20 Ideas for Mental and Physical Health

20 Ideas for Mental and Physical Health

20 Ideas for Mental and Physical Health

Let's talk about self-care routines. I need it, you need it. then you know things can get a little hectic. So it is the perfect time to start adopting a real adequate self-care practice that you can really count on to feel your best every day. Here are the 20 ideas for mental and physical health.

The ideas in this video go a bit further than just indulging in a face mask, or eating chocolate cookies,s or staying at home with a pizza instead of going out to the gym. I am a big believer that it's okay to indulge in these things occasionally and not be too strict with yourself.

 But I don't really count them as self-care. Because skipping out on exercising and eating junk food may be a really nice treat to allow yourself to do every now and then. But they don't really care for your body and your health in the long run.

 So the ideas that I share in this article are designed to be very nice at the moment, calming, relaxing. But they also count as real self-care in the sense that they are also good for you now and in the future.

 1. Reflect on your self-care practice.

How do you take care of yourself? This can be a great self-care practice on its own. So take some time take a piece of paper and a pen and maybe brew some tea for yourself and reflect.

Some questions you can use are: What do you do to take care of yourself? What makes you feel amazing? How often do you take breaks?

How often do you have alone time? Do you have at least one moment in your day where you

can fully rest? And what can you do to lift yourself up?

 2. Disconnect and have a screenless day.

Of course, this doesn't have to be an entire day. If you don't have time, it can also be an evening or an afternoon for example. But the point is to disconnect from screens and technology for a little while. To get back in touch with yourself more.

Because our screens tend to distract us from what's really going on. And so it's nice to take some time for yourself and reflect on what it is you actually truly need. When you're having your screenless day, or your screen as part of your day...then you might get a little bored.

And this gives room for a lot of the fun self-care activities that I'm also going to share in this list. So you can also do them on your screenless day.

 3. Eat a simple healthy meal.

Sometimes it can be so nice to go to the market or the food shop and get some groceries and cook something nice and simple and yummy and healthy for yourself. Just because. So it can be something like a salad or a wrap with veggies or a nice Indian curry.

Whatever you find tasty. Taking the time to properly cook something healthy for yourself is a great act of self-care. Because it shows that you're willing to invest in your health and also that you find having something yummy to eat for yourself is worth putting that time and effort into.

 4. Practice a hobby.

 Often when we think about self-care, we think about very chill, laid-back activities. But it can also be something very active that gets your juices flowing and gets you excited. Practicing a hobby can boost your energy creativity, positivity, and it can be such a nice activity to do by yourself.

Or with someone else, if it's a hobby that you can do with others. Just make sure that it is something that you actually enjoy doing, not because you have to, but because you just really like it.

 5. See a friend.

We are not all introverts and some people really need to be around people and hang out with a friend to feel recharged. And even for me, I'm an introvert but I still so enjoy hanging out with a friend or going somewhere with them.

And if it's not possible to meet up, see if you can call or video chat. Having some real human connection one-on-one can be so valuable for taking proper care of your mental health.

 6. Read a book.

Reading improves cognitive functions, memory, empathy, and it's also just a very relaxing activity to do. So when you are reading, make sure to actually set some time aside for it. Even if you don't have much time, to really get into it. And of course, it's nice to really get comfortable.

Get out of the blanket, brew some tea. But you can read anywhere. And if you are choosing a bookmaker sure that it is something again that you really like, not because you think it has certain benefits to read that book, or you think you have to read that book. But just because you are genuinely interested.

 7. Give yourself a hug.

Often we look to others for affection.

But really, we can just as well give ourselves some love in a form of a hug. And research shows that hugging even hugging yourself

can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and also release some of the happy hormones like oxytocin.

 8. Eat more fruit.

If you enjoy sweet snacks, cakes, ice cream cookies it's a really great self-care routine to incorporate into your day. Of course, the fruit is good for everyone but especially if you have a sweet tooth then having the habit of eating some fruit every day can really help to reduce sweet cravings. And of course, it's just also really yummy

 9. Go outside and be in nature.

Often when I feel stressed or disconnected. I realize that I haven't been out in nature in a while. Our brains are hard-wired to enjoy being around greenery and water.

Because our brains are still almost exactly the same as when we were cave people. So go outside, get some fresh air, go to a park or forest or the beach. Try to find something where there's greenery or water.

 10. Do something creative.

Creativity can help focus the mind and really when we're feeling stressed or when we're just mentally not feeling our best...then doing something creative can be a really good outlet. So try to connect with your inner kid for a while.

Don't worry too much about making mistakes or doing it wrong or making a mess. It's really just about creating something and anything you make is good. So try to make something outside of yourself like art or music or dancing. And let that creative side of yourself that you might even not have known was there half this stage for a while.

 11. Go to your favorite cafe.

Something I like to do as a self-care routine takes me out on a date occasionally. And what I like to do is just take a walk to one of my favorite cafes and just chill there. Have a nice cup of coffee or tea or read a book. And this works for me but it can be different for you, of course. But when I am feeling blue, it really helps to get out of the house. go somewhere where I know it's gonna be nice and chill and I feel at ease. Just really enjoy reading my book with a good cappuccino.

 12. Find some time to watch a movie, but do it actively.

There are more ways than one to watch a movie. And the one that I'm talking about is really taking some time to seek out a movie that really interests you and just actively watch it in an engaging way.

So no distractions. Don't be on your phone while you're also keeping half an eye on the movie. Just like when you were a kid.

 13.Take a Snap.

If you ask me, naps are greatly underrated. And especially if you are a highly sensitive person like me, taking a snap can do you so much good. But even if you are not highly sensitive, everyone I think can use a quick cat snap occasionally.

And it has been shown that daytime snaps can improve productivity boost your stamina, reduce stress, and increase your mood. So even if you only have like 15 minutes to lie down with your eyes closed, allow yourself that time.

.15. Rub your own feet, neck, and shoulders.

We all enjoy a nice massage every now and then. And just like with hugging, we don't have to rely on others to do it for us. It can also be really enjoyable to give yourself a good foot massage or just rub down your neck and shoulders.

I learned this self-care routine from Yoga With Adriene and I still do it regularly. And it's great for relaxing the muscles in your upper body that tend to get very stiff when you're stressed. And also it's just a great act of self-love because you are taking the time to care for yourself in a very attentive way. It also improves circulation and eases tension. So why not take five minutes and do that for yourself?

take a slow herbal tea break. if you're a busy person, you might not always have time to go out in nature or watch a movie or hang out with a friend. And so what I like to do on busy days is allow myself a 15-minute herbal tea break.

What I do is brew some of my favorite chai tea and I just sit with it on the couch. Enjoying the aromas and the flavors and just drinking it very leisurely. Without being distracted or doing something else or being on my phone.

If you don't have the patience to wait for the tea to cool down..then you can even add some cool water to it so that you can immediately start drinking it. It is herbal tea So that means that you will not get that caffeine rush that's followed by you feeling really tired again. So it's great for balancing your energy levels.

16. Go somewhere you've never been before.

This can be scary or outside of your comfort zone a little bit. But it's great for self-discovery and exploration. And it can help to reduce boredom and that feeling of being kind of in a rut. And you might learn some new things about yourself or maybe even meet some new people.

For example, a while ago I went to an art exhibit in a museum that I've never been to a part of town that I also don't really go to that often. And it was really nice to kind of be on a small adventure on your own.

17. Listen to relaxing music.

For me, music is magical to my soul. And it has the power to instantly relax me almost every time. And take me out of my thinking mind for a while. And I remember when we were kids.

We were always listening to music. But when you're older it's not something that a lot of us take time to actively do. So the self-care routine here is to take some time, put on some of your favorite relaxing music, and just chill for a while.

18. Have an hour of alone time.

For a lot of us, alone time doesn't just happen magically out of the blue. We need to take some time to plan for it in order to make it happen regularly.

And if you are the type of person who, like me, can only truly unwind and release and let go and relax if you are alone, then though that that's perfectly okay.

And it is fine to make that more of a priority in your life. So explain it to the people that you live with if needed. And have some alone time regularly.

19. Make a list of gratitudes.

Gratitude is one of the best sources of happiness. And it can do wonders to just take some time to think about all the things you are grateful for. Things that you are happy that they are in your life. And for me, it always helps me to put things into perspective again and see the bigger picture.

20. Make a self-care list with goals.

If you are the type of person who finds a challenging to regularly do these kinds of self-care routines in your everyday life...Or maybe you're struggling with not feeling like you're really loving yourself enough...Then take some time to make a self-care list. 

And include all the activities from this video that you feel will be helpful for you. And of course, feel free to add your own to it as well. Maybe hang that note on the fridge or keep it on your phone. So you can always choose an activity from that list, that will fit your mood and the time you have available. Something else I advise you to do takes your calendar for that week and actively schedule some of these activities into it. So you won't forget them. We are all different.

20 ideas for mental and physical health, to start adopting a real adequate self-care practice that you can really count on to feel your best every day.