotional health, personal development, and self-improvement. Self-care routines can help you to become more productive, make better decisions, and enhance your creativity, more confident, healthier, and more relaxed. The benefits cannot certainly be ignored. And that’s how self-care can help you to live your best life.

The main fact about self-care is: Self-care gives us inner strength so we can pursue personal and professional excellence in our lives. This will help you to live your best life and you will automatically enrich the lives of those around you.

The next time when you feel stressed out and the urge to relax comes to your mind try these self-care tips, which will help you to promote physical, mental, and emotional health.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is only for educational use. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinicians.

1. Everyday Do Something To Calm Yourself Down

There should be something, which you can do every day that will ease you down and make you feel relaxed. It should work as an effective way of de-stressing for you. It should be something that you enjoy doing in the moment. I believe that there are certain things, which is unique to all of us that we enjoy doing that help us to relax.

If you haven’t figured out what you can do, let me give some suggestions that will help you to find some inner peace and help you with your total-body relaxation:

Listen to your favourite Song or Music– many people love listening to music. There are different types of music that suit different moods. So what type of music should you listen to? In my opinion, listen to that music which is your favourite, something that thrills you, which lights up your inner being. Listening to music or a favorite song is a perfect way to feel peaceful and calm. Put some relaxing music on (check YouTube) and then maybe look out the window or cook a meal or read a book or go through family photo albums. Listening to relaxing music while doing something else makes the activity itself more enjoyable.
Go for a walk- walking is a great way to stay fit. It’s one of those exercises that you can do very easily. Take a short walk around a beautiful neighbourhood in your area, or just go the park. Plug in your earphones and play the playlist, which has all your favourite songs. Enjoying the natural beauty of your surrounding can be absolutely relaxing. Lose yourself to that wonderful experience. Who knows it can bring you peace, serenity and happiness that will complete your day. Be mindful of the steps you take, the sights you see and just inhale the fresh air. Going for a mindful walk can help you to break free from stressful thoughts that we accumulate throughout the day. It can deeply increase your awareness with nature and the environment to which you are connected.
Practice Mind Training- In the morning make a decision to act with less ego and more of understanding, compassion and clarity during the day. Have a set of standards that you will follow throughout the day to make your day a successful one. In the evening, examine your actions and analyse whether you have acted in accordance with the standards you defined for yourself in the morning. You must assess the good actions and the bad actions and come to a firm resolution not to repeat the bad actions anymore. Try to practice all your activities in a state of awareness. In this way, you will learn from your successes and failure, which will help you understand yourself better and become the person you are capable of becoming. This kind of mind training can help you understand the cause of your stress and can help to eliminate it.
Breathing Strategies- breathing exercises can help reduce stress levels in your body; it can enhance your body’s reaction to fatigue and depression. It is said that deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower your stress levels and it can help you to calm down and relax effectively. Read this article to learn about breathing strategies.
Drink some tea, coffee or something nice you love. Some people say that their day doesn’t seem complete if they don’t drink tea or coffee. Whatever you like to drink, you can drink that to help you relax. If you even like why not have an elegant tea set or your own special cup to give you that special and unique feeling. If drinking tea or coffee isn’t your thing, why don’t you try some healthy fruit drink or smoothie?
Spend some time alone. Being alone doesn’t mean you are antisocial or a lonely person. It can be quite therapeutic if you have some quality time with yourself. Solitude is a catalyst for innovation. Spending some time alone with yourself can help build your mental strength, can help you to recharge yourself and it provides a good time to think and reflect. Solitude can give you the opportunity to understand what really makes you happy and blissful. Being alone can help you to make better decisions and be more self-reliant.
Watering your Home Plants. Taking care of plants can bring more calm and peace of mind. I’ve seen many people doing this with so much happiness. I would also admit that nurturing a plant and watching it grow is not only relaxing but it can also heal us.
Look forward to the little things everyday that make you happy. Whether that’s eating a snack when you get home, cooking, watching a movie, playing with your pets or anything else. Looking forward to the small things that make your day worthwhile will help you get through with ease. Learn to enjoy the present and live in the moment.
Practice Mindfulness- paying attention to the present moment and being mindful about what you do will help you to develop a sense of being. The practice of mindfulness as a therapy has become important in psychology. Mindfulness as a therapy helps you to overcome stress, anxiety and give you a sharp presence of mind. Mindfulness will help you to deal with overwhelming situations when they arise.
Have a spiritual self-care activity that nourishes your soul and spirit. It can be going to a place of worship, reading Holy Scriptures, praying, fasting and taking religious vows. Spiritual self-care helps us to connect with our inner self. Practicing spiritual self-care will ignite a sense of sacredness within your real inner self, which will bring you more happiness, clarity, peace and comfort. Going to places of worship like a church or temple automatically brings a sense of inner peace the moment we set put in their premises. Other self-care tips nurture our body and mind, but spiritual self-care enlivens our soul.

The point is that there is always something unique and different that we all enjoy doing. Find that and try to do that often as a way of de-stressing.

Now let’s look at the second tip.

2. Take Care of your Body

Have you ever thought about how to keep yourself in top shape?

It’s important to take care of yourself. After all, you have to live in your body as long as you live.

Your self-care routine for your body should be healthy, cheerful, and active enough to make you feel cared for. If you do not take proper care of your health then it can overshadow other aspects of your life. This can take a toll on your happiness and increase your stress levels.

One way to cope with your stress levels and have more happiness in your life is by having a healthier self-care routine that takes care of your overall well-being. Your self-care routine for your mind-body-health plays a pivotal role in how well you are able to deal with depressing and unpleasant experiences.

Some Healthy Self-Care Habits To Help You Take Care Of Your Health And Body?

Have Good Hygiene for Starters

Proper personal grooming and healthy habits will help you to ward off diseases and make you feel good about yourself. I think this is very important for everyone to follow. I believe in the age-old philosophy that cleanliness is next to godliness.

Bathe regularly, trim overgrown hair and nails, wash your hand, brush and floss your teeth daily.

Personal hygiene will make you feel clean and good about yourself, which is good for your mental health. Besides people who have poor hygiene- let’s say that their clothes are dirty, they have terrible body odor, teeth are yellow, they have dirty nails and messy hair, this type of people are generally considered unhealthy and many may view them negatively.

It is far more impressive when other notice our good qualities without our help.

Eat Healthy as Possible

Have you ever heard of a healthy diet being the cause of pain and suffering, of course not?

Food has a strong influence on our thoughts, actions, habits, and our overall lives. A lifestyle of pure natural foods will promote the well-being of the human body and give you true superior health. Natural foods are the genuine lifeline for achieving optimal health and longevity.

Good health is impossible without good nutrition. You should not eat the food you are eating if it is not good for you although it tastes good. Taste can deceive you at times.

Eating healthy can have major benefits in your life. What goes in your stomach can have a big impact on your health and quality of life. A healthy diet can improve all aspects of your life. It can help you to perform better. Don’t do it because you’ve been hearing- “Eat your veggies” since childhood. Do it because your health matters. The strongest sources of vitamins and minerals are found in pure natural foods. When we choose to eat healthy natural food that is designed to invigorate our very being, we receive the precious gift of good health and the power it provides.

Keep in mind, food controls you and only you can make the choice to eat healthily.

Get Enough Sleep

Sleep is important for our physical and mental well-being. Not getting enough sleep will make you feel depressed and anxious. There is no substitute for proper rest. Choose quality bed sheets and blankets that will make you comfortable during your sleep.

Get Plenty of Sunlight

One of the best and easiest ways of getting Vitamin D is sunlight. Vitamin D helps you to maintain strong bones. Vitamin D can also enhance our immune system. You don’t need to spend too much time outside, small amounts of sunlight in the morning can do the job. Be sure to protect your skin and eyes.

Pay attention to your environment

Our skin, eyes, ears, and noses can be exposed to toxins present in the environment. Ensure your protection in such situations.

Exercise

You don’t have to spend hours in the gym. You could just go jogging or walk briskly around your neighborhood.

Drink Adequate Amount of Water

About 60% of our body weight is water. Water is needed for every bodily function we carry out. Check this article to find out how much water you should be drinking in a day.

Don’t like drinking water? Why not add some flavor to it (some say that flavored water is fun to drink, but don’t add artificial flavors). You can add fruit slices such as lemon, cucumber, strawberry, or herbs like basil, mint, or lavender. Use a marked water bottle if you want to. This way you track how much water you drink.

Practice Yoga and Meditation

Camila Cabello the famed Senorita singer has shared how meditation has helped her to change her life by allowing her to manage emotions like stress and anxiety. Here are her exact words:

Meditation has changed my life in the last few months (referring to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown in 2020). I didn’t share this with you guys at the time because honestly I was just trying to be okay, but I was experiencing severe anxiety. it was meditation- it was practicing every single day multiple times a day that has been healing me, and, more than just helping me manage strong emotions like anxiety and stress, it’s making me a better human. not only does it help in times like this with stress and anxiety, meditation is the practice of strengthening habits like empathy, love, and compassion- making you feel more connected to not only everybody around you, but living beings in general like animals, plants, and the earth, which is a living being, itself.

Here’s how she practices her meditation:

Close your eyes and sit with your spine upright and feel gravity grounding your body to the earth’s surface and supporting you. Take three deep breaths and then begin to just notice the natural flow of your breath. Being aware of breathing in, breathing out. Following every inhale and exhale with your attention. Once your mind has stilled. Picture every human in the world right now, elders, people that have respiratory problems and are vulnerable, picture the people that are vulnerable, picture their families, and say “May you be healthy. May you be safe. May you be free from illness. May you be well.” Repeat until you really feel it in your heart.

Yoga can also be helpful in promoting good mental and physical health. Yoga brings together the mind and body to induce relaxation and reduce stress. It combines different poses called Asanas and breathing exercises called Pranayams. You can head over to YouTube and look at some tutorials to practice, for starters. Maybe you can turn some meditation music, do some breathing exercises and meditate for about 10-15 minutes.

Don’t forget Skin-care

A skin-care routine may sound like a perfect self-care routine you can do every day. Our skin is the largest organ of our body. A great skin-care routine will have an impact on what you see in the mirror and how you feel about yourself. Do what you can do to make your face glow and feel better. A simple routine like this one can do the job:

Disclaimer: I am not a dermatologist and the advice given below should not be used as a substitute for professional advice. I had done research from credible and reliable sources to compile the following information about skincare.

Cleansing- Washing your face is the most basic step you can take to clean your skin. Wash your skin twice daily since we are exposed to pollutants present in the environment. The purpose of cleaning our skin is to remove dirt, makeup and other impurities. Do use lukewarm water to wash your face, as this will help open clogged pores. Why not try micellar water- it is a multipurpose skin-care product that is highly effective at removing dirt, makeup and cleaning pores. Micellar water can promote skin hydration and keep the skin soft, supple and smooth. Facial brush with sonic cleansing technology might benefit people with oily skin. This type of technology uses pulsations to clean skin and remove dirt. However, you should limit your use if you have sensitive skin. Apart from that once in a week, you can also exfoliate your skin to remove dead cells.
Toning- removes the last traces of dirt and impurities after we wash our faces. Toning is meant to gently refresh our skin without removing it’s natural moisture. It prepares our skin for any skin treatment that we may apply afterwards. When it comes to having healthy-glowing skin, a toner is a must in your skin-care routine.
Moisturizing- this will hydrate and soften your skin, to prevent the loss of moisture from your skin’s outer layer. Our skin requires daily moisturizing to stay blemish-free, young and healthy. You should moisturize after you’ve had your shower, exfoliated or shaved. Moisturizing everyday can prevent common skin problems such as oiliness and dryness. One of the key reasons why you should moisturize your skin is that it helps it to stay younger and fresh. We lose water through our skin without even realising it. If we do not moisturize our skin, then it will look dry and ugly, I’m sure no one wants that.

Well, I have talked about some self-care ideas that can help us to take care of our bodies and health. Let’s look at the next self-care tip.

3. Write about how you feel

Here’s something that you might not have given a thorough thought about.

You can write.

Write about how you feel, right now in this moment.

The best thing about this self-care tip is: Writing will help you to have an effective relationship with your mind. It will enable you to create order in your inner world when everything seems to be in a mess. This will allow you to shift from a negative mindset to a more optimistic mindset.

Let us suppose, you are worried about something. Maybe you failed at doing something. Or you had a bad day at work.

How does it feel? Do you feel dejected, broken-down, or stressed?

Write down your thoughts, what you did right, what you did wrong, and how this made you feel. Be true and transparent with yourself. Don’t judge yourself. This is the place where you confess all your struggles, fears, worries, happiness, and every other thought you get. Let all your thoughts out. When you get all the thoughts out of your head on paper, your world will feel clearer. This can help you to control your emotions and improve your mental health. You can use a journal that comes with a lock so that no one can read your confidential story.

The paper is not going to judge you. It’s your own private place to discuss and express your feelings. So relax. Do this every day.

Go back to those pages and read your story.

Do you see and feel something?

Do you see a pattern?

Your story will help you learn about your habits and beliefs. It will help you to understand yourself better. It will make you feel better. If you wrote about how something made you feel happy, then one day when you turn the pages and read that, you will experience inner joy. In a way, it will make you travel back in time and re-live those moments.

Make those pages your best friends. At the turn of every page, you will get a special feeling. A feeling that can empower you and motivate you with enriching thoughts.

Those pages will tell you a story of how you have evolved as a person. They will tell you a story of how you have been living your life and where you might be heading in the future.

4. Fill your Life with Optimism and Inspiration

One of the best self-care tips that I personally enjoy is reading a book or watching a video that can positively uplift me.

Doing this has a wonderful effect. It is somewhat therapeutic in my experience.

Doing that can help you to become more optimistic. This is one of the ways you can actually learn to be positive. Science says that being optimistic helps you to have better health, it helps you to have higher motivation, it increases your lifespan, and most importantly, it can do wonders for your mental health by lowering your stress levels.

To understand how beneficial this self-care tip is, ask yourself how you felt the last time when you read or watched something which inspired and motivated you.

I’m sure introspecting in this way can help you to understand how this strategy actually benefits you.

Remember, optimism is a personality trait and product of our environment. If you infuse yourself with negativity, you would be more prone to anxiety. And this can be very bad for mental health. So the technique, I have talked about, can teach you how to be optimistic. Studies show that those people with an optimistic outlook tend to be more proactive when it comes to taking care of themselves and being happy. So this is a great thing to do for your self-care routine.

Start your morning with a positive story. The energy you get will fuel your mind throughout the day. Reading some inspiring material in the morning is a wonderful start to your day. Additionally, end your day with positive thoughts by spending time with motivating content.

I hope now you can trade your time with social media with something positive and empowering.

By the way that reminds me of the next self-care tip, I want to tell you.

You Might Like:

How to Inspire Yourself: 10 Best and Smart ways to Inspire Yourself

5. Unplug from Social Media and Technology

Studies suggest that most people spend more than 3 hours on social media. I have seen some people who just can’t help themselves from checking their phones after every 10-30 seconds.

I mean think about it, you can use those 3 hours to do something that can fulfill you.

Have you ever asked yourself how much time you spend daily on social media?

In today’s world of technology, social media plays an important role especially during global pandemics like COVID-19. Social media has been a boon, which had kept us all connected despite various safety restrictions. In today’s world, social media is a place where everything happens. Some of it is nice, some of it is bad, some of it is real and some of it is fake.

But there’s a beautiful life outside all that waiting to be lived and enjoyed. We need to set some time aside for digital detox. Digital detox will teach us to use technology more responsibly and consciously.

Unplugging from social media can highly benefit your mental health and inner peace. Go on a digital detox for at least one hour to relax and enjoy the activities of the present. You could use that time to cater for your overall well-being.

Here’s something you should at least think about trying:

Challenge yourself and leave your phone unattended for 24 hours. Lock it in a box or just simply turn it off. Analyze how much you are able to focus on the present and live in the moment. Do this on a day where there are fewer chances of anyone calling you or you making a call to anyone. Alternatively, if you don’t want to leave it there for a full 24 hours, then go for 2 or 4 hours, whatever you want to start with. The goal is to help you to enjoy the present without being constantly distracted by notifications on your phone. Spend a few moments of your day away from the digital world to connect with the reality you are living in.

Wait, there’s something else you also need to know.

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a recent psychological disorder where we experience that others are having more fun than we are. It affects our self-esteem and social media plays a major role in contributing towards FOMO. Since social media keeps on showing us what is all happening around us and our fear of missing out grows. This increases our stress level and overall dissatisfaction in life. Unplugging from social media once in a while can do wonders for our mental health and inner peace. Find contentment in your present state.

Life at its best is happening right in front of you and I think that a digital detox once in a while every day is one of the best self-care activities that we can do.

6. Spending Time with People who Uplift you

If you want to achieve great things in your life and be successful then you have to be very careful about the type of people you associate with personally and professionally. The company which you keep should energize and inspire you.

Who can hope for even the least happiness in bad company? One may as well seek to quench one’s thirst by drinking water from a mirage.

It is simple fact, you become the type of person who you continuously associate with. From the person, you associate with you pick up their habits, thoughts, and actions and make them your own. Let’s say that your close friend is a smoker, someone who just cannot stop smoking. It’s very highly likely you will also start smoking if you weren’t a smoker yourself. I once read a quote on Pinterest that somewhat goes like this:

If you stay around four millionaires, you will be the fifth one very soon.

You don’t have to hunt for millionaires who you can make your friends. My viewpoint is that spend time with people who bring the very best in you, not the stress in you. Spending time with uplifting and optimistic people is a great self-care idea that can nurture your mind and soul. You just have to ask yourself who are those people in my life who make me happy when I am around them. It can be your family, kids, husband, wife, friends, work colleagues, or someone from your religious faith group. The goal is to identify those people and make it a point to spend at least some time with them whenever possible. Go out for lunch or grab a coffee together. Anything as long as you can spend some quality time with the person who makes you happy.

We should spend time with people who make us better. It’s one of the best things which we can do for ourselves.

7. Get Entertained- Watch a Movie or a TV Show

Did you know that we can use the power of films for healing and growing?

Well, now you do. And it’s called cinema therapy.

There’s nothing like curling up on your couch with popcorn and enjoying some good entertainment on the screen. Watching a movie or a tv show can be a form of therapy and self-care activity that we can do.

Watching a movie can change the way we feel, think, and deal with life’s ups and downs. For example, if you are upset about something or maybe you had a bad day, watching a comedy movie might cheer you up.

Movies are stories. For centuries, wisdom has been passed down since generations through the art of storytelling. Movies can open a wide range of different perspectives for us. It can help you understand a lot of things. When I watch a movie, I always try to learn something from it. Some movies teach us real-life lessons. They help us to gain awareness of our deeper layers of consciousness and understand things in the big movie of our life.

Technology has it made is so easy for us to stream movies and shows by using streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. You have access to a wide range of entertainment options all at your fingertip with these types of streaming services that traditional TV may not offer.

Here’s another food for thought: Why not watch your favorite cartoons from your childhood days. Recently I watched Disney Recess, a carton which I loved watching when I was young. And to be honest with you, it felt really good and soothing. It brings back wonderful memories from your childhood and reminds you of the moment where you would wait to get home from school so you can watch your favorite cartoon. In a way, you get another chance to re-visit and re-live your childhood. And the feeling is just Awesome.

So why not try cinema therapy as your next self-care activity?

8. Try Doing Something New

Have you ever noticed that you spend your day doing something that you have already done many times before in the past?

You wake up at the same time, have the same menu that you follow every time you cook, wear the same type of clothes, use the same route to work, talk to the same people you know, and so on………..

Very rarely do we actually do something different apart from our usual routine. Doing something new gives us a unique experience. If you stick to what you know, you will be stuck with the same old boring experiences.

Why not make a commitment to try something new as a form of self-care?

Chances are that you will gain and enjoy the new experience that will fill your life with energy and enthusiasm.

Let me tell you some benefits of trying something new:

It gives you a greater sense of purpose and personal growth.
Following the same monotonous routine day in day out can be really boring. Trying “something new” can make you feel happy. It will give you a fresh perspective and get you excited.
Doing something different gives you a chance to overcome your fear.
When you do something new, you have a better chance of exploring your hidden talents and abilities. You get a better chance to know yourself.
Trying something new gives you a chance to create new and special memories. You will retain positive emotions and this can help you to reduce negative emotions.
It will increase your creative capacity and you can learn how to solve a problem more creatively.

So much exciting things happen outside your comfort zone. Do something adventurous. Do something that will help you to meet new people, learn new skills, and broaden your horizons.

Try a new sport, a new recipe, start a side hustle, travel to a new place, or maybe host a virtual get-together with families living abroad.

There are many possibilities. Give yourself a chance to explore.

What are you waiting for?

9. Practice Random Acts of Kindness

We rise by lifting others.

You never know how your kindness may turn someone’s life around. Don’t wait to be kind. Don’t wait for someone else to be kind first. Just be kind. Cultivate a friendly attitude with all and look at others as you see yourself. Live with charity. Live with mercy. Always be mindful of other’s well-being.

A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Science says that performing acts of kindness is beneficial to all the people involved. When we show compassion and do a good deed, our body releases hormones like serotonin and oxytocin, which are feel-good hormones.

Performing even the simplest acts such as holding the door for the person behind you, letting someone who seems to be in a rush go ahead of you in line, picking up something the other person dropped, and smiling at someone can make a huge difference to you as well as the person receiving kindness. Doing something nice for someone can make you really feel better and boost your mood.

Remember the kindness that you give will somehow find its way back to you in one day when you need it.

10. Do Nothing

I was saving this one for the last.

With our highly busy lives, it is easy to feel depleted. That is why you need some time to refuel yourself.

Oprah says, “I always give myself Sundays as a spiritual base of renewal—a day when I do absolutely nothing. I sit in my jammies or take a walk, and I allow myself time to BE—capital B-E—with myself. When I don’t, I absolutely become stressed, irritable, anxiety-prone, and not the person I want to be in the world.”

It’s true that you need some time to yourself where you just take out time for yourself and just BE with yourself. You need a break from everything that is happening around you which demands your focus, energy, and attention. Doing nothing acts as a psychological detox when we are stressed and exhausted with all our day-to-day activities. I find that when I do nothing and take time to be with myself, I tend to think more deeply. It is in this state that some of our most creative ideas originate from. When you say that you will do nothing that doesn’t mean that you will just sit idle and stare at the wall. It means that you will not be working and besides when we allocate time to do nothing, we can use that time to do things which we have always wanted to do but just couldn’t find the time to do so because we were so busy.

The thing is that we all have a to-do list that keeps on increasing. Work is never-ending. Something will always come up. So stop being so busy and just take a break. Relax.

TLTR

An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly. It will provide you with balance in this ever-busy world and keep you in tune with your mind and body. Here are 10 self-care tips worth trying:

Everyday Do Something To Calm Yourself
Take care of your Body
Write about how you feel
Fill your Life with Optimism and Inspiration
Unplug form Social Media ad Technology
Spend Time with People who Uplift You
Get Entertained- watch a movie or TV show
Try something new
Practice random acts of kindness
Do nothing

Caring for yourself is an act of survival in this fast-paced world. Take out time to do what makes you come alive.

Prioritizing your self-care makes you capable enough to achieve your goals.

So which self-care tip will you try?