25 Valuable Self Care Ideas To Boost Your Mental Health

GUEST POST | My name is Lauren and I run the blog BournemouthGirl, it is my little corner of the internet which I have been running for over 3 years. As you can tell I live in Bournemouth and I love living by the beach especially during the Summer months On my blog I share content on blogging tips, personal development, self care, planning tips and creativity. I am a huge lover of stationery in particular notebooks and planners. My favourite colour is blue and I love to watch police tv shows and police documentaries. 

For anyone who is looking to live a sustainable and healthy life, one significant habit is self care. With our lives especially at the moment are filled with hurry and work activities, it is hard to feel rested and healthy. If you continue with that experience of life you will experience burn out and be consistently stressed. In order to take care of our body and minds it is important to re-evaluate, recenter and restore, this is where the self care tasks are needed. Sometimes it is easy to forget about yourself because you want to make sure everyone else is okay. Self care requires you choose it, it cannot happen unless you intentionally schedule time for it. 

Self care is a vital aspect of taking care of not only your physical health but also your mental health. There are so many ways that you can show yourself some care and love, the majority are inexpensive small tasks that done on a regular basis has a huge impact and change your life. If you have a busy lifestyle it can hard to find time, so scheduling even just 30 minutes to an hour each week dedicated to a self care activity, is going to have a positive impact on your mental health.

Here are 25 valuable self care ideas that you could implement to boost your mental health.

Self Care Ideas:

1. Keep a journal – Write down your thoughts, feelings and anxieties can help you work through them.
2. Take a nap – Getting some extra sleep can help you feel more refreshed and motivated.
3. Eat well – Make sure you eat a balanced diet and get your body the nutrition it needs to be healthy, can impact your energy levels and your self esteem.
4. Do some colouring – Being creative in any form can relieve stress, the use of art therapy is widely used and is really effective at improving mental health.
5. Exercise – Any form of exercise is a great way to release endorphins to make you feel good and boost your mental and physical health.
6. Take in nature – Go for a walk outside or sit in your local park.
7. Listen to music – Play your favourite songs to help improve your mood.
8. Have a bit of a pamper – Run yourself a bath, take a long shower, use a face mask or even paint your nails.
9. Limit your alcohol intake – Alcohol is a depressant so if your intake is high it can negatively effect your mental health. 
10. Keep a gratitude journal – Writing down what you are grateful for and what you appreciate can lift your mood and boost your self esteem.
11. Keep a regular sleeping pattern – Your sleep is vital in maintaining good physical and mental health. 
12. Time away from social media – Having regular times away from social media allows you to be present and can reduce stress and negativity.
13. Read a book – Reading is a relaxing task that allows you to focus your mind elsewhere other than your thoughts or your anxieties. 
14. Meditate – Meditation helps to lower stress and anxiety and can improve self esteem and self awareness. 
15. Call someone you love – Speaking with loved ones, checking in on each other is vital to help you voice your thoughts, feelings and to help with support.
16. Try yoga – Trying yoga can help reduce stresses and anxieties. It is a great relaxing activity.
17. Binge watch your favourite TV shows – Like reading, watching your favourite TV shows can help focus your mind elsewhere and you can follow along with the storyline. 
18. Enjoy something sweet without regret – Have that chocolate bar or that cookie and do not punish yourself for enjoying it.
19. De-clutter your space – Tidy space tidy mind. Having a tidy space helps you be more organised and reduces stress. 
20. Unfollow negative people from social media – Surrounding yourself with positive people and influences is important, removing those negative influences from social media can help boost self esteem and keep a positive mindset. 
21. Cuddle your pet – Cuddling your pets can help relieve stress and anxiety.
22. Create your own cosy environment – To make you feel relaxed you can create a calming environment. Blankets, pillows, candles and pjs. A day or evening of rest. 
23. Talk to someone – If you are struggling have a conversation with someone who can help and support how you are feeling.
24. Start a new hobby – Starting something new can boost your self esteem, confidence and allows you to enjoy yourself. 
25. Create a mindful morning routine – Starting your day off with mindful actions and structure can set you up for a positive and successful day. This can help with stress and anxieties and your self worth. 

How do you look after yourself? What are your favourite self care ideas? I’d love to hear in the comments. 

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