it can be so easy to get caught up in the swing of life that you don’t even realize how you’ve been forgetting to put yourself first lately! i get it, i do it all the time, but as busy as we may be, it’s important that we make time to focus on taking better care of ourselves.

i made a promise to myself that moving forward i will always give me self the much-needed time, and if you’re struggling with the same thing, i think it may be a good idea for you to try it too! taking care of yourself doesn’t always have to be something that takes up a large amount of time or energy, it can be as simple as taking a few breaths! here are 23 self-care ideas you might not have known you needed:

take a small walk 

even if it’s for 15 minutes. it can be more beneficial than you think to take a few minutes to get some fresh air and spend time in nature. 

cook yourself dinner

cooking can be therapeutic – romanticize it. pour yourself a glass of wine, light a candle, turn on some music or your favorite podcast, and make yourself something delicious. 

clean up 

cleaning is great because it’s beneficial in many ways. it keeps your home nice but also can be used as time to spend with yourself and taking care of your space. 

journal 

ahh, one of my personal favorites. i think journaling is the absolute best because it’s a place where i am able to be honest and vulnerable with myself in a way that allows me to visually re-visit old entries to see my growth throughout my phases of life. 

take a bath 

i’m telling you girl, there is power in a nice bubble bath (mine always include wine of course). light some of your favorite candles and chill out in the bathtub for a while. 

at home spa day

pampering yourself at home is always a fun way to take some time to yourself. some of my favorite spa day activities include doing my nails, moisturizing my skin, and washing my hair. 

read a book 

i’ve been telling myself i’m going to get into reading more because i don’t feel like i read as much as i should. but let me tell just say, self help books have been the answer – here’s one of my faves. 

learn something new 

learning a new skill is always a great option when needing some time for self care. i’ve really been wanting to buy a sewing machine and learn how to altar some of my own clothes or gradually learn a new language. i took french during college but i honestly sucked so bad that i just gave up on learning it all together, so lately i’ve been thinking it might be nice to give it another shot. 

pray 

if religion is important to you, setting aside some time to pray can be a great way to feed your soul during your self care time. 

yoga and meditation 

this is something that i personally think you should do everyday- it doesn’t even have to be long! just take a minimum 5 minutes to sit back, take some heavy, deep breaths and set a couple of intentions for the remainder of your day. i love love love doing this in the sauna for 10 minutes after my workout in the mornings. it makes me feel on top of the world and ready to conquer the next 24 hours. 

go workout 

making the gym a consistent habit is awesome for an ongoing form of  self care. going to the gym from 6-715 is honestly my favorite part of my daily routine. 

reward yourself 

it’s important to always celebrate small victories too. when i have a week that was very productive i like to treat myself to cupcake at this shop a few blocks away from my apartment.

make a cup of tea and watch a movie 

once a week i try to enjoy my nightly cup of tea while watching a movie. i love it because it’s such a relaxing way to take time to myself. for anyone with pcos, you should try adding a few drops of cbd oil to your recommended cup of spearmint tea to help your pcos symptoms. 

bake

who doesn’t love a sweet treat? next time you need to take some time for yourself try a new fun recipe or make some yummy brownies, i think you might really enjoy it! 

diy project

at this point, i know we all have cute home or office diy projects saved by on our tik tok or etsy cart by now. maybe this week, you should try executing one of yours!

start a business 

if becoming an entrepreneur is something you’ve been talking about doing for always finding a way to put it off, start doing it now.

go to therapy 

therapy is something i believe everyone should do at some point in their life. it’s very beneficial to be able to talk to someone you trust, that isn’t one of your friends or a family member. 

dance

who cares if you’re good or not? turn on some music and dance your heart away in your room or apartment. i bet you’ll feel so much better. 

call a family member you haven’t talked to in a while 

 it’s easy to let life go on without talking to the people you love. once  a week i try to make time to talk to my family who aren’t as close to me.

start going to bed earlier

this is another form of ongoing self care that can be very beneficial to start implementing in your daily routine. it will allow you to get a full night’s rest, wake up earlier, and really maximize your day. 

take yourself to dinner

when was the last time you went out alone and enjoyed your own company? try doing this once a month and see how much you just might enjoy it. 

unfollow unnecessary accounts

lately i’ve been really big on following accounts that feed my mind in a positive way. it’s so easy to get caught up in instagram’s fake reality that you forget what’s actually real. any accounts that don’t give you something positive in return unfollow and replace with an account that does.

buy yourself something you’ve been wanting 

i don’t recommend doing this all the time because i firmly believe in being appreciative of the things you already have. butttt, hey a girls always gonna love some good ‘ole fashion retail therapy. 

the power of self care is huge, and i think that when you stick to taking the time you need to decompress you will truly find that you feel a lot better a lot more often. no one can reach their true potential when they are burnt out. try a few of these and let me know what you think!

until we speak again,

xoxo

-dru