120 Self Care Ideas for a Well-Rounded Life

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin112
112 Shares

What does self care mean to you?

To some people, it might be face masks and bubble baths. To others, it’s going to the gym, or getting a good night’s sleep. Whatever you think self care is, we can all agree on one thing: self care means taking time for yourself. Self care isn’t selfish. It’s an essential part of feeling and being your best self.

But there’s not just one type of self care. In fact, Planned Parenthood has a great list of six categories of self care that you should be aware of. How can you say you’re caring for yourself if you’re only caring for some parts of you?

Here’s a rundown of all six categories, plus 20 of my favourite self care techniques for each one – that means over 120 ideas in total! Make sure to pin or share this post to have it handy next time you’re in need of some self care.

Some examples for each category. Read on to find out more!

Just a note that this post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to make a purchase I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only promote products or services that I love and believe in. Thank you for your support!

1. Emotional Self Care

What it means: emotional self care helps you process and express your emotions.

  1. See a therapist
  2. Talk to a friend about your feelings
  3. Write your feelings in a journal (or a blog post!)
  4. Read a self help book – one of my favourites is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
  5. Listen to music
  6. Let yourself cry when you need to
  7. Fill your social media feeds with people and posts that inspire you
  8. Write a letter to someone who hurt you – then burn it
  9. Allow yourself to feel without judgement
  10. Make music or art
  11. Create positive affirmations for your life
  12. Watch an inspirational Ted Talk
  13. Use a mood tracker app or journal
  14. Practice forgiveness
  15. Do some adult colouring – I love this one from Amazon because of its gorgeous pictures and inspirational messages
  16. Watch your favourite movie
  17. Learn to say “no”
  18. Reminisce about some of your favourite memories
  19. Join a support group
  20. Schedule time away from social media

2. Practical Self Care

What it means: practical self care isn’t as always as fun as some of the other categories (no bubble baths here!) but it helps you stay productive and prevents future stresses.

  1. Clean your room
  2. Create a budget
  3. Make a to-do list
  4. Schedule any appointments you’ve been putting off
  5. Attend a seminar
  6. Update your resumé
  7. Learn about investing
  8. Create a cleaning schedule
  9. Declutter – if you loved Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix, you need to read her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
  10. Do your homework
  11. Create your personal mission statement
  12. Deep clean your fridge, microwave, or stove
  13. Write a schedule for your day
  14. Write a grocery list
  15. Find a morning and bedtime routine that works for you
  16. Designate a place for everything in your room or home
  17. Set 1, 5, and 10-year goals for your life
  18. Donate items you no longer need
  19. Put clean sheets on your bed
  20. Replace an item in your home that’s worn out

3. Physical Self Care

What it means: physical self care encompasses activities that take care of your body and physical health. Taking care of your beauty needs also falls into this category.

  1. Go for a walk
  2. Get a massage, or give yourself a massage! I love using my Body Back Buddy for the ultimate therapeutic self massage
  3. Stretch
  4. Get enough sleep
  5. Stay hydrated
  6. Get a manicure or pedicure (or both!)
  7. Take a bubble bath
  8. Go swimming
  9. Keep up to date with your prescription medication
  10. Take vitamins
  11. Get a flu shot
  12. Try to eat a balanced diet
  13. Find a sport you love and join a league
  14. Get a physical exam from your doctor
  15. Spend time outside
  16. Use a face mask – the Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask makes my skin feel great + the foaming bubbles make it so fun to use!
  17. Attend an exercise class
  18. Challenge yourself to get 10,000 steps a day
  19. Practice deep breathing
  20. Take a nap

4. Mental Self Care

What it means: mental self care means stimulating your mind and intellect.

  1. Visit a local museum
  2. Do a sodoku puzzle
  3. Play chess
  4. Write a short story, poem, or article
  5. Start a new hobby
  6. Listen to a genre of music you’ve never heard before
  7. Watch a documentary
  8. Learn a new language
  9. Write your ideas in a journal
  10. Sign up for a course
  11. Do a DIY project
  12. Read a book
  13. Daydream
  14. Visit a library
  15. Complete a puzzle
  16. Learn a new instrument – as a music teacher I always recommend the ukulele as a great beginner instrument. Check out this Kala Learn to Play Ukulele Soprano Starter Kit which includes everything you need to get started
  17. Listen to a podcast
  18. Play a puzzle or strategy-based game
  19. Read an informative article or blog post – maybe click here check out my recent post about the science of willpower
  20. Discuss current events with someone you trust

5. Social Self Care

What it means: humans are social creatures. Social self care means spending time with others and nurturing your relationships.

  1. Call your parents
  2. Go for a walk with a friend
  3. Join a forum or group where you can communicate with like-minded individuals
  4. Attend a protest
  5. Check in on an old friend
  6. Board game night – if you like word games and laughing until you cry, me and my friends love playing this Anomia Card Game
  7. Schedule screen-free time with your family, friends, or partner.
  8. Write a letter to a friend
  9. Attend a community event
  10. Host a gathering
  11. Remove toxic people from your life
  12. Join a team or club
  13. Start a blog to communicate with the world
  14. Write a thank you note
  15. Smile at people on the street
  16. Comment on an article that resonated with you
  17. Spend time with your pet
  18. Start a friendly conversation with a stranger
  19. Volunteer in your community
  20. Enjoy connecting with others on social media – but don’t forget to unplug sometimes

6. Spiritual Self Care

What it means: you don’t need to be religious to benefit from spirituality. Spiritual self care nurtures your spirit and encourages you to think bigger than yourself.

  1. Practice mindfulness
  2. Attend a place of worship
  3. Spend time in nature
  4. Practice yoga – Yoga with Adriene on YouTube is a great, non-threatening way to get started
  5. Take time for self-reflection
  6. Donate to a cause you believe in
  7. Pray or meditate
  8. Volunteer
  9. Do a good deed
  10. Read a religious text – it could be your own, or a chance to learn about a new belief system
  11. Look at the stars
  12. Light a candle
  13. Connect with your spiritual community
  14. Use self-exploration to help you find your purpose
  15. Attend a retreat
  16. Surround yourself with things that inspire and uplift you
  17. Listen to nature sounds
  18. Create a vision board
  19. Talk to an elder in your life
  20. Acknowledge the small but important role you play in the world

And that’s it for today’s post! What are your favourite self care suggestions? Do you have a self care category that needs a little more attention? Let’s chat about it in the comments below!

Tweet
Share
Share
Pin112
112 Shares

Published by julianne.m

68 thoughts on “120 Self Care Ideas for a Well-Rounded Life”

  1. Great content, self-care is so important and having a checklist to review to make sure you’re doing the most for yourself is such a great resource! Love to see another Newfoundlander blogging!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Alexx! It made me so happy to find out you’re from Newfoundland too! Good luck with everything 🙂

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Maria! I’m so glad you found it helpful. I hope you give yourself some care today!

      Reply

    2. Such a great post! Self care is SO important and it’s fab the way you have split it all up, there’s definitely something for everyone. Thank you for sharing 💗

      Reply

  3. This is awesome! I love that you had them organized into different categories because there are so many different areas of self-care. I will definitely be implementing a lot of these into my routine!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much, Kenya! I completely agree – sometimes people focus on just one category and miss out on a whole other area of self care that they really need. So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  5. This is such an amazing list of ideas! I am a firm believer in self-care and regularly practice it! This post gave me tons of new ideas!

    Reply

  6. Wonderful post! You are so right, there are so many different kinds of self-care and I love how you broke each of them down.

    Reply

  14. This is a very encouraging article for self-love. I especially like the points where you have mentioned to “Learn to Say no” I feel it’s very important we do that when necessary without feeling any guilt or shame.

    Reply

  18. Hello

    YOU NEED HELP TO BUILD SEO BACKLINKS FOR: findingjulianne.com ?

    WE SELL HIGH-QUALITY DOFOLLOW POWERFUL BACKLINKS WITH HIGH DOMAIN AUTHORITY, PA, TF, CF…

    ► Rank Higher In Google (google backlinks, DoFollow backlinks, SEO DoFollow backlinks)
    ► Rank Higher Video in Youtube & Google (youtube backlinks, video backlinks, video embedded)
    ► Rank Higher GMB In Google Maps (Google maps backlinks, GMB maps backlinks, GMB embedded, NAP embedded)
    ► Rank Higher Images In Google (google images backlinks, google backlinks)

    You Can Increase Traffic to your websites which will lead to a higher number of customers and much more sales for you.

    CLAIM YOUR FREE TEST HERE => seosubmitter@mail.com

    Thanks, Elliott Gellibrand

    Reply

  39. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I could add
    to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.

    I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe
    you would have some experience with something like this.
    Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy
    reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

    Reply

  45. Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was super long) so I guess I’ll
    just sum it up what I wrote and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying
    your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m
    still new to everything. Do you have any tips for first-time blog
    writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.

    Reply

  51. Hello there, I believe your site may be having internet browser compatibility issues. When I take a look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine however, if opening in I.E., it’s got some overlapping issues. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, wonderful site! Life Experience Degree

    Reply

  53. Pretty part of content. I just stumbled upon your website and in accession capital to assert that I acquire
    actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing on your augment or even I achievement you
    access consistently quickly.

    Reply

  59. Hey there! I’ve been following your weblog for a long time now and finally got the
    courage to go ahead and give you a shout out
    from New Caney Texas! Just wanted to tell you keep up the good job!

    Reply

  60. I think that what you published was actually very reasonable.
    However, what about this? what if you were to write a killer post title?
    I mean, I don’t wish to tell you how to run your website, but what if you added something to
    possibly grab folk’s attention? I mean 120 Self Care Ideas for a Well-Rounded Life • is a little plain. You could glance at Yahoo’s front page and see
    how they create post titles to get viewers to open the links.
    You might add a video or a pic or two to grab people interested
    about everything’ve written. In my opinion, it could bring your posts a little livelier.

    Reply
  63. Pingback: What is Your Self-Care Language? Take The Self-Love Language Quiz •

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy