Self-care has become this huge buzz-word. Everyone is talking about it and trying to make money off of it. More and more we are painting a picture of self-care in our collective imaginary and of how that looks like: scented candles, luxurious face masks and body creams, days at the spa, a fresh manicure… I am not saying these things don’t feel good (hell, I am sporting a permanent manicure myself as I am typing this), but I am writing this to share with you alternative acts of self-care that don’t involve chemicals, plastic wrappings or having to spend a fortune.
I often find that these acts ground me and make me feel more balanced that something superficial that aims only to make me look better. Besides, I find joy in knowing that I am not hurting our beloved Planet Earth or my wallet in the process.
Note: I am aware some of these are not 100% free (to take a hot bath you do need to pay for the hot water), hence the asterisks around *free*
Use your Body
- Do yoga
- Go out for a run
- Dance like a crazy person in your bedroom (extra points for doing it in your underwear)
- Walk around your city and discover new neighborhoods
- Set yourself a goal and work towards it (1 minute plank, completing a pull-up… you name it)
Use your Mind
- Journal
- Be creative: paint, draw, make Papier Mache bunnies.
- Read a good book (extra points for taking it from your local library)
- Learn a new language or skill
Calm down
- Meditate
- Take a hot bath
- Turn off your phone and have a digital detox for a morning, a day, a weekend… up to you
- Make yourself a nice cup of hot tea
Connect
- Go outside a pick out wild flowers to bring home. Enjoy nature.
- Go on a hike and do the same
- Have a deep, meaningful conversation with your friend
- Call your mum before she calls you
- Watch a video that makes you laugh uncontrollably
A lot of the times being more mindful of the things we do on our daily basis: like showering or drinking tea, can transform something from a routine, to an act of self love. By being intentional with our time and attention, we can feel better without needing to buy into the thousands of products that are being marketed towards us every day.
What are your favorite acts of self-love? I won’t bite you if the answer is a face-mask 😉
Isabel's Stories 
loving the photos!
Jadieegosh Instagram
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Self-care has become this huge buzz-word. Everyone is talking about it and trying to make money off of it.
this part alone is enough to make me drop whatever it is I’m doing just to give this post my fullest attention. i’m glad you addressed it. with the rise of influencer marketing, it’s so easy to push fancy jargons like self-care or self-love into every blog post or youtube video and it’s starting to sound so hypocritical and fake to me. most of the times these ‘influencers’ would recommend crappy trivial tips like “step one: go buy bath & body works candles” and i’m here like girl, that ain’t gonna work. candles don’t solve shiz, they’re not magical gemstones what the heck so you can see why sometimes, the term self-care or self-love kind of rubs me the wrong way. don’t get me wrong, i’m all about self-love (e.g supporting the idea to take care of our own wellbeing first instead of, say, stick around for someone toxic in any relationship, platonic or romantically that is) but i feel like most people today don’t really mean what they write when it comes to self care tips. not sure if i’m making sense here?
i mean of course let’s not be hypocritical here – i love pampering myself with physical, materialistic things like good skincare and sheet masks for example but hey, i don’t poop money. instead, i’m a struggling young adult trying to pay bills so of course i can’t always buy unnecessary crap things like scented candles or book an appointment at the spa. for me, self-care goes more than just calming down and enjoying me time without having to burn my money – it means cutting off connections with people who give me a lot of stress. getting away from toxic individuals or stressful news on social media for instance is my ‘mental’ way of self-care. i also avoid talking about or seeing politic related news because they’re very, very stressful. i don’t mean to say that ignorance is bliss (because that’d be an irony since i hate ignorance) but you know, taking breaks from the news is also part of my self-care dictionary. it’s really hard to be a positive, happy person in this era so when i get some me time, i try my best to just….i don’t know, get away from all those triggering mediums. sometimes i just sleep because sleep is the best remedy in my opinion. even when i can’t sleep, i just lie down on my bed with a book or play interactive story game on my phone hahaha simply put, my form of ‘self care’ is to stay indoor and do whatever my mood wants to do that day because going out or worse, meeting people is just gonna give me more stress.
p.s: love the collage!
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Well let me just say this is my favorite comment I received on my blog ever ❤ Honestly I think you could have written a whole post on this and I would have read every single comma of it hahaha. Staying in bed and reading or (maybe more realistic) playing on your phone, can also do great things for your mental health. It's all about listening to your body instead of, as you said, those instagram ads.
Also, I may have laughed out loud at this "because going out or worse, meeting people is just gonna give me more stress". I so feel you on the meeting people part.
Lots of love,
Isabel
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My favorite are being outside hiking or working out. And just enjoying the sunshine!
http://www.fashionradi.com
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That’s really inspiring ❤
Federica
http://www.federicadinardo.com
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Such lovely ideas! And I love the collages here!
Hannah / Words & Latte
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Thank you Hannah! They were so much fun to make 😀
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I love this post! It’s entirely true that people associate self-care with spending money on luxurious things and that’s so far from what self-care should be!
Everything you’ve suggested sounds like perfect ways to boost your well-being, exercise is the big one for me. Even if I hate the thought of doing it beforehand I always feel better after 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Rachel | The Modern Bohemian
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Tell me about it. I had plans to go on a run, and I am here sitting on my computer instead… Maybe later? xxx
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I love that you focus on the alternative acts of self-care! There are so many simple things we all could do with no money at all!
Have a nice week!
Anna
http://atlifestylecrossroads.com
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Thank you Anna ❤
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Oooh are these the collages you were talking about? They turned out so great! 😀
I’ve been using my body by swimming 3x/wk and walking around the city regularly, been reading a lot, and have also loved making myself hot drinks like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate ^-^
I love what you said about transforming your daily routine not by doing anything different necessarily, but by doing them more mindfully. Intentionality definitely makes a difference! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
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Thank you Audrey! Yeah, these are the ones. I am glad you like them ❤ Being more mindful is definitely where it's at… I just wish it was easier! haha
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I love love this so much! I’m definitely a fan of ‘luxurious’ self-care. Sheet masks, bubble baths, eating decadent desserts and so on but like you said, self-care doesn’t have to be all of those things. One thing on your list that I do is dance like a crazy person in my room, most times to Beyonce’s music haha.
Also love what you said about being mindful and intentional with the things we do, it’s spot on. xx
Coco Bella Blog
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Hahaha, dancing in your room has to be one of my favorites. Thank you so much for your lovely comment xxx
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I actually do love a good face mask! 😉
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