15 Small Acts of Self-Care for a Quick Pick-Me-Up

Sometimes we put aside self-care because it feels overwhelming. We don’t know what to do or it seems like it will take too long. Other things feel more important. But self-care is critical to our mental and physical health. Try these 15 small acts of self-care that can quickly boost your confidence, soothe your stress, and relax your body.

Try these 15 small acts of self-care that can quickly boost your confidence, soothe your stress, and relax your body. Click To Tweet

Get a massage

Most of us have at least one area of the body where we hold tension when we’re stressed. It might be our shoulders, lower back, hips, neck, or somewhere else. But this area usually feels tight and uncomfortable even when we’re not stressed as a result.

A massage can unknot all those muscles and release existing tension. Your body will feel more relaxed, and your mind will also get a break as you simply lie there and let someone work out all the kinks in your body.

Get a mani/pedi

A manicure and/or pedicure can be relaxing whether you do it yourself or go to a salon. Getting your nails trimmed and shaped and adding a bright pop of color can make you feel more attractive and fun.

Try something new as well. If you usually just choose a color and slick it on, try getting images added or some other add-ons to give it a little extra flair.

Make it even better by going with a friend or two. You might even make it part of a bigger day and enjoy lunch and some window-shopping too.

Get a new hair style

A new hair style can boost confidence, make you feel sexier, and change your appearance dramatically. It can even change your mood. Changing your hair can be a cut, a new style, or even getting it colored.

Sometimes self-care is also about making things easier for yourself. If your hair is long and you’re frustrated with styling it every day, cutting it shorter so that it’s quicker and easier to style may be just what you need.

Try a whole new style

Forget just getting your hair done – what about a whole new style? Maybe it’s time to revamp your wardrobe! If you’ve been wearing the same clothes you wore before you had kids (or since they were little and they’re now grown), it might be time to shake things up and try something totally new.

Don’t limit yourself to just clothes, though. Try:

• New shoes
• New makeup (maybe that red lipstick you’ve thought was too bold?)
• New fragrances
• New jewelry

Explore the possibilities. Step outside your comfort zone. You might find that you love something completely unexpected.

Explore the possibilities. Step outside your comfort zone. You might find that you love something completely unexpected. Click To Tweet

Work with a life coach

Working with a life coach may or may not be “quick” but it is something small and easy you can do to make some major shifts in your life. A life coach will work with you to help you figure out what you want to change, how you want to change it, and how to make it happen.

When you’re feeling stuck, unable to think more deeply about a situation, or just need an unbiased third party to bounce ideas off of, a life coach can be just what you need. A good life coach will not guide you in any direction except the one you want to go – and if you’re not sure which direction you want to go, they’ll help you figure that out, too. They’ll ask questions and help hold you accountable to follow through on the things you say you want to do.

Take your vitamins

Taking care of your physical health is an excellent, and consistent, form of self-care. Taking a daily vitamin, or ensuring that you are eating plenty of healthy, fresh, whole foods will give you all the nutrients you need to be active and energized.

You can take over-the-counter vitamins, look online for vitamins that are specially designed for individuals or work with your doctor to draw blood and determine specific vitamins you may be lacking. You can also look into other supplements that can help boost and restore energy, memory, sleep, or reduce stress.

Of course, as with any supplement, it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor and make sure you’re okay to start taking something new.

Schedule that annual visit

Speaking of physical health, good self-care should also include scheduling (and attending) all your annual health exams: annual physical, eye exam, hearing exam, dentist, etc. We can all agree that these are not fun, and most of us would rather be anywhere else. But they are necessary and shouldn’t be avoided.

Some people choose to contain the unpleasantness and schedule all of these appointments for the same day (or week) so they can push through and get it all over with. Others choose something to serve as a reminder to schedule these appointments, such as their birthday or the start of a new season. However you go about it, getting those visits scheduled and then making sure you show up and are honest with your doctor is vital to ensuring your overall health.

Give aromatherapy a try

Essential oils are a big trend these days, and for good reason. They smell heavenly, and even if you don’t believe in their benefits, it’s easy to agree that the fragrance alone can have an impact on you. Lavender can soothe and calm, while peppermint can invigorate and energize.

There are so many different oils you can try, and combinations you can create with them, that can do everything from relax you to ease PMS symptoms to boost your energy for a workout. You can diffuse them into the air, mix them with a carrier oil and roll them on your skin or simply take a deep inhale straight from the bottle when you need a hit.

The best thing about aromatherapy is that it’s relatively passive, so you can put it in the diffuser or roll it on and then forget about it while still benefiting from it.

Try something creative

Do you write? Paint? Sculpt? Garden? Work with wood or metal? Make jewelry? Have you ever wanted to do one or more of those things? A creative outlet allows you to express yourself and have fun.

There are two keys to trying something creative:

• Do it just for the fun of doing it (don’t plan to make money on it, etc.)
• Don’t put expectations on it

If you’ve considered taking up something creative and then thought you wouldn’t be good at it, try it anyway! The point isn’t to be good at it. The point is to have fun and enjoy yourself.

Experiment with meditation

Meditation is an excellent form of self-care. Meditation can reduce stress, improve sleep, lower blood pressure, help with weight loss, improve relationships, and so much more. It takes just a few minutes a day, and daily practice can change your life.

You can head to a local yoga or wellness studio to take a class, work privately with a meditation teacher, or use an app like Insight Timer. Or you can simply meditate entirely on your own. The choice is yours. But the benefits are incredible and well worth whichever route you decide to take.

Meditation is an excellent form of self-care. Click To Tweet

Get a facial

A facial is relaxing and beautifies your skin at the same time. Get a facial all on its own or make it part of a bigger spa day that includes massages, manis & pedis, and more.

A facial can be a particularly helpful self-care activity if stress manifests as skin problems. It will make you feel better about your appearance while also giving you that much needed “me time.” If you’ve never had a facial before, take a few minutes to do some research and ask questions before you do it. Also, if you have sensitive skin, make sure you mention it before you get the facial.

Take yourself on a date

Your relationship status is irrelevant here. Dating yourself is an opportunity to get to know yourself, what you like and enjoy as well as what you don’t. It gives you time to yourself, a break from the responsibilities and obligations of everyday life.

Take yourself to dinner and a movie no one else wants to see. Go on a date to the library for an afternoon and read. Attend a yoga class. Go for a hike. Choose something you enjoy (or want to explore) and go do it by yourself.

And if you’d rather do it with someone else? That’s okay, too. Dating yourself doesn’t always have to be you by yourself. If you want to go with friends occasionally, go for it. Just make sure some of your dates with yourself are you alone.

Treat yourself to a retreat

Women’s, men’s, relationship, yoga, meditation, silent – there are so many different retreats out there for pretty much anything you can think of. And a retreat can be a great way to indulge in some self-care. Taking an entire weekend, week, or more to immerse yourself in something that matters to you can renew you in ways you never imagined.

Of course, this one does require some advanced planning but it can be so worth it.

If you can’t attend an actual retreat right now, try creating your own. Some ideas include:

• Tech retreat: Take a weekend off from technology. No cell phone, laptop, TV, etc. Indulge in no and low-tech activities.
• Study retreat: Immerse yourself in the study of something you’ve always found intriguing. Use the Internet, books, and local classes and activities to explore as in depth as possible.
• Spirituality retreat: Immerse yourself in your spiritual/religious beliefs. Spend the time praying, reading holy texts, journaling and exploring how you interpret your beliefs. If you don’t have a particular belief system, use the time to explore various systems.
• Writing retreat: Use the time to write. You might simply journal or you might write a book, start a blog, or write poetry. You might even spend the time writing letters to people who’ve hurt you, passed on, or that you feel you’ve hurt.

Refresh your lingerie drawer

Upgrading your undies can do wonders for your self-esteem and confidence. It can also boost your sex life if you feel like it’s been lacking a bit.

If you feel the need to hang on to some old pairs of panties for that time of the month, that’s fine. But otherwise, get rid of anything old and ratty or that you simply don’t wear. Fill the drawer with sexy new stuff that fits properly and that you’ll wear.

And don’t forget the actual lingerie, not just your panties and bras. Invest in some cute lingerie for play time. This is a great area to get outside your comfort zone, too. Try some things that feel a little wilder or sexier than you feel content in.

Upgrading your undies can do wonders for your self-esteem and confidence. Click To Tweet

Practice saying no

I saved this one for last because I think it might be the most important form of self-care. Saying no is critical to taking care of yourself.

Of course, we all know there are some things that you can’t say no to. There are some things in life that you have to do whether you like it or not. But when we start to feel stressed and overwhelmed, it’s important to remember that we feel that way because we said yes to everything we’re doing.

Start asking yourself why you’re doing all the things you’re doing. If you have no valid reason, stop doing it. Before you take on anything new, first ask yourself if you need to do it. Then ask yourself if you want to do it. If the answer to both is no, say no.

Self-care should be a priority

Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. It can be fun. Sometimes it might be a bit boring. But it should always be a priority.

Self-care is what allows us to recover from stress, to better deal with stress, and to have more patience. When it feels most like you should set self-care aside is exactly when you need it the most.

Make self-care a priority. Put it on your calendar like any other appointment and stick to it. You’ll feel so much better when you do.