45 Self Care Ideas to Practice while You're Staying at Home

Hey there! Hi there!Can you have a mental check in?How are you feeling?What's one thing you're grateful for right now?Is the sun shining where you are? If so, go outside to read this post. A little Vitamin D makes a world of difference.I'm officially in week 5 of 'stay at home' orders and am slowly trying to find or adjust to a new normal. I've been able to create a routine mixed with workouts, career work, influencer/blogger work, dinners with husband, Zoom calls with friends and in between all that, carving out 20-30 mins for a little self care sessions.When people say self care, we immediately think about massages and facials and all other pampering sessions. Not to say that's not self-care, but with everything closed down except for essential businesses, I've been thinking outside of the box to decide what makes me feel great about myself - that in essence, in self-care at it's finest.Here are some things I've either done or plan to do (especially considering this new normal could last much longer than anticipated). Feel free to take a few or all of them. Sharing is Caring!!

1. Read a Good Book - check out this post on my book list for 2020
2. Declutter Session - pick an area of your space and spend time to clean, declutter, and make that space inviting
3. Grateful list - I do this in Instagram every day, write down 3 things you're grateful for (it puts things into perspective)
4. Spend time in the sun - moderate sun exposure may have benefits for your health, including stronger bones, better sleep, improved mood, and a healthier immune system.
5. Looking at the stars for 5 mins - did this for the first time in years and it brought back something so nostalgic that I forgot about
6. Meditate
7. Mini Yoga Session - I've been trying this quick 10 min morning yoga 3-4 times a week.
8. Zoom lunch date with friends
9. Taking a 30 min nap
10. Watching old Disney movies
11. Netflix watch party with friends
12. Cooking a great meal - here a link of some great recipe/dinner ideas
13. Manicure
14. Pedicure
15. Soak in the tub with a great bath bomb
16. Putting positing quotes on post it notes and putting them around the house 
17. Organize your phone apps
18. While you're at it - organize the hundreds of photos and videos on your phone (or clean up your laptop)
19. Podcast binge - need some suggestions, here ya go
20. Light a great candle
21. Give yourself a mini facial
22. Watch stand up comedy for great laughs
23. Jot down your thoughts - if I've had a bad day, I use a 'dump journal' to write down all my frustrations and feelings. I never read what I write and trash it after it's full. 
24. Create a travel bucket list - you know, whenever we're able to buy flights without crossing fingers and hoping they don't get cancelled. 
25. Create a Pinterest boards for your travel bucket lists - I like to pin sample itineraries, things to do, places to eat. It gets me ready for travel and I have an idea on what to expect when traveling. 
26. Setup/Create a budget - if this situation taught is anything, it's that one can never be too financially prepared 
27. Go for a walk
28. Have a glass of wine
29. Switch off social media for 24 hours 
30. Same for the news - I turn on CNN for 10 mins a day in the morning and at night. anything more gives me major anxiety
31. Dance to good music
32. Do 1 thing you've been putting off - painting my front door as soon as I finish this post
33. Make your bed - make a habit of doing this daily
34. Give a nice comment on Instagram - be a reason someone smiles today
35. Draw/Doodle - I haven't gotten into adult coloring books but trying to get back into random abstract drawing I use to do 
36. Pray 
37. Mini online shopping spree - refer to #26 to make sure you have the funds to do this
38. Make yourself a homemade latte or chai tea - not to pat myself on the back but my homemade vanilla latte in Starbucks worthy
39. Bake something sweet - I made Joanna Gaines's chocolate chip cookies last week ... major SUCCESS. Trying my hands at Banana Nut Bread/Muffins this week
40. Give yourself some TLC
41. Put your pj's in the dryer for 10 mins before putting on - WARNING don't try this unless you're willing to commit to it every single day ... it's addictive
42. Color code your closet
43. Try your hands at a puzzle
44. Support a local restaurant - me and husband have lunch and dinner one day a week and like to buy from local restaurants to help support
45. Watch the sunset - not a great as watching it from the beach but something about the color of the sky turning does something special for my mental