- Take a hot bath with lavender and epsom salt.
- Read a book.
- Sing a song out loud. I like this one.
- Tell someone your feelings.
- Punch a pillow or punching bag (seems silly, but it will make you feel better, even if you don’t think you’re angry about anything).
- Let yourself breathe at yoga.
- Affirm yourself: “I matter, I matter, I matter.”
- Bake something.
- Sage cleanse your house.
- Schedule a therapy appointment.
- Take a kickboxing class.
- Drink a cup of tea.
- Have a good cry.
- Try medication.
- Watch a feel-good movie.
- Draw something (doesn’t matter if you’re good at it).
- Knit, knit, knit.
- Try to go for a walk if you can.
- Binge watch Grey’s Anatomy and really cry it out.
- Make a list, any list.
- Make yourself big…spread out, do a power pose, yell or sing loudly.
- Have someone lay on you or next to you.
- Invest in a really heavy quilt. Better yet, make yourself a really heavy quilt.
- Call your best friend.
- Get a massage.
- Affirm yourself: “You are worth it. You are worth it. You are worth it.”
- Listen to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Magic Lessons.
- Cuddle an animal. Visit a shelter if you don’t have one.
- Make yourself dance it out.
- Pray, even if you don’t believe in anything.
- Journal, journal, journal.
- Make a Pinterest vision board of your dream life/home/vacation.
- Make a collage.
- Take a nap (medicated, if necessary).
- Write a letter to someone you love.
- Laugh, even if you really don’t feel like it.
- Make an emergency phone call to a therapist and pour your heart out.
- Hug someone or something. Hug hard.
- Create a bucket list. Make it 101 things long.
- Get 8 hours of undisturbed sleep.
- Color a page in a coloring book.
- Unsubscribe from all your spam emails.
- Meditate. I love the Headspace app.
- Listen to the Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast.
- Do a Duolingo lesson.
- Work on a family tree.
- Make a collage.
- Make a zine.
- Paint your nails or if paint isn’t your thing, just manicure them.
- Search however you want to feel on Pinterest (i.e. “calm,” “happy”) and pin 20 things.
- Journal ten things you’re grateful for.
- Read a book.
- Text five people something encouraging.
- Warm your pajamas in the dryer.
- Write a list of things you love.
- Make tea if it’s cold or drink a cold glass of water if it’s hot.
- Dim the lights in your bathroom (plug in white holiday lights if you can’t) and take a long shower.
- Tidy up the entry way to your home.
- Plant lavender in your yard.
- Close your eyes and visualize your dream life. Or journal about it.
- Scroll through Instagram and comment on every picture that sparks your interest.
- Do your laundry, fold it, and put it away. While it’s washing, get rid of all the clothes you don’t wear, or if you have to do it at the laundromat, use that time to journal or read.
- Make a list of food you love.
- Make a list of blogs you love.
- Start a blog, even if you never make it public.
- Buy a plant for your house.
- Open a Google doc and start planning your dream vacation.
- Explore a used bookstore or your public library. Be soothed by the many books, the many stories.
- Read a magazine or a newspaper from cover to cover.
- Try bullet journaling.
- Adopt a dog or cat if you’re able. If not, adopt a plant. Have another living thing in your house that requires care besides you.
- Create a box of all your favorite self-care items and keep it handy. For me, it’s lavender essential oil, lotion, a Himalayan sea salt candle, epsom salts, dark chocolate, my bullet journal, comfy socks, and a giant fluffy robe.
- Create a safe space in your home: a special couch or chair with a special blanket that you can sit and curl up in.
- Quit all the things that aren’t bringing you joy.
- Go to a thrift store and really look at things. You don’t have to buy anything. Just look.
- Ask for help. Ask for help. Ask for help.
- Create a morning routine, even if it means getting up earlier. Mine includes: yoga, meditation, reading, writing, and drinking tea or coffee.
- Create a night routine, even if it means going to bed earlier. Mine includes: tidying the house and dimming all the lights, walking the dog, taking a long, hot shower with holiday lights on, putting on lotion, doing some journaling, listing three things I’m grateful for from the day, planning for the next day, and reading a book until I fall asleep.
- Make a list of all the places you’d like to travel to.
- Make a list of small things that make you happy.
- Lay in the sunshine. If it’s winter/gray out, invest in a vitamin D bulb.
- Do a feelings check-in: start writing about your feelings and don’t stop until you’ve written three 8.5 x 11 pages. You’ll be surprised by what you find.
- Take a long solo hike, or if that terrifies you, hike with a friend.
- Pursue a hobby. What did you want to do when you were a little kid? Go do that thing.
- Do a digital detox – whether it’s one hour or one week or one month, it’s good for you.
- Give up caffeine and/or alcohol.
- Say no so you can say yes. If you’re having a hard time saying no to something, make a list of all the things you’re really saying yes to when you say no (i.e. saying no to an unhealthy relationship means saying yes to yourself, to free time, to improved relationships with others, etc).
- Make a list of things you want to forgive yourself for and then forgive yourself for them. Do a ceremonial burning of the list if you must.
- Write a love letter to yourself.
- Take some vitamins, especially if you live in a state with seasons (get that Vitamin D in winter, do it).
- Drink some soothing tea.
- Listen to nature sounds (just Youtube search for “nature sounds”).
- List some boundaries for yourself (for relationships, for works, for whatever you’re struggling with). One of my boundaries for both is walking away anytime feedback feels destructive rather than constructive.
- Get your finances in order. I love this book and this website.
- Join a support group.
- Have a movie night, alone or with friends.
- Clear everything off your desktop (literal or electronic).
- Make your bed.
- Cross one thing off your to-do list.
- Try out an app that inspires happiness and care, like Happify.
- Make your own list of self-care ideas that work for you. And then share that list with me.
DANIELLE ALEXANDER 