How To Have The Perfect Self-Care Day At Home

Life certainly has taken a strange turn this year, hasn’t it? With all that is happening in the world, it’s easy to start to feel isolated and perhaps a bit (or a lot) anxious. As somewhat of a stay-at-home expert, I feel like it is my duty to share some of my tips on how to keep yourself busy when you’re stuck at home. One of my favourite things to do when I feel stressed out is to have a self-care day!

In fact, this is the perfect time to really slow down, make time for yourself and do all of the things your previously fully-packed schedule wouldn’t allow! So, fear not, my friends, you can survive more than you think and there are still plenty of ways to relax and have fun!

I also included a list with 30 self-care activities that you can easily do at home, so if you’re short on time, scroll down for some quick inspiration 🙂 Although, if you want ALL of my tips & resources (I also included some of my favourite gadgets/products for those who fancy a little online shopping), let me first guide you through how to have the perfect self-care day at home.

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TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY

Even though body & mind go hand in hand, I’ve decided to divide this post into self-care practices I like to do to take care of my body and activities that are good for your mental health!

Read Next: 8 Mental Health Resolutions For 2020!

DO A WORK-OUT

I love doing an at home work-out session in the morning to start off my day energised and fully awake. I’m not going to list the benefits of exercising, because I think we’re all aware by now that it’s good for us. What I will say is that it’s one of the best natural ways to de-stress and feel happy. Even a light, 15-minute work-out can already drastically improve your mood. Seriously, it might be the cure for any short-term negative emotion. Angry? Sad? Feeling unattractive? Get onto the mat and start sweating.

TRY YOGA

I know everyone says this and you might be sick of hearing it, but yoga really does have SO many benefits. It increases flexibility and muscle strength, improves energy levels, reduces insomnia and lessens chronic pain. These are just a few of the physical benefits of yoga, but obviously it’s also very good for our mental health. Few things make me feel more zen & at peace!

If you want some guidance, you HAVE to check out Yoga With Adriene. She’s the best at yoga and has a great sense of humour too! Honestly, I feel like she’s my friend even though we’ve never spoken irl. She has yoga for all levels, so you can make your practice as challenging or easy as you want.

The only other thing you need is a decent yoga mat that is anti-slip and not too thin. Trust me, I’ve tried the cheaper ones and they just don’t cut it. Your knees will thank you!

TAKE A LONG RELAXING BATH

Whenever I take a hot bath (which is almost never), I tell myself I should do this more often. Soaking yourself in warm water will relax your muscles in an instant.

I mean, am I the only one who’s always wanted to have one of those fancy baths you see in Youtube videos? Candles (try this non-toxic one!), bath bombs, essential oils (lavender for complete relaxation), soothing music, rose petals… It certainly seems very lovely, but who has time for that! I usually just hop in the shower and that’s that.

However, now that we’re all stuck at home and lots of us no longer have a social life, it’s high time we take one of those baths, don’t you think? Let’s see what all the fuzz is about!

PAMPER SKIN & HAIR

Since we’re all taking baths now anyway, we might as well put some extra care into our skin & hair. Let’s be honest, an extensive skin & haircare routine is an integral part of any decent self-care day.

SKINCARE

One of the things that has brought me a lot of joy during these times has been binging skincare videos by Hyram on Youtube. Fun fact, I used to be massively into skincare! I loved reading up on ingredients and I even had a blog dedicated to testing out (organic) skincare brands.

The past few years this interest kinda disappeared into the background as I pursued other things. However, Hyram reminded me of the importance of taking care of your skin and how nice it is to dedicate that time to yourself, which is what this blog post is all about!

Alright, now for the fun part…

At night I like to double cleanse to make sure I get rid of all of my make-up and sunscreen. I start out with the Iunik Calendula Cleansing Oil and follow up with their Centella Foam Cleanser.

No self-care day is complete without a face mask, am I right?? For a spa-like experience, you must try the I’m From Honey Mask. I used to put raw honey on my face, but this one is a lot less messy and has amazing ingredients!

Next, I obviously go in with a moisturizer, although I’m still in search for a new one. For now, I simply use an Aloe Vera cream (like this one). I also use this for my body. Of course, these are all just suggestions (feel free to share your faves in the comments!).

HAIRCARE

I STILL haven’t found the perfect shampoo & conditioner yet, so I use random drug store products (if you have any suggestions, let me know!). As an extra treatment, I like to use castor oil (this one is the best!), which is great for hair growth and shine. You can leave it in for an hour or overnight.

For damaged hair, I swear by Olaplex. This is the only product I know of that doesn’t just coat your hair but actually repairs it and it’s used by hairdressers!

Aside from taking hair growth supplements (if you’re struggling with hair loss or lack of volume, I strongly suggest taking Viviscal for a few months, it works SO well), that’s all I do atm in regards to my hair.

COOK A HEALTHY MEAL

Last but certainly not least, try making yourself a healthy meal. It can be something as simple as breakfast or lunch, or you can go all out and prepare a 3-course dinner. It’s always a good idea to improve your cooking skills (one of my goals for 2020 btw!). Besides, your body will thank you if you make an effort to use fresh and healthy ingredients.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR MIND

TRY GUIDED MEDITATION OR (SLEEP) HYPNOSIS

I’ve tried meditating in complete silence several times over the years, but I can’t get into it for the life of me. It goes something like this: I close my eyes and attempt to clear my mind. I get uncomfortable after two minutes and switch position. I’m trying very hard not to think about anything. Something distracts me. I think about everything. I give up after 10 minutes.

Luckily, there’s a solution for anyone who has this problem and it’s called guided meditation or even better, hypnosis. I suggest trying this when you’re feeling particularly stressed and I can assure you, you will be astounded by its effects.

If this interests you, you must check out Michael Sealey on Youtube. He has tons of videos that you can choose from and they’re SO effective. I’m not a fast sleeper whatsoever, but when I listen to one of his hypnosis tapes, I’m asleep within minutes. You don’t even know what true relaxation is until you’ve tried hypnosis, I’m telling you.

JOURNAL

I swear there is nothing more therapeutic than writing out your thoughts, especially if you’re an overthinker and your brain tends to become a chaotic mess. Your writing doesn’t have to be good or poetic; just write down whatever you’re thinking or feeling and I promise, you will feel 10 times lighter afterwards. There have been countless times I was so angry or depressed I thought I would lose my mind, UNTIL I scribbled it all down in my diary. As soon as I saw the words on paper, the emotion lost some of its power. Try it, I dare you.

If you need a new diary, check out these gorgeous ones (I just bought the one on the left!):

GET CREATIVE

Unless you’re working in a creative field, there isn’t that much time for creativity in today’s society, which is a shame. I’m a firm believer that humans find enormous joy & purpose in creating something from scratch! Now, don’t be too hard on yourself, you don’t have to be the next Picasso, it just has to be fun.

Some ideas to get creative on your epic self-care day:

• Knit your own sweater
• Recreate a make-up look from your favourite beauty guru
• Try drawing or painting
• Create a scrapbook with your best travel pictures
• Make one of those gorgeous bullet journals to stay organised

LISTEN TO MUSIC

I always forget how much music can lift my mood until I put some on! Feeling down? Listen to your fave upbeat playlist! Perhaps steer clear from overly depressing tunes or you may start crying… No? Just me? Not that that’s bad btw, feel whatever you need to feel 😉 I used to spent hours browsing Youtube for new, awesome bands and then played their songs on repeat and it brought me so much joy.

READ A BOOK

Ah, what’s better than escaping into a good book? I treasure the moments I’m so caught up in a story, I become completely unaware of what’s going on around me. No matter which social media platform appears, for me, nothing can beat the pleasure of reading an actual book.

Some of my all-time favourite books:

• On Love by Alain De Botton,
• White Oleander by Janet Fitch,
• When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin D. Yalom,
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley,
• I Wrote This For You by Iain S. Thomas and, of course,
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.

WATCH SOME NETFLIX

Sometimes we just want to turn off our brain for a while and distract ourselves with some mindless binge-watching. Enter Netflix (is it really a self-care day without some good old Netflix?). I’m sure I don’t need to explain this any further, let’s get straight into my suggestions:

Tv-shows I’ve been loving:

• ANNE WITH AN E (I can’t even explain how good this is, just watch it!!)
• SPINNING OUT (ice skating, family issues & bipolar disorder)
• ELITE (Spanish murder mystery set in a posh high school)
• SEX EDUCATION (hilarious & very educational indeed)
• YOU (disturbing, fascinating, psychotic)

REDECORATE YOUR ROOM/OFFICE

Another fun activity that’ll make you feel productive is redecorating your room or work space (Pinterest for inspo always)! I don’t know about you, but I get bored pretty easily so I like to change things up once in a while. You can also clear out your closet and get rid of clothes you no longer wear (space for new ones 😉 ). I used to HATE cleaning up my stuff (like any sane teenager?), but now I can’t work or think until my space is tidy & clean.

REACH OUT TO FRIENDS OR FAMILY

Many of us (including myself) have a tendency to assume people are busy and don’t want to be disturbed, which is often enough reason not to call or text someone we really want to talk to. It’s unfortunate, because it creates even more distance and isolation and who knows, maybe the other person would’ve loved hearing from you. Don’t fall into this trap and call someone you know you can rant to or that makes you laugh. You’ll feel so much better afterwards!

My goodness, this was a LONG blog post, probably the longest I’ve written so far. If you made it till the end, thank you so much for reading and I hope you found it useful! Let me know in the comments whether I’ve inspired you to have an epic self-care day 🙂

As promised, here’s my quick list of 30 self-care activities you can do at home (what’s your favourite??):

30 Self-Care Activities To Do At Home!

1. Yoga
2. Dance it out
3. Make cocktails
4. Listen to guided meditation
5. Listen to hypnosis
6. Take a bath
7. Knit
8. Draw or paint
9. Work-out
10. Apply a face mask
11. Listen to music
12. Watch Netflix
13. Play with your pets
14. Give yourself a mani-pedi
15. Do your make-up
16. Apply skincare
17. Apply hair treatment
18. Read
19. Watch your favourite youtubers
20. Go on an online shopping spree
21. Facetime your friends
22. Cook a healthy meal
23. Play a board game
24. Play a video game
25. Make yourself a warm drink
26. Journal
27. Make a scrapbook
28. Clean out your closet
29. Redecorate your room
30. Do some gardening

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