Feeling stressed and just need a break but don’t have the time for an actual vacation? Learn how SELF-CARE can help give you that break you need every day and help you feel refreshed every morning.
Mother’s Day is around the corner and I think moms deserve an extra special day. This article contains many self care gifts for moms that would make for great Mother’s Day gifts, birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, or really any other reason to just remind your mom to slow down and take care of herself too.
Let’s spoil our moms this year with the gift of self-care and pampering.
Here is my list of 18 Self Care Gifts for Moms on Mother’s Day.
The gift of motivation to drink more water. We all know we should drink more water, but now they are making water bottles that actually motivate you to drink more water. This 32 oz water bottle has time markers to encourage you to drink so much water by a certain time of the day. How brilliant is that?!
Check this out! This box includes activity cards to help promote self-care. This is the perfect gift to help mom remember to take care of herself first with short and sweet activities.
If your mom loves to read, check out my list of 12 Personal Development Books or 9 Self-Care Books. All these books are great reads that I highly recommend for anyone interested in personal growth and self-improvement.
As the temperatures rise and the snow melts away, our mind turns to spring cleaning. A time to deep clean our homes just as Mother Nature is doing the same.
However, I like to think of Spring as another new beginning. A chance for us to maybe try our new year’s resolutions again or to finally get more fresh air like we always say we will until it’s too cold.
In the mists of doing a spring clean of your house, why not try to spring clean your mind, body, and soul, too.
Yep, you read that right. Your mind, body, and soul need a freshen up every once and a while too.
Try any of these 6 ways to spring clean your mind, body, and soul to kick off the new season.
6 Ways to Spring Clean Your Mind, Body, and Soul
Do a Detox
After a long winter hibernation your mind, body, and soul need a deep cleanse. So to kick off our spring cleaning, I recommend doing a full-on detox for yourself. Some activities could include:
Drink more water: aim for half your body weight in ounces. This will help flush out your system and give you more energy.
Have a salad every day: it’s time to get more fruits and veggies into your life again
Try meditation: meditating is a great way to empty and clear your mind of negativity. Breath in the fresh spring air and breath out any negative thoughts and feelings that have been clogging your mental space this past winter.
Social Media Detox: We’ve all heard about how toxic social media can be for our overall mental health. Try to avoid social media for a whole day once and just focus on yourself and how you want to improve your life. Not how your life compares to others.
Journal
Journaling has always been my favorite personal development technique to help me evaluate how I’m feeling in my current season of life and what I might want to work on next.
Take some time to evaluate where you are in your current goals or even use journaling to help decide on some new goals for this spring.
Use this season as a time to reevaluate your new year’s resolutions that may have fallen away and get excited about trying again.
Now that the sun is out longer it’s time to fix your sleep schedule. Many people find that they sleep more during the winter because of the dreary short and dark days.
Evaluate your current sleep schedule and make sure you aren’t sleeping your days away but also that you are getting enough sleep as well.
With the time change and longer days make sure you still go to sleep at a reasonable time so you feel refreshed every morning.
Change Up Your Routines
Sometimes just a small change to our current routines can make a huge difference. Life can become boring when we do the same things over and over, so take this opportunity to make a little change. Try adding something you enjoy to your everyday routines like reading or painting.
Or if you want to really make a change, create a whole morning routine for yourself.
Now that the sun is out more, make sure you are taking advantage of that free Vitamin D. Not only does Vitamin D help boost your immune system, but is essential for strong bones and helps fight depression.
During the dark winter days, we don’t get as much Vitamin D as we should. So now that winter is basically over, it’s time to replenish that lack of Vitamin D in your system.
Purge Your House
Yeah, I know I said we were focusing on spring cleaning for your mind, body, and soul, but seriously, once you declutter your space, even just a little bit, your mind will feel so much lighter.
How often are you sitting at your desk doing something, when all of a sudden your mind wonders over that pile of stuff that needs to be gone through.
After you take some time to purge your house of things you don’t need anymore, you’ll have an easier time concentrating on the more important things.
Final Thoughts
I hope you decide to take some time this spring to focus on your mind, body, and soul. It can be very hard to take care of other responsibilities when you feel mentally and emotionally drained yourself. Make sure you plan some self care time throughout the spring as well, because you can’t pour from an empty cup.
Do something to take care of yourself first this spring and then go ahead and start that spring cleaning.
Which of these 6 ways to spring clean your mind, body, and soul are you going to try this spring? Let me know in the comments below.
I think self care is often overlooked in our lives. We often forget to slow down and take care of ourselves. That’s why I compiled a list of self care books for you to learn more about self care along with getting some amazing ideas for including it in your everyday routines.
I hope you find a book that will inspire you to take care of yourself.
The first book up on this list is my favorite book in this category so far. I finished Girl, Wash Your Face over a year ago and loved it. I’ve never read a book where the author was so open about her life. In each chapter, she talks about a different lie many people tell themselves. She gives her personal experience with it and then what helped her get through it. Rachel Hollis isn’t afraid to tell you like it is and remind us that we are all in the same boat.
The next book on the list literally has self-care in the title. This book tells you everything to know about self-care. Jayne Hardy believes that self-care is a tool we all have to help us take care of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We just have to learn how to apply it properly to our lives.
The book explains that self-care isn’t selfish, but it is actually vital to our well-being. It also gives advice on finding time for daily self-care and how to overcome obstacles that can get in your way.
‘Reading this is like a therapy session with a trusted, empathetic friend determined to help you turn things around, minus any irritating self-righteousness’ The Independent
Of all the self-care books out there, this one is my favorite.
This bestselling book will have you laughing your ass off and feeling better than ever about yourself by the end of it. Jen Sincero has a wicked sense of humor that definitely makes this not-your-average self-help book.
“By the end of You Are a Badass, you’ll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can’t change, how to change what you don’t love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.”
This book is a guide to the Danish art of Hygge, pronounced “hoo-ga”. Hygge can be translated as a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. “Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience,” Wiking explains. “It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe.” The book gives an introduction to the practice and shows us how we can incorporate it into our lives. Wiking explains how to get comfy, be present, build healthy relationships, and indulging in the things you love.
Being more mindful can help us simplify our problems and find a clear path through them. Mindfulness focuses on living in the present moment and can improve productivity, focus, happiness, and peace of mind. It does not have to be hours of meditation, the exercises in this book are only about 5-10 minutes.
The book features over 30 mindfulness exercises covering topics of self-compassion, anger, reconnecting to life, and having a healthier relationship with food.
This book is for anyone who is short on time but wants to deal with stress in a relaxing way.
This book focuses on changing one behavior per month. Each chapter is filled with guides, actionable steps, and personal experiences from the author herself.
“From years of personal experience, as well as coaching great men and women, I’ve come to understand that selfishness leads to selflessness. When we care deeply for ourselves, we naturally begin to care for others – our families, our friends, our greater global community, and the environment – in a healthier and more effective way. We tell the truth. We make choices from love instead of guilt and obligation. And we soon realize that we’re all connected and that our individual actions affect a greater whole.” – Cheryl Richardson
Mary Beth Janssen put together this small guide to help you learn how to use self-love and self-care to heal your heart and mind. In this book, you’ll find a collection of self-care rituals, along with a wind range of activities and exercises, too. Activities and exercises include: Karma Cleanse, intention, meditation, and breathwork techniques, emotional housecleaning, setting healthy boundaries, tips for nourishing yourself, deep sleep, and beauty rituals to celebrate your body.
Louise Hay shows you how to reconnect to your wounded inner child and see yourself for who you are, a lovable being no matter what you’ve been through. Her key message is: “If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed.”
“Through this self-help classic, we find the courage to overcome paralyzing fear and self-consciousness, strengthening our connection to the world and helping us to believe we are worthy of self-discovery, personal growth, and boundless love.”
Dr. Brown speaks openly about her own fears and insecurities to remind you that we are all in the same boat. We all feel like we are “not enough” and “not worthy” at times. But our imperfections are what makes us beautiful humans.
Self-Care Journals
I know these aren’t technically books but I recently came across these self-care journals and just had to share them with you.
This journal is beautifully made as a fun way to check in on yourself mentally. The self-care guide was written for women struggling with busyness and unrealistic expectations. Learn how to reconnect with yourself as you work through this journal.
The second I came across this journal I knew I just had to have it. The beautiful watercolors create a Zen-link atmosphere, perfect for journaling.
This book was written by Yoga teacher Elena Brower and in it, she gives us space to explore our thoughts through reflection. “With more than 150 beautiful pages of questions, teachings, inspiring imagery, and plenty of space to write draw, and reflect, this journaling adventure guides us into nine compelling portals to our highest ways of living.”
I hope you found at least one book that resonated with you.
If you have any other self-care book recommendations, leave them in the comments below.
As you’ve probably noticed, self-care has become a pretty trendy thing lately. People post a picture of being at the spa with #selfcare but it is actually much simpler than that.
I’ve talked about self care a little bit here on my blog but I haven’t really dived into why it’s important. So let’s do that shall we.
What Exactly is Self Care?
Self care, put simply, is taking care of yourself. And taking care of yourself means recognizing your own needs and taking steps to fulfill them.
Those needs can be part of your physical, mental, or emotional health. Either way, self care is all about listening to yourself and making sure each part of you is functioning at its best.
Only you can know what you need at any moment, so it’s up to you to ensure that those needs are met.
What is not Self Care?
Often people think that self care is selfish, but trust me when I say, it absolutely isn’t selfish to be taking care of yourself. In fact, it’s much more difficult to take care of others when your own health is being compromised.
Self care is not about spending money for a spa day every week or ignoring your chores so you can binge Netflix all Saturday.
Now don’t get me wrong, I even spend half a day binging my favorite show every once in a while. In fact, I just did that yesterday. I hadn’t given myself a break from work in a while and I felt drained. I knew my brain just needed a mental break for a few hours.
Just remember, it’s all about balance.
Benefits of Daily Self Care
Self care is essential to your well-being. You need to take the time to support and care for yourself or you’ll fall into a state of burnout.
Here are some benefits of practicing daily self care
Slowing down and taking time for yourself can actually make you more productive. Think about it; if you only got 5 hours of sleep last night, do you really think you’ll be able to stay focused long enough to get stuff done? Probably not. (trust me, I’ve tried)
Daily self care can actually boost your energy levels and your immune system. Which means fewer sick days and more getting stuff done.
You’ll also learn to reconnect with yourself. You will start to pay more attention to things you love to do and make you happy.
It can reduce anxiety and stress. When you feel taken care of, both physically and mentally, you’ll feel more calm and relaxed.
You’ll have more to give to others. It’s really hard to be fully present for your family and friends if you are running on an empty cup. The better you take care of yourself, the more you can give to others.
Self Care for Every Area of Your Life
There are many ways to practice self care in your life. Everyone will have their own requirements when it comes to taking care of themselves. But if you’re new to this whole thing, then start by focusing on these three areas of your life: physical, mental, and emotional.
1. Physical
News flash! If you want to live a long and healthy life, you have to take care of your body. And your physical wellness will affect all the other parts of your life too.
Not getting enough sleep? That can lead to mental burn out. Make sure you’re taking care of your physical self.
Here are some ideas to practice good physical self care:
Getting enough good quality sleep
Getting exercise
Eating healthy
Drinking enough water every day
Remember physical self care doesn’t mean taking on crazy workout routines or setting up a strict diet. Just make sure you are focusing on your physical health so your body doesn’t shut down.
2. Mental
Mental self care is about checking in with yourself. Discover what things trigger you and how you can best overcome them, rather than letting them bottle up inside.
It’s also about learning your mindset and how you view the world. It’s important to work on having a more positive outlook on life so that you don’t dwell on the hard things when they come up.
Read a book about something you’re interested in learning more about
The past year I’ve really focused more on my mental self care and it’s become much easier to look on the brighter side of situations. It won’t happen overnight, but with practice, your mindset will shift.
My favorite mental self care practice is journaling. Read more about it: How to Start a Journal
3. Emotional
Oftentimes mental and emotional health are combined but when talking about self care I like to separate them a little.
While mental self care is about exploring your mindset, emotional self care is about learning your emotions, allowing yourself to feel them, and finding healthy ways to cope with the uncomfortable emotions.
So yes, I’m telling you sometimes all you need is a good cry. Allow yourself to feel the emotion (anger, sadness, jealousy) for a bit. You are human, and bottling up those emotions won’t do you any good.
Some ways to practice self care:
Talk through your emotions with a friend or family member
Watch a tv show that makes you feel good
Journal with the intent to discover why you are feeling certain emotions.
Is Self Care for Everyone?
The short answer is absolutely but just remember that self care will not look the same for everyone. However, it’s still important to make it a part of our daily life.
One type of self care may be really beneficial for me, but may not be for you. Make sure you are working with your body and doing stuff that you enjoy, not just because someone else told you to do it.
How to Implement Daily Self Care into Your Life?
Remember self care doesn’t have to be a full spa day. It can be as simple as going for a walk in nature, or sitting in silence for 5 minutes just breathing.
I recommend picking a few self care activities for each day of the week. Or pick a couple to do almost every day.
For example, I journal every morning to start my days. It clears my head and sets me up for the day. That’s my form of self care for the morning. Then before bed I meditate for 5 minutes to calm my brain down before going to sleep.
See, self care doesn’t have to be super complicated. Just make sure you are taking care of yourself every day so that you aren’t pouring from an empty cup.
What are your favorite self care activities? Let me know in the comments.
Often when people think of self-care activities they usually think of spending tons of money and time at the spa and getting your nails done by a professional.
Well let me tell you something, self-care doesn’t need to look Pinterest perfect.
You do not need to spend money to just take care of yourself. Self-care also doesn’t need to be time-consuming.
Don’t believe me?
Check out my list of 20 self-care activities that won’t break the bank.
This article contains affiliate links. That means, if you click through and make a purchase using an affiliate link, I will earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you.
1. Have a cup of tea or coffee
This is my favorite and easiest self-care activity in my opinion. I already make coffee every morning so why not slow down and enjoy it.
Next time you have your morning coffee, take a couple of extra minutes to focus on the senses that are engaged when you have that first warm drink in the morning.
Meditate with it and only focus on the coffee in your hand.
Close your eyes and take in the delicious smell of coffee.
Here’s my favorite coffee at the moment. Did you know Bailey’s makes ground coffee? It is literally the best!
2. Go for a walk
Yes I know it’s the middle of winter right now but this is the most important time to get outside. Staying cramped up in the house all day isn’t good for your mental or physical health.
Bundle up in your favorite winter jacket, beanie, and scarf, and go for a short walk around your neighborhood.
Take in the vitamin D that your body needs and you’ll feel so refreshed by the time you get back in your warm house.
3. At home spa day
Believe it or not but you can create the ambiance of an expensive spa right in your home for a quarter of the price.
You can even buy some pretty inexpensive facial face masks for pure relaxation.
I highly recommend all the products I’ve linked from Amazon. They are all inexpensive and really help create a spa-like atmosphere right in the comfort of your own home.
4. Read a book
Grab your favorite book, a cup of coffee or tea, your favorite comfy blanket, and curl up in your favorite spot in the house.
I love getting lost in a book and allowing my imagination to run wild.
Just giving yourself 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading time can help turn a stressful day upside down.
And remember your local library has tons of books you can check out for free! So there’s no excuse not to do this self-care activity.
5. Do a Youtube yoga video
The best part about the internet is you have access to so many free things from the comfort of your own home.
My favorite resource for free self-care is using Youtube to find yoga videos for relaxation.
This gentle and relaxing yoga flow by “Yoga with Adriene” is my favorite yoga routine to do when I just need to slow down and breathe. Try it for yourself.
6. Dance to your favorite song
Grab your phone, go to your favorite music streaming service (Pandora, Spotify, and youtube offer free options), and blast your favorite song.
Even on the most stressed out and depressing days, putting on some good music to sing and dance to makes me feel so much better.
Force a smile and start jumping around. You won’t regret it.
7. Do a quick clean up of the house
This may seem like a weird thing to have under self-care activities but believe it or not, the spaces around us can severely impact our mood.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and just pick up a few quick things. Clean off your desk or coffee table, make your bed and look at how much better the room looks.
That little bit of cleaning can wipe away the stress that a messy house gives.
8. Play and cuddle with your pets
I feel like animals were literally put on this earth to make us feel better. Just a few minutes of playing with my dog or cat always puts a smile on my face.
Plus they are awesome cuddle buddies.
Don’t have any pets? Go to the local animal shelter or humane society. Most shelters allow people to volunteer to spend time with the animals. It’ll make you and the animals happier.
9. Unplug from social media for a day (or shut off your phone entirely if you can)
While social media has its perks, it can also result in some major anxiety.
Take some time to unplug from social media and do something that brings you joy like any of the activities listed so far.
This year I’ve tried to do no-social-media-Sundays and let me tell you, from just the couple of Sundays that I have done that I have felt so much better. I spend more time with my family than on my phone. Give it a try.
10. Go to a local park, library, or coffee shop, and do your work outside your home
Sometimes we don’t always have the time to take complete breaks from responsibilities.
However, you can change your surroundings.
Find a different place to work from for the day and take in the different scenery.
11. Go for a drive
Something that is very simple to do in order to take a break and clear your head is to go for a quick drive.
I personally love doing this after a fresh snowstorm and seeing the trees covered in white. Or in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.
Take in the beautiful views while relaxing on a short drive.
12. Paint your nails
Again you don’t have to go to a nail salon to treat yourself.
Go to your local pharmacy or drug store and buy some nail polish for much cheaper than a salon would charge you.
Put on your favorite Netflix show and give yourself a manicure.
13. Look through your old photo albums or scrapbooks
I love looking at past photos of different adventures I’ve been on. It’s fun to remanence on past memories and be thankful for all the adventures you’ve been on so far in your life.
Don’t have pictures in a photo album or scrapbook?
Then take some time to print out some photos and make one. I find it so calming to scrapbook my favorite photos.
14. Watch a movie
Pop some popcorn and sit back and relax while watching your favorite movie.
No one ever said that watching tv wasn’t considered self-care, just be careful not to binging a show all day.
15. Rearrange your furniture
Tired of the same old look in your home?
Rearranging your furniture could be just what you need for a bit of change in your life.
While moving furniture may sound like more work than self-care, relaxing in your new and clean space can help you destress.
16. Write down five things you are grateful for
You can never go wrong with writing down what you are grateful for.
I love keeping a gratitude journal to look back at when I’m feeling down in the dumps.
This is something that can change your attitude immensely when your feeling stressed and overwhelmed
17. Take a nap
Sometimes in the middle of a long and stressful day, a nap can be exactly what you need to feel better.
Change into your sweats and take a quick nap to refresh yourself so you can finish the rest of your day with more energy.
18. Take a 10 minute mindful break
If you’ve been working for a while and you are starting to feel like your focus is drifting away, get up and walk over to your window.
Take in the view of the outdoors, or close your eyes and let the sunshine on your face.
I love doing this every morning as the sun rises. It can be super calming.
19. Get creative
Indulge in your favorite creative hobby.
Find something that gets your creative mind working like painting, scrapbooking, doodling, sewing, knitting, etc.
Remember how calming it was as a little kid to just sit and color. Well, you can do that as an adult too. It’s totally ok!
See! Self-care activities don’t have to break the bank.
It’s important that we learn to take some time to take care of ourselves. And taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be time consuming, selfish, or expensive.
Find your favorite simple self-care activity and treat yourself!
What are your favorite inexpensive self-care activities? Let me know in the comments below!
Interested in more self-care ideas? Check out my other posts on self-care:
Self-care is so important for stress relief and your mental health, especially now while we are trying to figure out what the h*** is going on in our world today.
Our brains tend to focus on the bad things in our lives if you let it. Sometimes we just need an escape from all things negative and give ourselves a little self-care day.
Here are 17 Easy Self-Care Ideas you can do today:
1. Read your favorite book
Jump into your favorite fictional universe and just dream. Take your mind off of everything.
Who doesn’t love a delicious different scent in the house sometime.
14. Get Some Sun
We can always use some extra Vitamin D. Also vitamin D is proven to boost your energy levels.
15. Brush Your Hair
There’s something weirdly calming about quietly running a brush through your hair.
16. Dance in the Kitchen to Your Favorite Song
I love doing this when I just need a little pick me up. My favorite song at the moment to dance to is “Shake it off” by Taylor Swift.
17. Watch the Sunset/Sunrise
Nothing is more calming than watching a day slowly begin, hearing the birds start to wake up, and the earth start to light up. Also watching the day come to a close and everything going to sleep is just as calming.
I, fortunately, have the privilege of living near Lake Superior so I get to watch the sunrise and set on the biggest great lake in the US 🙂
I would suggest picking at least one of these self-care ideas to do every day to help you relax.
You can even combine some of these for a nice long hour or 2 of self-care.
Take a bath and add some bubbles. You can light a candle (or two) in the bathroom to get even more smells in the bathroom. Also, bring in a book and maybe even a glass of your favorite wine and just relax.
Oh and to make sure you don’t drop anything in the water try using this Luxury Bathtub Tray
What is your favorite self-care idea(s)? Let me know in the comments!
I would suggest picking at least one of these self-care ideas to do every day to help you relax. 
