I talk a lot about self-care, it’s my thing, it’s what I do, it’s how I live and what I love.
To me, self-love equals self-care, and self-care equals self-love. The two are so intimately connected that they fall into each other.
When you’re taking care with yourself, you are showing yourself love.
When you show yourself love, you are taking care with yourself.
But there was a time not all that long ago where self-care was a foreign concept, where it sounded like something cool and fun, but also like something I had no idea how to start.
The thought of creating a practice was too big, because I wasn’t sure what it meant, I didn’t know how to start.
So, let me help you start.
What I need to tell you is this: A self-care practice is simply a group of things you do that feel good to you, that recharge your body, heart and soul.
It’s something you can lean on when you have a rough day. It’s something that, the more you do, the more intuitive it becomes: to comfort yourself, to love yourself, to take care with yourself, to honor yourself.
Your practice can take so many different shapes and forms, and they are all right, they are all perfect.
I want to share some jumping off points with you, some places where you can begin.
Because beginnings are often the hardest part, the most challenging point, just to get to a space where you say Yes, I’m ready, yes I can do this, yes, I want to do this.
34 Ways to Begin your Self-care Practice
- Take a five-minute break, wherever you are, close the door, close your eyes, breathe deeply and relax. You deserve this.
- Make a mug of tea, treat yourself to your favorite latte or smoothie. Delight your senses with taste and flavors.
- Move your body – dance, go for a walk or run, do yoga or some deep stretching, heck even skip around your house. Twirl, hula hoop, do the running (wo)man, jump up and down like a human pogo stick – whatever feels good to your body in this moment.
- Sign up for my newsletter and get a free three-part e-course: Self-care for the Soul.
- Turn off the computer, unplug for an hour or for a day to see how it feels.
- Hug your child or your partner or your best friend or your kitten.
- Say thank you. And say thank you again. Then say it again.
- Breathe deep and smile.
- Go outside and feel the sunshine on your face or let the raindrops kiss your cheeks.
- Explore essential oils – they can be used so many different ways, they’ve become a fixture in my self-care practice.
- Light your favorite candle or burn a stick of incense – make the space you are in sacred.
- Become a Self-love Warrior.
- Walk around barefoot, completely connect to the ground beneath you.
- Give yourself an at-home spa day: Take a hot shower, shave your legs, paint your toenails, put on a mud mask. If you want to get really crazy, pluck your eyebrows.
- Go to sleep early, let yourself rest. Or, take a catnap – closing your eyes for a half hour can do so much for attitude and outlook.
- Write a letter to your younger self and celebrate how much you’ve done and how far you’ve come.
- Take yourself out to dinner. Dress up or down.
- Put on your favorite cozy pants and top and spend an evening in watching your fave guilty pleasure TV show.
- Turn your phone on silent, or completely off.
- Meditate. If that’s not really your thing, sit quietly and breathe.
- Wake up early and watch the sunrise. Greet the day and set an intention. (Scroll to the bottom of that post for a freebie!)
- Write in a paper journal, let your mind freeflow and see what comes out and what you let go of.
- Make out with your partner.
- Get creative – paint, take photographs, color.
- Get creative – cook, rearrange furniture, bake.
- Acknowledge how you take care of others, and that it’s a beautiful thing to take care of you, too.
- Read a book – whether it’s trashy or chick lit or a volume of poetry or fiction.
- Watch the sunset and write down the best part of your day.
- Call your best friend and get some voice time in.
- Praise and praise and praise : Remember these instructions for a body.
- Name three things that you flat-out love about yourself.
- Own your shit. Few things are as empowering and powerful as being honest and upfront with yourself (and with others).
- Take a mental health day – play hooky, rest, recharge and renew.
- Remember that where you are, in this moment, is exactly where you are supposed to be.
What are your favorite things to do when you need a little comfort? When you need to recharge your batteries, what are your go-to places for renewal and peace?
A pretty day to you,
When I hear myself say “it doesn’t matter” when I know in my heart I have been hurt some way, I now say it DOES matter and look at the situation in ways to make it better for me..I have stopped letting it not matter. To some it may not be much but it is a huge step to me !
Bettina, that’s so beautiful, I’m so proud of you for taking that step and for seeing how important a step it is for you. ♥
I LOVE this! Great stuff!!
Thank you! xoxo
I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now.” In it he has a practice of listening to the inner energy body. Basically just feeling your energy throughout your body, rather than just in your head/mind, and lending your attention to it even as you do daily tasks. I’ve integrated this practice into my day, and it feels like a burst of self-love every time I remember to drop down into my body. Hard to explain but especially delicious-feeling.
Great post, thanks!
Nikki (aka Starcat)
That sounds really cool, Nikki! I’ve (of course) heard of Eckhart Tolle, but never read anything by him before, you make me want to get a closer look. Thank you for stopping by and for sharing! xox
So awesome, Jenn. I’ve forwarded this to a friend who just sent me an email about how shitty she was feeling. Perfect timing. (Now back to my Frankincense and tea. Sigh….)
Hee! Thank you for sharing this, Patti! And WORD to Frankincense and tea – I’ve been loving on some Frankincense oil lately, too. I hope you are having a pretty day, xox.
I go and have a professional massage if I can afford it. I give myself a manicure or pedicure or both. I snuggle on the couch with my cat and a blanket. I light incense in my living room. I run myself a warm bath with lots of bubbles. I treat myself to a new bar of soap. I could go on. I’ve only learned how to give myself what I want and need over the last few years. Due to pressures of work and relationships and putting others first I neglected myself for a long time. Now I pay attention to self care cause I know it’s the most empowering thing I can do and since I care for myself and don’t subtly put my needs onto others I’m much happier and feel liberated.
Oooooh, Clare, that all sounds so awesome – those are some of my favorite things to do, too! And please, go on!
You are so right – taking care with yourself and prioritizing your needs is incredibly empowering, it’s you showing you that you value yourself, your body, your soul, your space, your heart.
Wishing you a lovely weekend, xo.
A friend just mailed me a link to your blog. How wonderful ! I love points 16, 17 and 32. Totally gonna do that …16 & 17, will think about 32…
Just kiddin’ – I have a lot to take accountability for !!
Love the list. Thanks !
Hey, Ilze! Thank you for stopping over – and oh yes, #32 can be a rough one, ha!
It’s also the one that can completely clear so much crap from your life – instead of putting things off on other people, you get to say, No. This is on me, this is my issue, my hurt, my baggage, my reaction, my interpretation and perception of something.
The flip of it is that you also get to let go of things that you put on yourself, the stuff you carry around that you don’t need to – the doubts or fears or negative self-talk or whatever it is that’s weighing you down.
I love it, even when it kicks my ass.
Okay, I’ll share just because this topic is sooo important to me as well. I go the park with my dog and we run around chasing squirrels. My dog is a Sheltie so he doesn’t try to actually catch them. But runs around the tree and I throw my arms in the air and yell hurray. I have a aromotherapy machine sort of like a humidifier that I use natural oils in. There are certain oils that will literally help ground me to the moment just by breathing them in. If you have any asthma this can be safer than incense. What a great post. I also will sit and write sm acceptance list of all the things I am struggling with, seems to clear the way to move forward. Great post! Thanks, Barb
When I need comfort, I turn to my online friends, the only ones I have and who most of the times don’t know me or know I exist. My online friends are mainly people I am following through Blogs and Facebook pages. They comfort me, their words and posts that gives me hope. I also tried to write. I started less than two months ago, and when I see that someone read or commented, it fills my heart with a big smile knowing that my friendship is returned.
I love posts like this. Just reading them makes me feel as if I’m showing myself some love. Thank you for the tips Jenn
I can’t wait to put some of them into practice today.
[...] 34 Ways to Begin Your Self-Care Practice: To many of us, self-care is intimidating and foreign. Where do we start? What does self-care mean in the first place? Here, Jenn demystifies self-care and shares 34 ideas to start taking better care of yourself right now. [...]
I’m ready for about 3/4 of these things right about now! thanks for sharing.
[...] 4. Demystifying self-care: 34 ways to begin your self-care practice, a great list by Jenn Gibson on Roots of She. Again, the proof that I need to read this is that I haven’t given myself the time or space to take a mindful look at it, or get even close to applying any of its wisdom. [...]