Why Self-Care Is Important and Ideas For How To Do It

We're taught it's important to brush our teeth once or twice a day, but it's rarely mentioned the importance of doing self-care, if at all. Self-care might sound like something extravagant and indulgent, but mental health is part of our health, right?

I do have my mental health issues and by trial and error I've learned the lesson that it is not a luxury, but a necessity to practice self-care. I've occasionally recieved  a few crappy comments from now former friends that I have some alone-time to recharge instead of being social, but guess what? If I'm in need of alone time and self-care, it is important that I get it, as no one gain anything from being around a person who is in desperate need of recharging their batteries - on their own. It is not being selfish doing self-care and/or a bit of alone time, because as I mentioned, it's not fair to anyone being miserable. We're all given a certain number of spoons in the morning - some of us recieve more, some recieve less and it is important to not run out of them before the evening comes.

Another perk of doing a bit of self-care is that you figure out a bit on what you like and don't like. People-pleasing chameleons who says "yes" to everything that gets thrown their way don't experience that concept that much. And remember, if you don't do a bit of self care and recharging, how do you expect to function from day to day? I might add that the list further down this post has both solitary activities and group activities, because even though you sometimes want to do some self-care all by yourself, sometimes self-care can involve others as well. It all depends on your mood and your needs.

Since I've already talked about why you should do self care, I wanted to give you some ideas how you can do it and if you're interested in reading a bit more about self care, feel free to check out Five Dimensions of Self Care and 50 Ways to Relax.

Here's some of my ideas (feel free to pick and choose, depending on your liking);
Cuddle with a pet
Play with a dog
Take a walk, or hike (on a beach, in a forest, or somewhere a bit outdoorsy)
Go for a swim
Clean and organize your space
Take a bath, perhaps with a bath bomb or something?
Practice yoga
Go to bed early
Read a book
Turn your phone off
Stay away from the computer for a while (at least an hour)
Stay away from social media for a while (at least an hour)
Do a DIY project
Do some colouring in a colouring book
Meditate
Talk with a friend
Write down a list of all the things you're grateful for
Light a candle (or a few candles)
Do a home spa (think face masks etc, depending on your liking)
Make a homemade meal
Bake something
Indulce in that cup of cappucino (or other coffee) that you like
Cozy up in a blanket
Buy yourself some flowers
Drink some yummy tea or hot chocolate
Visit a café or coffee shop with a friend
Catch up with an old friend
Get a manicure
Go on an alone-date
Listen to some music
Practice positive self talk
Read some poetry
Engage in random acts of kindness
Practice gratitude
Buy/wear some sexy lingerie
Practice healthy boundaries
Learn something new
Be creative in one way or another (like knitting, painting etc)
Do something for the first time - like going at a new restaurant
Slow down and be present
Bingewatch your favourite TV-series
Go to a museum or an art gallery
Start your own vegetable patch or herb garden
Go out for a long Sunday brunch
Go to a farmer's market
Watch a movie at the cinema
Send a handwritten letter to a friend
Go to the park with some food, a picnic blanket and a good book