A list of self-care ideas you can try from the comfort of your own home, including calming and energizing activities!

We’re living in stressful and uncertain times and most of us are isolating at home. For that reason, I’m sharing all of my favorite self-care activities to try at home. I hope you’ll find a few helpful tips to help you get through these difficult times.

I want to note that self-care can look different for everyone. Therefore, not all of the ideas listed below may be helpful to you. I encourage you to try different activities and with time, you can create your own little self-care list. Also, if it helps, try physically writing a list!

These ideas are for entertainment and educational purposes only and are not meant as individual nutritional, mental health or medical advice.

Basic Self-Care

Self-care doesn’t have to be complicated. In the busy world we live in, we seem to forget that self-care can be as basic as meeting our essential needs. If all you can do is the basic, then you’re already taking care of yourself!

Basic self-care can include:

• Taking a shower
• Washing your face
• Getting enough sleep
• Eating regular meals
• Drinking enough water

Below, I’m sharing some self-care ideas divided into two categories: calming and energizing. This is inspired by Taylor Wolfram’s post on self-care. Some activities can certainly fit in both categories, but I found it was a helpful way to divide different types of activities for you guys. I hope you’ll find it helpful!

Calming Self-Care

These self-care ideas are focused on relaxing or managing stress and anxiety. That being said, you certainly don’t need to feel anxious to practice these activities. Instead, try to add some of your favorite calming activities to your days.

Create a calming environment: Try creating a peaceful environment that will relax all of your senses. Light up a soothing candle or diffuse your favorite essential oils, wear comfortable clothes, cuddle up in some soft blankets, play some calming music and drink a cozy drink.

I see it as creating a hygge environment. If you’re not familiar with hygge, it’s a Danish concept that’s all about coziness, happiness and enjoying the little things in life (check out this book on hygge if you haven’t read it). It seems fitting right now, doesn’t it?

Calming Self-Care Activities

• Take a bath
• Read a good fiction book
• Take a nap
• Watch a light movie or your favorite television show
• Spend some time away from your phone
• Meditate or take deep breaths
• Cuddle with a loved one or a pet
• Write in a journal
• Talk to a loved one on the phone
• Get creative: Draw, paint, knit, play an instrument
• Practice yoga
• Drink a cozy drink
• Eat your favorite comfort food

Energizing Self-Care

These self-care ideas are focused on helping when you’re feeling down, lethargic or fatigued. However, keep in mind that many of these can also be used to manage stress!

• Move your body in a way that you love*
• Put on some makeup
• Wear something that makes you feel your best
• Organize and declutter your home
• Rearrange furniture (create a change in your environment!)
• Clean
• Spend some time in nature if you can (or open your windows!)
• Cook a meal that you love
• Bake your favorite dessert
• Care for (or start) your indoor garden
• Put on your favorite energizing music, maybe dance or sing!

*This is not the time to force yourself to exercise because you feel you need to. Be compassionate with yourself and move in a way that feels good to you. This may be an intense workout one day and a gentle walk the other. It’s also completely fine to rest.

Other Self-Care

Create a routine: In times when our routine is completely changed, it can be good to find some kind of structure to our day. This can look different for everyone, but a few examples would be to set an approximate bedtime or an alarm in the morning, making your bed, eating breakfast first thing in the morning, taking a shower and going for a walk to start the day.

Therapy: Everyone is dealing with this in a different way. Therapy can (now and always) be a good way to share your concerns and get the support that you need. It’s so important to care for our mental health.

Finally, this is a reminder to be kind and compassionate with yourself right now. If you’re not reaching your goals, exercising, cleaning your entire house or cooking complicated meals, it’s completely fine (and normal!). We’re under a lot of stress and we all deal with it in different ways.

Be kind with yourself and take the time you need to rest.