Say “I Love You” to Yourself by Indulging in These 10 Self Care Activities

10 Self Care Activities to Say “I Love You” to Yourself Everyday

As a working mom, indulging in self care activities feels selfish. I mean how can you spend time on yourself when you have SO MUCH TO DO and so little time to do it? Well, self care isn’t selfish, it’s your responsibility. You must be as kind to yourself as you would be to others. Self care is about taking a small amount of time to recharge, replenish and nourish your soul so that you have energy to spare.

Relaxing is not the same as self care. For some relaxing is a means of escape through things like alcohol or drugs, binge eating on bad food or ignoring those you love. While those activities may feel like temporary relief, it’s not truly taking care of yourself. It is just numbing or distracting from the real issue, which is that you aren’t truly taking enough time to take care of yourself. 

Self care is about balancing your mind, body, and spirit which is the best kind of relaxation. Love yourself enough to eat right, exercise, and manage stress in a healthy way. If you don’t take care of your body, mind, and spirit how can you take care of another?

Here are 10 self care activities that you can practice a little self-love to recharge your batteries, stimulate a little creativity and give your mind and body the self-compassion it deserves.

10 self care activities to say “I love you” to you:

Self Care Activity #1: Today is a Special Occasion

When was the last time you pulled out those special dishes or the fine china grandma left you? Make yourself a cup of tea in the most beautiful teacup you can find and use the fine china for breakfast. Don’t save your favorite meal for the holidays or for your birthday, indulge in the things you love and make time to mindfully create a special occasion even when there isn’t one. Life is too short to only use your favorite things for special occasions. Today is a special occasion because you are alive. Live every day as if it were your last.

Self Care Activity #2: Mirror Work

Self care activities can be as simple as this: look in the mirror, into your own eyes and tell yourself “I love you, you are doing an outstanding job at life,” every morning. We feel so wonderful when someone looks at us and says, “I love you.” Why do we save this wonderful experience only for other people? You have to be your own best friend. This kind of mirror work is a powerful way to overcome stress, anxiety, and depression. It may feel funny at first but trust me, this work is life-changing.

If you can’t think of what to say, write it down on paper and tape it to your mirror. This way you will remember to talk to yourself the way someone who loves you would do every day. Your voice is the one you hear most, make it the most positive and empowering voice you hear, rather than judgmental and critical.

Self Care Activity #3: A Whole Bunch of Nothing

Do a meaningless activity for no other reason than you want to. You may feel like this goes against “who you are,” because “there’s no way” you can stop cleaning the house, doing yard work, making dinner, writing an email, working on your business, etc., this list can go on forever! You will keep finding excuses for yourself “because doing” nothing seems absolutely nuts if you are driven or an entrepreneur! Trust me, I know.

When we don’t make time for ourselves or take the time to let our mind and body relax, mental anxiety will cause negative physical effects on our bodies. Have a backache you can’t get rid of or neck pain that just won’t go away? The stress of never stopping will eventually take its toll. Disease doesn’t happen overnight, it is an accumulation of negative emotion.

Find a beautiful place to find stillness: your yard, the woods, a park bench, a busy street – and just be in the present moment. Absorb the sounds around you, breathe deeply, appreciate nature or people surrounding you. Life will never stop moving and you will miss most of it, if you don’t find the time to slow down even for a couple hours. This is total rejuvenation and it doesn’t have to be away at a vacation, it’s just away from your “busy” for a little bit, with nothing to do but breathe.

This is one of my favorite self care activities. I bet you will find that you are more productive, creative and happy, by doing this even for a couple minutes every day.

Self Care Activity #4: Positive Affirmations

So often, we subconsciously let negative self-talk become our reality. Eventually, affirmations will teach your mind to release limiting beliefs and train your mind to become more positive and even expect creative possibilities. For example, every time you find yourself thinking negatively, affirm what you really want with positive affirmations.

For example:

Negative Self Talk: “Life is so hard. Why does this always happen to me?”

Affirmation: “Life supports me. Everything always works out for me.”

Here are 30 affirmations in 30 days I created to help you on Pinterest.

Self Care Activity #5: Keep a Compliment Journal

Remember when someone told you how they admired your creativity or writing ability or organizational skills or cooking expertise, etc? Whatever people have told you, write out your favorite compliments in a journal or cut and paste them onto a sheet of paper, or store them on your computer digitally. Frame it, tape it to your wall or make a journal out of it. It is so critical that we constantly remind ourselves of our greatness instead of constantly pointing out what we believe are flaws.

Just as a business will utilize testimonials for social proof, you should stockpile compliments for self-love that you can access anytime you are feeling “less than” or “down in the dumps.”

Self Care Activity #6: Move Your Mass

The fastest way to change your emotional state is through movement. When the alarm goes off at 6 am to go to the gym I’m usually not excited about it but I’m always glad on the way home from training. I feel energized, I’m in a stellar mood and let’s just talk about how good your sex life is when you are working out! “Sex with the lights on!” Feeling tired, get off your @#$ and move your mass. A little depressed? When was the last time you danced? Make a playlist of your favorite, happy songs and move your body. You cannot dance and cry at the same time.

You don’t have to be at a club, you can be getting ready in your bathroom or making dinner and sneak in 5 minutes of salsa or even show off your breakdancing skills to the kids. Dancing shouldn’t be once in a while, jumping, dancing, and twirling shouldn’t just be kids play, indulge in a little movement every day and watch your mood go through the roof!

Self Care Activity #7: Get Creative

Do you like to paint, sing, cook, sew, run, dance, Zumba or craft? It doesn’t matter what type of hobby or activity you love as long as you have something you like to do that does not fall under the category of “work” or “have to do.” I love to cook, but sometimes I just want to be waited on and cooked for. I also love what I do for work but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have a hobby. We are creative beings. We need variety and stimulation.

If you continue with the same routine of work day in and day out, your creativity will take a nose dive and so will your sense of fulfillment. Schedule play time for scrapbooking, hiking, taking a sculpting class or gardening as part of your self care activities. Creative activities can help you become a better thinker, problem solver and create a massive amount of peace just because your brain is refreshed by doing something you enjoy. Do not underestimate the power of a hobby or anything just for fun in your life.

Self Care Activity #8: Fill the Tub

There is nothing more relaxing than lighting a few candles, pouring some detox salt or your favorite bubble bath and grabbing a good book or cup of tea in a warm bath. Not only is a warm bath detoxifying for your skin but also for your mind. The process of being still, while fully immersing yourself in the present moment, is a powerful way to recharge your batteries. Sometimes I like to put on relaxing music or a guided meditation to fill the air with beautiful sounds. Out of all of these self care activities, indulging in a bath will truly allow you to recharge your mind and body so that you can re-center yourself and seriously get the best night sleep ever!

Self Care Activity #9: Reconnect with an Old Friend

When was the last time you talked to an old friend? Life is busy, we know this. Whether you’re a mom, you’re starting your own business or working on your career, the list goes on – but taking 5 minutes to call a good friend can make your day.

We are all so busy that keeping up with old friends can seem daunting so we like a post on social media or send a quick text but there is nothing like hearing their voice, and feeling the energy connection between two people.  I try to schedule at least one little outing a month, even for coffee, lunch or dinner with a girlfriend.

I love my husband but the relationship with another women is totally different. If you aren’t making time for friends or swear you don’t have any, this should be high on your priority list. Relationships are the only thing you can take with you and good relationships with your friends can be the most fulfilling and rejuvenating. 

Self Care Activity #10: Say No

This can be the hardest for some of us. We don’t want to let anyone down or even ourselves down. But you can’t be of service to others when you’re not taking care of yourself. Saying no might make you feel like you’re doing something wrong, straight down to your core, but the world WILL move forward without you. Setting boundaries is crucial to living a happy life. It is OK to say no and even really healthy for you to create boundaries that don’t serve you or your family.

Don’t skip around the truth to be nice, be honest and tell when you feel it is necessary that, “No, I really don’t want to do that right now. Thank you for asking but the answer is no.” A straight up no without any explanation seems rude but it’s not. I would rather be told no than waste my time with a maybe. Be kind to yourself and others by being straight forward. “The answer is no but thank you for asking.”

What are some of your favorite self care activities to stay healthy, happy and grounded? Make sure to leave me a comment and let me know below.

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Change your mind, Change your life at LauraLaire.com/loveyourlife.