🌿 Self-Care Is Not What You Think.
It's not about money. + 22 simple, easy things you can do today.
Hello, lovely! I’m Nospheratt and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things. Enjoy! :) 🌿
What comes to your mind when you think about self-care?
Spa days, expensive candles, massages, luxury weekend retreats?
All the things you see on Instagram and TikTok — things you can buy, need to buy so you can engage in what is sold as self-care but it’s really just marketing?
All of those things could be part of self-care. But they’re not necessary, not by a long shot.
🌿 Self-care is literally taking care of yourself. 🌿
Any little thing you do to take care of yourself is, you guessed, self-care.
Mind-boggling, I know. 😄
🌿 Simple, easy things you can do every day.
Here’s what I think of when I think of self-care:
Taking a nap.
Sitting on my couch and looking out the window for a while.
Doing nothing for 10 minutes.
Preparing my mate and then sitting here for some journaling.
Meeting friends for coffee or dinner.
Going to my Monthly Book Club meetings.
Taking regular breaks throughout the day, standing up and walking away from the computer.
Writing poetry or fiction.
Making my bed in the morning so it’s ready for me when I’m tired at the end of the day.
Adding buffer time to my schedule so I don’t have to rush.
Going to the park or walking in the woods.
Pausing my work and watching the magpies from my desk.
Reading books and fanfic.
Stretching every day. 10 minutes on the floor reset my body better than anything else.
Doing guided meditations to give my nervous system a break.
Drinking water.
Listening to birdsong, especially during sunset.
Organizing my desk at the end of the workday, so it’s nice and clear when I come back the next day.
Reducing the time I spend on social media (Substack notes included).
Putting the dishes away after dinner, because I love to come to a clean kitchen in the morning to start the day.
Going to bed early. Getting as much sleep as I can.
Listening to my body when I’m tired, hungry, anxious, scared, overwhelmed.
Singing along my favorite songs with all my heart.
Watching comedies that make me laugh out loud.
Saying no.
I could keep going, but you get the idea. None of those things cost extra money. All of them are part of my day-to-day life. I don’t do all of them every day, but I try to engage in as many as I can as part of my daily routines.
It really makes a difference.
🌿 This Week’s Quest - The Joy Of Taking Care of Yourself.
Ideas & inspiration to find your joy.
1 - What’s on your list?
Make a list of all the tiny ways you are already doing self-care; all the small things you do day to day that make your life easier, better, simpler or lighter.
Acknowledge them as taking care of yourself. 🌿
2 - What would you like to add?
Think about things you’d like to add to your daily (or weekly, or monthly) practices of self-care.
Try to have at least one thing in each of these areas:
Rest & recovery
Nourishment
Creativity
Connections & community
Nature
Leisure
3 - Try it!
From your lists above, choose:
One thing to try today.
Three things to try tomorrow.
Five things to try this week.
Pay attention and take some field notes:
How did it feel, to do those things for yourself?
Is there any resistance around it? Guilt? Feeling silly, selfish? “I don’t have time for this”?
What challenges you encountered, when engaging with self-care? Time, commitments, energy?
What can you do to make space for self-care in your day to day?
🌳 This post was inspired by this note:
😊 Check out her list for more ideas!
That’s It For Today!
I’ll be honest, I’m a bit tired today — lots of things to do this week — and I’m drawing a blank on how to finish today’s newsletter.
So I’ll only say this: taking care of yourself is something worthy of your time.
Be good to yourself. 💚
Until next time. —Nospheratt 💚🌿
For me, self care is not having a list of 22 things I have to do. 😆