Self Care Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive

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Lately, Self care seems to be the big topic.

With all of the news about mental health and working hard, it is inevitable that self care is going to come up often. Taking care of yourself is obviously important, so why do we always need to bring it up. More and more people are advocating for more mental health care because of the celebrities in the news that are struggling. But it isn’t just celebrities that struggle.

Because so many people have gotten into the “I am fine” mentality and they often refuse to take time for themselves. When you are working for others for so long, you start to burn out and break down. Being burnt out seems to be a way of life instead of just a temporary period of time. In the American culture, we even tend to brag about how much work we have done or how busy we are.

At one point during my debt free journey, I was regularly working 60-70 hour weeks. Between my full time government job, waitressing/bartending, being in the National Guard, trying to run a blog, and trying to maintain my fitness, I was finding myself burnt out at the end of every week. I was exhausted. Most importantly, I was tired of people. When I spent all day every day trying to do other things for others, I was ready for a break.

Working two jobs, I quickly found out that I needed to carve out time for myself in the middle of my busy schedule. I needed to do a better job of unwinding, unplugging, and relaxing. Even working one job, I find that there are times in my life that I need to remember this. Life is too short to constantly stress about your life.

Self care has been a big conversation topic. It doesn’t have to be all about lavish bubble baths or expensive trips to the spa. Self care is really focusing on what makes you feel good and doing those things. I would challenge you to schedule in time for yourself at least once a week, if not more. It doesn’t have to be the same thing every week either! Try something new!

Here is a list of 50+ Free or Cheap Self Care Practices:

1. Bubble Baths or hot shower
2. Learn about Essential oils
3. Watching a TV show
4. Movie night at home
5. Enjoy an adult beverage (Grab that bottle of wine!)
6. Make a cup of coffee or tea
7. Give yourself a manicure/pedicure
8. Taking a walk
9. Go to the gym
10. Foam Roll- releases tension
11. Horseback riding
12. Check out a Library Book/DVD
13. Video games
14. Work on a puzzle
15. Give writing a try (Start a blog!)
16. Enjoy just sitting and listening to music
17. Let yourself enjoy few episodes (or more) of Netflix
18. Buy flowers for your home
19. Lay in your lawn and work on your tan (weather permitting)
20. Call an old friend or family member just to chat
21. Clean a room in your house
22. Set goals for the week/month
23. Turn off your social media and disconnect
24. Give Yoga a try
25. Drink a full glass of water
26. Pick up a crafty project (scrapbooking, sewing, cross-stitch)
27. Watch a sermon online. (Link to my church!)
28. Watch some TED Talks.
29. Create a vision board.
30. Work on a budget 
31. Find a discounted massage on Groupon!
32. Light a candle
33. Journal
34. Start a Bullet Journal and design a new page
35. Take a nap
36. Use your favorite lotion
37. Play with your pets
38. Visit an animal shelter to play with an animal
39. Eat a healthy meal
40. Chocolate
41. Face Mask (My favorite is Mary Kay Charcoal Mask!)
42. Give yourself permission to say no to a commitment
43. Write down 10 things you are grateful for
44. Mediate
45. Use the internet to plan your dream vacation
46. Watch a comedian on Youtube or Netflix
47. Invite friends over for a game night
48. Get dressed up for no reason
49. Stargaze
50. Go explore somewhere new in your town
51. Last, but not least, let yourself do absolutely nothing

Pick a few

While this list has over 50 things you could do for self care, I would challenge you to make a list of 5-10 things that you can implement into your life regularly. Not everything on this list is going to apply or appeal to every person. Most importantly,  you should feel better after completing the task. If the task doesn’t make you feel relaxed, there are probably better ideas out there for you. Creating a schedule where you can do these things on a regular basis will help you prevent that burn out feeling at the end of the week.

If it isn’t listed, what is your favorite way of taking care of yourself?