A happier you is already within you, they just need a little bit of self-care to come into existence. I am here to help you exactly with that today.

Always working and grinding is not healthy for your body and mind. Taking time to recharge and indulge in self-care is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Self-care is productive. By self-care I do not mean face masks and bubble baths. I already cleared that up in this article what self-care means and does not mean.

Self-care is best defined as a conscious act one takes in order to promote their own physical, mental and emotional health. At its core, self-care is all about protecting your own well-being and happiness.

Here are some ideas to help you out on your daily self-care checklist to ensure a happier you is born :

For the body :

1. Working out :

If you have been in my blog for longer than a minute then you should know by now that I am an advocate of working out as a means of self-care. Working out is the purest form of caring for yourself. If you need any help with this I wrote two articles about working out :

How to workout everyday (even if you don’t feel like it)

7 ways to make working out more fun

2. Sitting is the new smoking :

Do I think this expression is over exaggerating?? Hell yes I do!

Do I also think that it is somewhat correct?? Yes I do! Sitting for long periods of time at a time is extremely detramental to your health. Sitting for too long increases your risk of chronic health problems, it shortens your hip flexors and it hurts your back more than you will ever know.

Conclusion : Sitting for a long time is bad for you. Solution : Alternate between sitting and standing. Sit for an hour and stand or move around for 30 minutes. If your job doesn’t allow, then after every hour you can stretch for five minutes or dance it out for five minutes and then sit down.

3. Take a walk in nature :

Nature is a natural pain killer. Your body releases serotonin when you are in nature, bonus points if the sun is present. The combination of walking and nature is a killer, in a good kind of way.

4. Eat better :

Nourish your body with nutrient dense foods. Eat foods that are going to make you feel better. Eat foods that are going to fuel your health, not fuel diseases. What you put inside your body is very important.

5. Drink lots of water :

We are all aware of the benefits of drinking water. We all know how important drinking water is to our health. Drinking enough water daily is a must if you want to be healthier and happier.

6 ways to drink more water

6. Get enough sleep :

Yes, getting your ass to bed on time so that you get enough sleep is self-care. Sleep is one of the pillars of health. Sleep is the foundation of your health and well-being and if you wanna get things right, you should get the foundation right. You need enough sleep for your body to function fully. There are so many dangers of not getting enough sleep.

I am going to write a little series about sleep. Be sure to follow the blog to not miss it.

For the mind :

1. Set daily goals :

To take Jack’s advice from Titanic when he said that we should make each day count. We need to set daily goals. Set goals that are going to make you feel like you made the day count. This doesn’t have to be anything crazy or overwhelming. Just set three goals that are going to make your day count. You can choose to set the goals in the morning or the night before. It is all up to you.

2. Eat that frog :

Frogs are not the most delicious to have, especially for breakfast but it is important to eat them while the day is still young. I’m not talking about actual frogs here cause that would be weird. I am talking about that big scary task from your daily goals. Your priority task that you absolutely need to get done but it is so hard to do. That is the task that you need to do in the morning while you still have lots of energy. Of course if this doesn’t apply to you, then it doesn’t apply to you.

3. Mindful practice :

Our brains are ever so stimulated. You are always busy with something. Your mind is always occupied, it is always entertained. That is why it is so important to take a few minutes to be mindful. To just be present. You can do this through meditation, through breath walk or through doing nothing.

4. Limit social media :

You already know by now that mindlessly scrolling Instagram makes you feel terrible. Terrible is the opposite of the feeling that you are trying to achieve. Stop scrolling first thing in the morning. That shit is not healthy for your mental sanity and we both know it. Limit the amount of time that you spend on social media.

5. Play :

Who said playing is only for children?? Who said adults can’t play??

Play is best defined as something that has no particular purpose, is fun and you don’t want it to end. To me playing is drawing. I don’t draw for any reason, drawing is fun and when I’m drawing I don’t want it to end. Find out what play means to you and try to incorporate it in your daily routine.

6. Check in with yourself :

Ask yourself multiple times a day how you are feeling. Ask yourself if you need anything. Just check in with yourself and give yourself whatever it is that you need at that moment.

7. Read :

Reading is not only a fun hobby but it makes you more knowledgeable as well. Find what you like to read and get in the habit of reading a little bit everyday.

For the soul :

1. Practice gratitude :

Don’t keep a gratitude journal, actually practice gratitude. There is a big difference. When you practice gratitude you actually feel gratitude instead of just writing down what you are grateful for. Don’t get me wrong, keeping a gratitude journal might be a way for you to practice gratitude but it is not the only way.

2. Journal :

Journalling is extremely good for the soul. It helps you observe what is going on on the big ol’ brain. Journalling is the biggest stress reliever there is, that is of course in my humble opinion. It is my favourite self-care activity.

3. Act of kindness :

Doing a random good deed for anybody makes you feel so good inside. That random act of kindness can range from helping a stranger carry their groceries to writing a friendly email reaching out to your old friend.

4. Compliment :

Give a compliment, a genuine compliment to a stranger on the street, your mother, your assistant, your friend and even to yourself. A compliment makes both you and the recipient very happy so it is a definite must do.

Is complimenting yourself arrogant??

5. Spend time with yourself :

I know you are literally always with yourself but this practice is all about being intentional about it. Don’t spend time by yourself, spend time with yourself. There is a huge difference baby. During this time, don’t meditate or pick up your phone or listen to music. Just sit and do absolutely nothing.

These are all ideas of things that you can include in your daily self-care checklist. Customize the checklist fully to specifically fit you and your needs.

Click here to check out my favourite daily self care checklist.

You know that no self-care article is complete without a cheesy quote, so here you go :

“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.”