When it comes to self-care, I often think that I need to invest hundreds of pounds into a spa day at a top-notch hotel.
But self-care doesn’t need to be overcomplicated.
So, in this post, I want to take a step back from my usual content and instead focus on some easy self-care ideas that you can do in the comfort of your own home without spending a single penny.
As a bonus, all of these easy self-care ideas are also free.
1. Get Off Your Phone
It’s so easy to get lost in the world of ‘doom-scrolling.’ And therefore, my first self-care idea is to get off your phone. Close your social media apps and just enjoy life as it currently is around you and not how someone is portraying it online.
Social media has tonnes of benefits, including creating support networks. However, social media also makes us compare ourselves to others; even if its subconsciously. And this isn’t good for your mental well-being.
Even if you’re not on social media very much, our phones have so many distractions on them. Emails, photos, notifications, and messages to reply to. It can all feel a bit overwhelming at times.
So get off your phone and just be. Those notifications can wait.
If you find it hard parting from your phone, challenge yourself by leaving it in another room. Or set a timer on how long you will be on it in one day.
2. Feel the Grass Under Your Feet
If you have access to a garden with grass in it, take an opportunity to take your shoes off and feel the grass beneath your feet. (And no, plastic grass doesn’t count!)
Grounding yourself in nature, even just for a couple of minutes per day has been thought to have many benefits to your health, including:
- Improving emotional well-being
- Better sleep
- Enhanced mindfullness
3. Meditate
Meditations don’t need to be long to be effective. And there are tonnes of short meditation routines freely available on YouTube.
Meditation is linked with lowering stress levels, promoting relaxation, and aiding better sleep.
Perhaps your meditation routines sees you sitting cross legged and listening to some gentle music for 5 minutes. Perhaps you follow a guided routine online.
Whichever way you decide to meditate, taking the time for yourself is a great way of caring for yourself.
4. Take a Bath
A relaxing bath can be just the thing you need when your body is asking for a little self-care.
Your bath routine might include candles, bubbles, scrubs, facemasks. Or it might just be about sitting in the tub with your favourite bubble bath.
However fancy you want your bath to be, taking a bath is a great self-care activity that can help you sleep better and also help relax you.
When I’m having a bath to relax, some of my favourite things to include are a soapy bubble bath, a range of scented candles (I like calming, natural smells to help me unwind), a body scrub, and sometimes a face mask as well. It’s like a little spa in my own home!
5. End Your Shower with a Cold Blast
Research tells us that having a cold shower, or blasting yourself with cold water at the end of the shower, can benefit your mental health.
This is because when you have a cold shower, you are stimulating the production of noradrenaline and beta-endorphins. And it’s these chemical reactions that could provide an anti-depressant effect on you.
On the other hand, if you’re someone like me who HATES being cold, this might not be for you. However, if you don’t like the sound of a cold blast of water on you, a warm shower before bed can aid better sleep. And we all know that a good night’s sleep is good for your mental well-being.
6. Pamper Yourself
A bit of pampering should never feel like a chore or a waste of time. You’re important and deserve to focus time on you as well as everyone else in your life.
Whilst pampering can include a bath (as we’ve already covered), pampering could include:
- A DIY home-made face mask
- Painting your nails
- Giving your hair a blow dry
- DIY foot spa
7. Make a Cup of Tea
What can I say? I’m British!
And I often think that most problems can be solved, or at least lessened a little, with a good cup of tea.
Whether it’s a traditional brew, or a cup of herbal tea, sitting with a warm drink and actually taking the time to enjoy it can give you a calming few minutes that will help you take a much-needed break.
Perhaps you take your cuppa to a different room than you were in before. Or perhaps you sit outside with it. If you don’t have access to an outdoor space, stand next to a window (either open or closed) and see what you can see outside as you enjoy the warmth of your drink.
8. Practice Box Breathing
Box Breathing is when you breath in and out, and hold your breath for 4 seconds per action. Simply put:
- Breath in for 4 seconds
- Hold your breath for 4 seconds
- Breath out for 4 seconds
- Hold your breath for 4 seconds
- Repeat
Box Breathing exercises can help to regulate your nervous system, so it’s a great exercise when you’re feeling stressed and feel the need to recalibrate yourself.
Other benefits of Box Breatching include:
- Reducing stress
- Improving focus
- Lowering your heart rate
- Enhanced sleep quality
- Grounding your emotions
9. Get One of Your 5-a-Day
When we need self-care, it’s easy to dive for the chocolate. And as someone who is pretty sure they spend enough on Cadbury’s in a year to put someone through university, I fully get this.
But lately, I’ve been considering whether the chocolate is what I actually want when I reach for it, or whether I’m just going to chocolate out of habit. When I stop and think about it, I often find it’s the later.
So I’ve started trying to swap out the unhealthy snacks once in a while for a piece of fruit or veg.
Don’t get me wrong, sometimes chocolate or another sweet treat is exactly what you need. But I often feel better mentally when I’ve had one of my five-a-day as opposed to a sugar-filled snack.
10. Open the Curtains and Windows
In my opinion, fresh air is one of the best mood lifters there is, plus, it’s free.
I am a fresh-air nut and regularly throw the windows open, even if it’s the depths of winter.
Often, when we’re feeling a bit stressed or down, we like keeping the room we’re in warm and cosy. But sometimes, this doesn’t positively contribute to our mental well-being.
So a great way to boost your mood and care for yourself is to throw open those curtains and a window and let the fresh air inside.
As a bonus, take a moment to breath in the fresh air or feel the warmth of the sun on your face from behind the glass. Both of these actions always leave me with a smile on my face.
11. Create a Gratitude List
We all have things in life that we can be grateful for. Sometimes we just need reminding of that fact!
A lovely self-care activity is to write out things that you are grateful for.
This doesn’t need to be a long activity, or a long list. It could be that you list 2-3 things that you are grateful for.
And again, these don’t need to be huge things. It could be that you’re grateful that you have food in the fridge and a roof over your head.
12. Clear Some Clutter
A decluttered area can go a long way to boosting your mental well-being.
It could be that you declutter an entire room. Or, it could be something more manageable than that such as decluttering your wardrobe, or even just a drawer that you’ve been meaning to sort out and organise.
13. Plan a Holiday (Even If You Won’t Go On It)
I love planning a holiday; even if it’s a fictional one that I’ll never go on.
The idea of planning a holiday might seem depressing, but I see it as a way of exploring the world from the safety of your own sofa.
Planning a future holiday is a fun activity that helps you tune out from the world around you and to me, anything that helps distract you from current trauma is something that is worth it.
14. Make Something
Depending on your interests, hobbies and skills, what you make will differ from person to person.
It could be that you take up a new hobby to make something, or you pick up an old hobby, or continue an existing hobby.
You don’t need to go out and buy a load of things to make something either.
You could pick flowers from outside and arrange them in a vase to make a table centrepieces
You could get some paper and follow an online tutorial to make an origami animal.
Whatever you decide to make, again, these distractions could be just what you need to give yourself a little bit of time away from the usual stresses of life.
15. Take a Nap
When we’re stressed or experiencing symptoms of PTSD, a common side-effect is lack of sleep at night, or disturbed sleep.
A lack of quality sleep at night can really end up taking its toll on your mental health and well-being. So if you can take a power nap, you could really boost your mood.
16. Read a Book, Blog or Magazine
Reading is an amazing escape. And it doesn’t need to be a new genre for you, or subscribe to any rules.
One of my favourite reads is an online blog that reviews reality tv shows. I find the narrative of the blogger hilarious and it forms excellent escapism for me.
Final Thoughts
Self-care needn’t be a foreign concept to you. In fact, it’s 100% necessary. Especially if you experience PTSD symptoms, or are starting to struggle with what you have experienced in the past.
The best part about these easy self–care ideas is that they don’t require money, fancy products, or a tonne of time. Just you, your space, and the intention to treat yourself kindly.
Whilst these ideas are easy and simple, they shouldn’t be underestimated. Sometimes, it’s the simplest things that we can do for ourselves that can make the biggest impact on both our mental health and well-being.
Sure, self-care won’t takeaway what you have experienced, or are experiencing, but being kind to yourself and remembering that you are worth being taken care of can go a long way to boosting self-esteem and self-worth.
Just because you experienced what you experienced, does not mean that you don’t deserve to look after yourself and do things for you.
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Keeley Brennan is a writer and campaigner who speaks out about Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), using her own lived experience to raise awareness and inspire change. Through her blog and upcoming books, she’s creating space for difficult conversations to happen. The name Keeley means beautiful, and Brennan is Irish for sorrow; a reminder that even in the darkest places, something meaningful can grow.