151 Self Care ideas to increase mindfulness and avoid burnout

The best self-care ideas are self-care activities that resonate with you on a personal level. The best way to come up with a complete self care plan is to make a list of all the things you enjoy doing best for self care. However, many of us have forgotten what it is like to take care of yourself first.

Impatient to get started on self-care right away?

You are your first responsibility. If you were responsible for a baby, you would (hopefully) never neglect the baby, right? Well, it is time to start thinking about yourself the same way!

Another important thing to bear in mind with self-care ideas is that there are some elements of self care that are daily activities and maintenance whereas others are ways to take care of yourself that are more fun or decadent. They are equally important. The most important elements of daily self care are discussed here in “How to Take Care of Yourself From the Inside Out”.

Who are self-care ideas for?

These are self-care ideas for people who are, for the most part, mentally well. Although some of these self-care ideas will work for you if you are suffering from anxiety or depression or some other condition, you may not be ready for these ideas if you are unwell. I have written a depression treatment plan to help people guide themselves through depression (which is definitely not a substitute for seeking help in the form of counselling or a physician).

These self-care ideas are necessary because many of us tend to live life at such a frantic pace, overscheduling ourselves. People, perhaps especially those in the behavioural health field, but others as well, can tend to get burnt out. The way to avoid burn out is self-care. However, “self-care activities” has become such an over-used phrase. People say it, and yet many people don’t actually know what it means.

Too often, people’s idea of self-care activities involve more self-punishment. For example, exercise is a self-care activity. However, if you hate running and you force yourself to run as a “self-care activity,” it is no longer self-care. (So, what if you hate all exercise? Well, there are many other self-care ideas — 150 others — but, the truth is that I don’t think anyone actually hates ALL exercise. We were all children once and there was a time when moving our bodies in some way was a joy, not a pain… do you remember what that was? Even if you can’t still do that, what can you do that is similar? Can you start off slowly and work up to more?)

Self-care ideas are about being good to yourself. They don’t have to take up huge chunks of time. You can practice self-care by taking one minute out of every hour at work to just shut your eyes and breathe deeply (please use common sense — air traffic controllers cannot do this, for example). I once had a mountain of paperwork to complete in a somewhat hostile office environment and I felt very stressed and trapped. I put on headphones and listened to an mp3 of ocean waves crashing up on the shore. I just felt relaxed and “in the zone” all day. That is an example of self-care that was effective, free (it was a free app), and did not take any time except the time to download and install the app.

Use the self-care ideas that appeal to you most…

That is when you can consult this epic list of self help ideas. Jot down which ones you think might work for you and let the others flutter away from your mind. Some will be perfect for you while others might seem wildly inappropriate for your life and circumstances. Some cost nothing while others are expensive.

Some self-care ideas involve a lot of planning. Some self-care ideas are literally as easy as a walk in the park. It is a good idea to keep several self-care journals, which you can have on paper or in electronic format. For example, you could have one journal to log your physical exercise for the week. It serves as an encouragement to show what you have accomplished. Some of these journals could be replaced by apps — whatever you are most comfortable with.

Some self-care ideas are fun such as having a massage or going on vacation. However, others may be more difficult like cooking meals regularly, getting enough exercise, taking care of unpleasant tasks, etc. The benefit to doing the unpleasant self-care ideas is that you will feel a sense of freedom as a weight you didn’t even realize was there is lifted from your shoulders.

Self-care ideas: put them on index cards in a jar…

This is about you. Do what works best for you. Choose your favorite self-care ideas. You can even make it a fun activity by writing down each self care idea on an index card (recipe card) and then folding it over and placing it in a big jar or a box. When you need self-care ideas, just reach into the box and randomly select a self care idea. (Pro tip: If you don’t like the self care idea you selected, you can always try again!)

… and a jar for those self-care ideas that require a bit more planning…

Take the time to narrow this list to your own self care ideas because that is what is going to make this work for you. You might decide to keep some items on the list aside from the jar and place them in a second jar marked “self care plans”. This is because some of the items require planning and/or saving money such as going to the ballet (if that is your thing) or going on a trip (if that is your thing). Other things are things that you can do at a moment’s notice with no money at all such as looking at cat pictures on the internet, taking a bath (assuming you have a bath — I currently do not), and reading.

And now, the actual list of self-care ideas:

On to the self-care ideas list:

It’s funny how, often we might think of self-care activities as “wasting time,” when actually they are the very activities that keep us going, prevent burnout and make life worth living!

Conclusion

It is important to take regular time in your day for self-care. Although it may seem decadent at times, it is our self-care activities that protect us from burnout. For example, someone who takes the time to exercise regularly and eat homemade nutritional meals might build up more resilience against stress than, say, someone who never exercises and ony eats fast food.



The nice thing about self care is that it not only helps us, but it helps those around us because we are more energized and refreshed and can provide a more positive outlook. Those who have been on airplanes will recall that the flight attendants always tell you that in case of an emergency, if the air mask comes down from the ceiling, you should put your own mask on first, prior to helping your child or another person. They don’t say that just to be kind. They say it because if you don’t, in the event of an emergency, you are liable to pass out before you can put your own mask on. And you might even pass out before you finish helping your child.

Taking care of yourself first is essential to navigate the hectic pace of modern life. Building up a well of resilience is your best ally in learning to live a peaceful, productive, and enjoyable life. These self-care ideas can go a long way to helping you to build up your resilience.

Feel free to add your comments as well as your favorite self-care activities below.

Read more:

Mindfulness Matters: The game that uses mindfulness skills to improve coping in everyday life

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