6 Self-Care Practices That Take Less Than 10 Minutes
What’s the first thing to come to mind when someone mentions they need a “self-care day”?
If it was an image of facial scrubs, spa days, and mani/pedis, we need to dig a little deeper, friend.
Don’t get me wrong! I love getting pampered as much as the next person. But, all those things are surface level, and aren’t long-lasting. We’re looking for sustainable of self-care.
What does that look like?
True self-care comes when we get back to the basics.
Below is a list of simple practices you can start implementing today for a more centered you tomorrow.
Let’s get into it.
#1: MEDITATION
Don’t scroll past this one. There’s a reason it’s first.
I’m not talking about sitting in a corner, wearing a robe, and chanting OMMM repeatedly. (Though, I have done that and actually is pretty dope)
There are SO many different ways to meditate.
The basic premise of the practice is to settle the mind.
What makes you go from a chaotic state to a calm one?
Is it driving? Is it sketching? Going on walks? Making a macrame wall hanging?
That last one is actually how I like to meditate.
Whatever it is, whatever activity makes your brain go from 100 to any number less than 100 (except zero, that’s death) is how you can meditate.
Start with 5 minutes every day. It doesn’t have to be hard.
All the activities on this list can technically fall under the meditation umbrella.
You don’t have to do them all, but if even one resonates with you, I encourage you to try it.
I guarantee you will feel more centered than when you started.
#2: BREATHE
Unclench your jaw first.
Whether you’re sitting or standing, have both feet planted on the ground. Spread your toes.
Hands go over your heart or on either side of your abdomen, holding your belly.
Close your eyes.
Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7, out for 8. This is called 4-7-8 Breathing.
Your belly should push your hand out when you inhale and sink in as you exhale.
This technique ensures you breathe using your diaphragm-- something we, as a society, don’t do very often.
This will allow more air into our lungs. With more oxygen in our lungs, and ultimately the rest of our body, the fight against stress is a lot more achievable.
Always come back to your breath.
#3: GET OUTSIDE BEFORE YOUR MORNING COFFEE
I’m not going to tell you to replace your cup of coffee with tea every morning.
I get it. Coffee is LIFE for some of us.
Without it, it’s a bit harder to navigate the mornings.
And frankly, I’m working on the caffeine addiction myself.
HOWEVER, bright side. A way to ground yourself in the mornings without having to make such a big sacrifice is simply by stepping outside barefoot before that first sip.
This is called grounding or earthing, a therapeutic technique that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth.
There’s little research behind grounding but smaller studies have reported benefits for inflammation, pain, mood, and more. And truthfully, do we really need research for something that is multi-millennial?
You can use grounding techniques (such as walking barefoot, put your hands in water, picking up or touching items near you, savoring a scent) to help create space from distressing feelings in nearly any situation. After a few minutes of reconnecting back to the earth, reassess your need for caffeine. Sometimes all our bodies need in the morning is a different kind of recharge.
If the desire to have a cup of coffee is still there, drink a cup of water first.
After a few days of this practice, you may find your coffee consumption goes down from 2-3 cups in the morning to 1-2.
Progress over perfection.
For more tips on GROUNDING, read HERE.
#4: WALK AROUND THE BLOCK
Step outside. Breathe deep. Move your body.
A short walk is a great daily ritual that gets you sunshine, fresh air and a chance to take in and appreciate the beauty that surrounds you.
Try not to combine this with a dog walk!
This is time for YOU to reconnect with yourself and/or with your children.
#5: GET DRESSED
This can be one of the most important things you can do for your emotional, mental, and psychological health, especially during a time when working from home has become more common. Getting out of our night clothes, and into day attire gets us out of stagnancy.
Switch up the wardrobe. If we wearing similar clothing when working out, going out, and when working, it could potentially impact our ability to transition from one mode to another.
Quite literally, what we wear helps us make those transitions mentally.
#6: SHAKE IT OUT
I said what I said!
Get off your keester and DANCE! Be it the latest TikTok dance, a shimmy, or a quick yoga flow with added fist pumps, movement at any point in the day can only benefit you.
I won’t list the endless benefits because we all know how good we feel after exercise and/or a brief dance session. I will, however, recommend Youtube-ing some fun dance tutorials and/or beginner shuffling videos. Trust me. It’s a blast!
Plus, you’ll have some cool dance moves the next time you’re randomly in a room full of people and you want to break the ice.
Totally speaking from experience.
THE SELF-CARE GUARANTEE
Complete honesty— Ian and I have done all of these inconsistently ourselves. There are days where I make the excuse of there not being “enough time”. Here’s a reframe for ya: it just isn’t a priority some days. And that’s okay. We will always make time for whatever is most important to us.
A balanced and calm mind should be a priority, especially when we feel we are at capacity and cannot manage anymore. That’s when we need it the most.
If you’re the type of person that needs gentle reminders or maybe needs an accountability partner, reach out to a friend or partner.
Sticky notes on the mirror or alarms for certain times during the day also work wonders!
Five minutes every day is do-able. Make that commitment to yourself.
You’re important too, friend.
Happy self-care-ing!
