Self Care Without Spending Money

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Self care is important, but it’s not all massages and bath bombs. Here are ways to do self care without spending money.

Self care is having a ~*moment*~ on social media. Especially in today’s world where we have been in various stages of lockdown for over a year, physically distancing ourselves from friends and loved ones, and trying to work + homeschool kids + clean our houses + stay in contact with friends and family.

Self care is important, but what exactly IS self care? I’ll tell you what it’s NOT: spending buckets of money on things that look good on Instagram but don’t actually make you FEEL good.

Listen, I’m all for lighting a candle and having a bath with a face mask on, but is that real self care? Probably not, or at least, not enough. 

Let’s chat about the key areas of self care, and how you can do self care without spending money…

6 Key Areas Of Self Care

Key Area 1: Physical

Take care of your physical body.

• FREE ideas:
  • Going for a walk / run
  • Dancing to music you love
  • Taking a bath 
  • Taking a nap
  • Eating healthy
• Other ideas:
  • Getting a massage/physiotherapy/acupuncture
  • Joining the gym / getting a personal trainer

Key Area 2: Emotional

Taking care of our emotional selves will help us process our feels and emotions, which fill lead to an overall happier life

• FREE ideas:
  • Journaling
  • Starting a gratitude journal
  • Using affirmations or mantras
  • Positive self-talk 
  • Expressing yourself
• Other ideas:
  • Therapy 
  • Life Coach

Key Area 3: Mental

Take care of your mind through stimulating activities that make you happy.

• FREE ideas:
  • Listen to a podcast
  • Read a book
  • Learn a new skill / hobby on Youtube
  • Do a puzzle like sudoku/ crossword
• Other ideas:
  • Go to a museum
  • Take a course on something you’re interested in

Key Area 4: Spiritual 

Spiritual doesn’t necessarily mean religious, rather something that helps you connect with your soul and feel more aligned (with yourself, or with God, The Universe, Spirit, Higher Power, whatever you want to call it!)

• FREE ideas:
  • Walk in nature
  • Volunteering
  • Attend a worship service
  • Praying
  • Practising yoga or meditation
  • Creating a vision board

Key Area 5: Workplace / Professional

Professional self care will help you feel more fulfilled by your work life and career

• FREE ideas:
  • Take your full lunch break
  • Setting your phone to “Do Not Disturb” at the end of the work day
  • Not checking emails in off hours
• Other ideas:
  • Taking continuing education courses
  • Attend conferences

Key Area 6: Social

Even introverts need social interaction.

• FREE ideas:
  • Call a friend / parent / sibling / loved one
  • Host a game night
  • Cuddle with an animal
• Other ideas:
  • Mail a card to someone
  • Go on a date night / have a friends night out

Key Area 7: Practical

This is one of my favourites because you might not necessarily think of these as self care, but they will decrease future stress, which definitely counts!

• FREE ideas:
  • Budgeting/ financial planning
  • Cleaning your house
  • Clearing out your inbox
  • Meal planning/prep
• Other ideas:
  • Hiring a cleaner
  • Meal kit service

Why Self Care Isn’t Indulgence

Self care, as it’s meant to be, is not indulging, it is taking care of all the parts of you so that you can live a happier, more fulfilled life.

It also doesn’t have to cost a lot. There’s lots of free/low cost options, and if you can afford it add in some of the other examples, add one that makes the biggest impact on your life! That’s meal kits, and travel (museums + time with loved ones) for me.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, self care isn’t all sitting in the sunshine and buying rainbow bath bombs. Taking care of all aspects of our health shouldn’t just be for an hour on a Sunday afternoon. Try picking some of the things off the list to do everyday, and some to do a couple times a week or once a month. 

For example, these are some of the ways I do self care:

• • Exercising: group fitness classes or walking/hiking 3-4 times a week
  • Writing in a gratitude journal daily
  • Listening to podcasts, reading, working on crafts like cross stitch, daily or 5-6 times a week
  • Setting boundaries on my time within my business
  • Chatting with family and friends daily, visiting with friends and family at least once a week
  • Bi-weekly budgeting
  • Meal planning healthy meals including vegetables (getting better at this one!)

Take care!