You finally have a day to yourself and need some ideas on how to have a perfect and enjoyable self-care day? In today’s post, I’m sharing with you 10 of my favorite self-care ideas to do on your day off or whenever you feel like you could benefit from some extra joy in your day.
Some of these self-care ideas will make you more relaxed and some are here to help you feel empowered (cue: mindset work).
I hope you’ll find some to add to your self-care list. Let’s dive in!
1. don’t set an alarm
The idea of a self-care day is to reset and give your body what it needs. Let your body wake up naturally and start the day off by being fully rested. If it means waking up at 11 a.m., why not? Trust your body, it always knows what’s best for you.
Unless you booked a trip, a coffee date with your friend, or some enjoyable appointment, there’s no need to force yourself to get up at a certain hour on your day off.
2. do some deep journaling
If you want to work on your mindset and start overcoming your fears and limiting beliefs – journaling is the best place to start.
Depending on what your intention is, journaling can help you set a clear goal, deal with your limiting beliefs, create an effective plan to achieve your goal, brainstorm ideas, etc.
If you’ve been on your own self-improvement journey and you want to dive deeper, check out my journaling bundle.
The bundle includes 3+ hours of guided journaling workshops for building confidence, creating the next-level version of yourself, reframing your limiting beliefs, and setting goals. It’s so powerful to help you dig deeper within yourself and start making a change in your life so that you can reach your goals. Sound good? Then get your bundle on the link here and dive right in!
3. stretch
Just a few stretches will make your body feel so much better. The more often you do it, the more flexible you’ll become. I remember when I couldn’t even touch my toes standing up… That changed soon after I implemented stretching into my daily routine. It has such a calming effect on your mind and it’s really enjoyable. Yes, you could do some yoga as well, but if you’re not a fan of any physical activity, this is also a good start.
However, I will suggest my favorite yoga channel Yoga with Adriene which provides a huge variety of yoga practices. 5-minute morning stretch, 30-day yoga challenges, 15-minute core practices for your ab muscles, you name it. This channel has everything when it comes to yoga. Even advice on how to clean your yoga mat. Check it out yourself here.
4. set an intention for your self-care day
How do you want to feel throughout the day?
Are there some things you want to do?
How do you want to feel at the end of the day?
Set a clear intention and have it in your mind during the day. That way, even if something unexpected comes up, you know how you want to feel and you’re not going to let any external circumstances change that. If the intention is to feel calm and suddenly you find yourself in a situation filled with anger and frustration, say to yourself that it’s just temporary. The situation will pass as everything always does, and get back to your self-care day. Find the peace within you. Everything you will ever need is already within you.
5. repeat an affirmation
As I’ve said, if the intention is to feel calm, the affirmation could be I inhale calmness and exhale anger/stress/anxiety. If that can’t be further from the truth and you can’t make yourself believe it, say I am learning to be calm.
The thing with affirmations is that we are trying to align with the best version of ourselves. Imagine there is already a version of yourself living the life you want. Try to align with that version. Try to be that person. Act as if you already are that person. Nothing is ever out of reach.
One of the things that I often say on this blog is that we can do absolutely anything we set our minds to. If anyone is ever stopping you from going after the life you want, it’s you. If anyone is ever letting you feel bad, it’s you.
Today, make yourself feel great. Don’t criticize yourself, you’ve been doing that your whole life. Today, say to yourself whatever you want to hear. Be your own cheerleader. Repeat an affirmation that will make you feel great.
Download a free PDF of 111 powerful affirmations that will make you feel unstoppable. This is a great resource to have on your self-care day when you want to feel amazing.
6. meditate
‘‘The mind is like water. When it’s turbulent, it’s difficult to see. When it’s calm, everything becomes clear.”
Or take a few deep breaths envisioning in your mind exhaling anxiety and inhaling all the positivity the day might bring.
If you haven’t meditated before, I suggest guided meditations. You can try with 5-minute morning meditations which are very simple to follow. Meditation will boost your energy so it’s a great thing to add to your self-care day. Here is one guided meditation for positivity that I used to do almost daily when I started meditating.
Now I prefer to meditate by listening to some calming music. So experiment and see what works for you.
7. eat a healthy meal
Even if it’s some fruit as a snack, it’s a good start. The more healthy meals you eat, the more you’ll find yourself craving healthy foods. Yes, it’s possible to have cashew cravings instead of pizza cravings.
Also, the healthier you eat, the more in tune you’ll be with your body to recognize what it lacks. Therefore instead of feeling guilty for eating food that always makes you feel bad, try to feel good about eating.
Having a healthy relationship with food isn’t that difficult once you start eating food that fuels your body with energy. Here are some ideas on what you can eat throughout the day, including 3 meals that are easy to make.
8. make a gratitude list
”When some things go wrong, take a moment to be thankful for the many things that are going right.”
I was on the phone with someone the other day and she was saying how people are complaining all the time. For a few solid minutes she was in this vicious circle of complaining about complaining. I just stopped her after a few minutes of the monologue and said ”Do you know what you’re doing right now? You are complaining about other people’s complaining.” Of course, she just burst into laughter…
It all starts with you and your perspective on the situation. There is always something to be grateful for. In its essence, everything is neutral.
Your partner breaks up with you. You get some unexpected expenses. You lose your job. None of these things is negative.
It’s just a circumstance.
Life happens – accept it, change what you can, and go with it. Accept every situation and learn to find the positive in it. Focus on the present moment and all the good things you have in life. People that you can call friends, good wi-fi connection, almond milk on sale, food in your fridge, etc.
No matter how small, there is always something to be grateful for. Once you realize how blessed you are, it will turn your whole day around. Ultimately, if you make it a habit, it will change your life.
You focus on the positive – the more positive things you’ll find and attract. Simple as that.
9. take a walk outside
Bring a camera if you want, or a book and just enjoy your surroundings. Yesterday I had such a great day by myself. I didn’t have any plans as to where I wanted to go, so I just went for a walk in the center of Zagreb and wandered for a few hours. So many beautiful parks and aesthetically pleasing buildings, my Instagram feed will be very thankful.
Then I sat in a coffee shop to catch up with my reading. I bought the book Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho in August and was stuck on page 37 since then. It’s such a nice feeling to just read outside while drinking your favorite coffee. I highly recommend you try it.
10. connect with people
”There are some people in life that make you laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger and live just a little bit better.”
Send a message to your friend you haven’t talked to in a while, show interest in what your friends are doing, go out for a brunch with your mum or dad or your kids…
Sometimes it’s much needed to spend some time alone and connect to ourselves. But sometimes, nothing beats a good conversation with a friend.
Don’t be shy to reach out to people whose presence you genuinely enjoy. Even if there’s someone you like but have never talked to, use the power of social media and say hi. What’s the worst that can happen? No one died of seeing ”seen”.
What are your favorite ways to spend a self-care day? Share with us in the comments.
Until the next time,
Ivana
Great topic and good content. More of us need to practice these things.
Neat post! I struggle with finding a whole day but these can be used in few hour increments too.
Thank you for sharing! I’ll definitely save this page for when I am not feeling my best. Some of these small things I already do implement in my own life and they are 100% a gamechanger.
These are great tips. I’m amazed at the small differences that something like talking a 20-minute walk can make in a day. Thanks for sharing
Yes, it has so many benefits for our health and mood overall.
Hi Ivana, I like your site. You have so many interesting posts that I’ll definitely come back and read! My two favorite points in this post are mediation and take a walk outside.