Self Care Tips to Try at Home

By Angela Williams

Self care is important every day, but especially during difficult times. Self care is helpful to promote relaxation, mindfulness, health, balance, and overall wellness. If you find yourself stuck at home and/or struggling to find peace and calm, you may want to try some of these ideas.

• Declutter/Organize your space. Take some time to go through clothes, junk drawers, closets etc.
• Have a good laugh. Watch a funny movie, youtube videos, comics, or whatever makes you crack up. Laughing is good for your health 🙂
• Finish a neglected chore. Scrub the toilets, wash the floors, dust for cobwebs. It may not be fun, but you may feel accomplished and it won’t hang over your head any more.
• Have a spa day at home. There are plenty of DIY recipes to make masks, conditioners, exfoliants, and more on Pinterest and Youtube.
• Home workouts. You can practice yoga, or attempt a high-intensity interval training online for free at home. Busting out old exercise DVDs or videos can also be an effective option.
• Get outside. Go for a walk, run, bike, skateboard, play catch, or enjoy the sunshine. Sometimes just being out in nature can be calming and grounding.
• Listen to music. Make a playlist that makes you happy, or just get up and dance!
• Read a book. You can use your local library to rent physical copies of books, audiobooks, or eBooks for free with apps like Hoopla, Overdrive, and Libby.
• Get creative! With extra time, get in touch with your core self by making something new; painting, drawing, landscaping, woodworking, social media posts, clothing, blankets, home decor, or try a new recipe.
• Watch something new. Check out new documentaries, movies, shows that you’ve wanted to see.
• Be still. Take some time to be by yourself in a comfortable place and check in with your thoughts, feelings, and body.
• Learn something new. Learn a new language, research a new place, get perspective on a different culture. You can also learn a new skill with lots of free tutorials online. Go on a virtual tour.
• Play a game. Dig out old board and card games, or try new video or phone games.
• Meditate. Take some time to develop a meditation practice. There are apps that can help with this, and various Youtube videos.
• Start a gratitude journal. I recently wrote a post on how to keep a gratitude journal which you can read more in depth here. Starting a journaling practice of any type can be a great outlet for feelings and thoughts.
• Reach out for help. You can reach out to hotlines, talk to friends, family, or a coach or therapist. You can do all of these things from home, with the benefits of telehealth or online counseling which you can learn more about in this recent blog post.

Hopefully incorporating one or more of these self care techniques will be helpful. Which one will you try?