Taking care of your mental and physical health shouldn’t have to deplete you of your life savings.
Self-care is a term that can include many things, from taking a trip to spending more time caring for your skin. While all of these activities are necessary, we tend to associate the word ‘self-care’ with trends that cost money. Thanks, Instagram influencers!
It’s important to remember that there are plenty of things you can do every day to work on your personal health that don’t cost a thing. Everything on this list will provide just as much self-care than that $50 spin class or $100 stem cell facial, not to say these can’t be great once in a while.
Spend time outside
Set out a personal goal of spending more time outside on a weekly basis, especially if your day to day routine is mostly made up of going to work and then coming back home. Try to create some space for you that allows you to walk outside and to have some fresh air, even if this time is spent taking a short walk around the block.
Clean up your space
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Whenever you’re feeling stressed, there’s a good chance your apartment is also feeling stressed. Symptoms often appear as more clothes and dirty dishes lying around than usual, or a bathroom that hasn’t been cleaned in weeks. If you have a big task or something that is making you anxious, try to take your mind off of the problem by cleaning up your surroundings. You can start out small and you’ll soon realize that the lack of mess around you can have a positive influence on your mental state.
Try to move more
There’s no need to pay for an expensive gym membership or class in order to move more; you can workout using a YouTube video or by simply making the time to walk or jog for a period of 30 minutes a few times a week.
Cut back on social media
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While the internet is great for all kinds of things, it also takes a toll on our mental health, specifically social media. This makes it hard to focus on work and daily tasks, but also fun stuff, such as watching TV or having a conversation.
Try committing to other activities without checking your phone. This will allow you to be more present with friends and family and to also do other things aside from checking your social media feed. You’ll be surprised by the amount of books, shows, movies and personal projects you’ll have time to spend on if you cut back on your smartphone usage by an inch.
Don’t skimp on sleep
While it’s tempting to bing an entire season of our favorite show, even though it’s way past our bed time. it’s important to put sleep (almost) above all else to make sure you clock in your 8 hours every night. If you have trouble sleeping, it’s even more important to create a routine that’ll help you be more productive the following morning, like avoiding foods after a certain time and monitoring the blue light emanating from your devices.