Indulgence and pampering yourself sounds amazing in theory, but going to yoga classes, nice dinners, movie tickets, and therapy sessions can get expensive. However, prioritizing your health doesn’t have to be expensive. With a little creativity, self-care can be simple and cost little to no money. Here are 20 simple self-care ideas that you can do for free.
1. Take a long walk in nature to clear your head. Walk in the woods if you have access to them or throw on headphones with your favorite music and walk around the city.
2. Do something fun outside like a cute picnic if the weather is nice. Pack snacks you have lying around the house. Then, grab a reusable bag, pack a blanket, and find a cozy spot on the grass.
3. Put your phone on “Do not disturb” mode and ignore the outside world for an entire day. It’ll do wonders to have some peace and quiet.
4. Take a long hot bath with candles you have lying around the house. Soak up the suds and rest your mind and body.
5. Make a homemade face mask with ingredients you have lying around at home. For some easy DIY face mask recipes, read here.
6. Take a break by watching cute cat videos or funny dog videos and laugh you stress away.
7. Have a movie night with yourself or with friends. Binge on Disney movies. Have a rom-com marathon or scary movie marathon. If you don’t have Netflix, you can watch free movies on a public version of Netflix called Kanopy. Kanopy is an on-demand streaming video platform for public libraries and universities that offers films and documentaries. Just keep in mind you will need an active library card to log in.
8. Wear your comfiest clothes and meditate. In my opinion, meditation is an underrated form of self-care because it’s so simple that you can do anywhere and calms both the body and mind. If you need help getting started, here is a step by step guide to meditation for beginners.
9. Read a book under cozy blankets at home. If you don’t have any, get one for free at your local library or if you don’t want to leave your house, try the free library app. Libby is a convenient phone app where you can check out ebooks and audiobooks from the comfort of your home for free. Just keep in mind you will need an active library card when you log in.
10. Create a gratitude list of 10 things you’re grateful for. Sometimes we forget how grateful we are for simple things like our health, friends, or a home. Writing down what we are grateful for can make us feel better.
11. Spend an entire Sunday in bed and don’t leave your house. You officially get permission to be a couch potato and not be productive.
12. Channel your inner child. When’s the last time you felt carefree? Remember how simple life was before you had responsibilities and bills? To feel carefree again, do something you enjoyed as a kid. Some people swear by adult coloring books, but they stress me out. Choose something personal to you that you know you’ll enjoy. Personally, my go-to is eating a mountain of ice cream.
13. Go to a free event if you’re in the mood to go out. There are typically free days for local museums, botanical gardens, and sometimes even music venues. You can search free local events on Facebook and Google.
13. Take a bike ride. Getting movement and nature is a great way to relax and unwind. And remember you don’t have to spend money on a rental. If you don’t have a bike, borrow a friend’s.
15. Do a DIY project you’ve been procrastinating. It could be repainting a picture frame, cutting old jeans into shorts, or repotting a plant that’s outgrown its pot. Make some time for yourself and your projects.
16. Express yourself through art. Find some colorful supplies at home and create art based on your mood. It could be something simple like a sharpie or fancy like watercolors. If you don’t know where to start, here are some drawing ideas.
17. Declutter to make space for joy. Marie Kondo your bedroom to make more mental and physical space for joy. Basically, the Marie Kondo method of tidying up is to get rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy. If those jeans don’t fit anymore, donate them to a local charity. Only keep the items that spark joy in your life.
18. Make some hot cocoa or hot tea. You would be surprised what sipping a warm beverage can do to calm your nerves. Click here a list of teas for self-care.
19. Do a random act of kindness. There’s nothing like the feeling of giving kindness to someone else. It could be giving them a compliment or just giving a hand if they could use some help. If you need some ideas to get started, here is a list of 50 random acts of kindness.
20. Do something nice for someone you care about. The only thing that feels better than helping a stranger is helping someone you love. You could pick a flower on the way home to give or offer to help a friend move and the best part is they’ll likely return the favor when you least expect it.
Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be expensive. You can practice self-care for free with a little creativity and intention. Share this list of self-care activities with a friend or invite them to try one out with you.
