Self care is always good for mental health, but here’s some extra special ways to treat yoself for free, especially when you work from home.
Looking for more ideas to help you in your business? Take a look at how I time block my schedule or save time using my favorite free tools!
Working from home can be a weird mind shift. It’s like you don’t have to put on regular pants, but you do actually have to get things done in a timely manner and deliver on the things you say you will do.
But you can also do those things from a couch. Or your back porch. Or on a remote island somewhere. Or holed up in an Airbnb that you rented for the weekend just to get away from it.
When you are self employed and working from home, a lot of times self care ideas are not at the forefront of your mind, but they’re super important to try to implement into a routine.
The best part is self care doesn’t always equal a big spa day or mani/pedis or a ridonkulous shopping spree. It can sometimes mean simple pleasures that you often overlook because you’re trying to grind in your business and make sure your clients stay happy.
Well, today is the day I tell you the best self care ideas to keep your sanity while not spending more than a couple bucks and quite honestly, most of these ideas are free!
8 Totally Free Self Care Ideas
Create a morning and evening routine
If you need help with this, you can take a look at my time block schedule that I created, but doing the same things in the morning can make a big impact on your day. Also, doing the same things at night can help your brain slow down and prepare your body for sleep.
People watch
Okay, this is not an excuse to be a creeper or stage 5 clinger, but it is a chance for you to just take a deep breath and truly watch how different we all are humans, yet surprisingly the same. I’m a people watcher myself and it just makes you much more observant and thankful that you’re given the life you are.
Eat one of your favorite comfort foods
You can do this without indulging, but eat something you love (within reason) that just brings you joy. And do this guilt free! If you’re on a super strict diet and it would hurt your physical health, please don’t do this but you know what I mean.
It should be noted I am not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once.
Light your favorite candle
Have a scent that just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy? Or one that just makes you feel great in general? Strike a match and light that bad boy and smell away.
Read a book
I do not mean to listen to an audio book. I mean to sit down and physically feel the pages of a good book. You don’t have to drown hours of your time in a book if you don’t have it, but a solid 15 minutes in a good piece of literature is a great and free form of self care.
Give something away
Wait, what? How does giving something away help me at all with my mental or emotional state? When you do give something away, picture the person who may be getting that item. What’s their reaction when they receive it? Is it just the thing they’ve been looking for forever? If you create a little scenario in your head as you give things away, it can evoke feelings of joy in your own heart.
Send an unprompted “love letter” to a family member
Even if they’re in the same town. Write a sweet handwritten note to a family member to let them know how much you love them, how much you enjoy spending time with them and how you can’t wait until you can see them again soon! Getting mail that isn’t bills can be the bright spot in someone’s day and can also be a really good self care idea for yourself!
Listen to white noise
Both our kids have sound machines and while I never had one growing up, neither one of them will sleep without it. And even though you might think the sound would be annoying, I find myself dozing off when rocking our son to sleep with the sound of that white noise.
Sometimes you just need to drown out the sound of your own thoughts so you can focus on your client’s work or work for your own blog or website and having a white noise machine is helpful.
Bonus: Take a social media break
Don’t be like the weirdos who have to announce their social media break with something super profound and you don’t even need to announce your return. Just leave and come back to social media at a time in which you feel you’re ready. It’s healthy to disconnect.
There are about 10 or so more than these and I’ve created this list of self care ideas that you can get for free if you just tell me where to deliver it!
Regardless of if you have worked from home for a while, just started working from home or don’t even work from home but are juggling more than just a job (hint: you absolutely fall into one of those categories) then you need to practice self care as well and hopefully these self care activities and tips can prompt ideas for yourself as well.
What are some of your favorite self care tips you’ve ever gotten? I’m always looking for ways to step up my self care game!
