Daily Self-Care: Feel-Good Activities You Should Do Every Day

What do you think of when you hear “self-care?” Most people would likely say bubble baths, some retail therapy, or a massage. 

While these luxuries are certainly self-care, they’re just a small snapshot of it. Taking care of yourself involves little things that mean you are maintaining your mental and physical wellbeing. 

At Inner Balance, we help our clients resolve trauma and mental health issues. Part of treatment here is learning how to find mental wellness outside of our practice. That’s where daily self-care comes in.

‍Curious about mental health counseling at Inner Balance? Read more about our services, or you can click here to get started with life-changing therapy today.

What Daily Self-Care Looks Like

Daily self-care includes the basic, necessary tasks that keep your mind and body running. These aren’t things we really consider fun or even something positive. However, we’ll feel the effects if we neglect these tasks. 

Take Care Of Your Health

Mental health and physical health are tethered together. When one isn’t healthy, it often affects the other. For example, you probably notice how you feel physically when you’re dehydrated—fatigue, nausea, and dry mouth aren’t fun. But have you noticed how you may feel more anxious when you’re not drinking water?

Water intake is linked to anxiety and depression. So is sleep, so is exercise, and so is nutrition. Daily self-care involves keeping your body healthy. 

Daily self-care ideas for health can involve:

• Eating enough
• Eating nutritiously
• Getting enough sleep
• Getting outside
• Brushing your teeth

Again, we’re talking daily self-care—it doesn’t benefit everyone to make extreme diet changes or start an intense exercise routine. If you decide to just have a serving of vegetables in every meal, or you add 10 minutes of stretching into your morning routine, you’re taking care of yourself.

Read more about how sleep and mental health are tied together.

Do Things That Make You Feel Good About Yourself

You’ve likely heard the idiom: “Look good, feel good.” It’s not without merit. You don’t need to do a long, elaborate skin care routine and get dressed to the nines every day. Again, small tasks to check off the to-do list can go a long way.

Even if you don’t need to go anywhere, change out of your pajamas. Wash your face. Brush your hair. Take a shower. These small things can feel refreshing and revitalizing. 

Create a Routine

Routine doesn’t have to mean rigidity. A routine can be ritualistic, giving meaning to the mundane.

One common routine you hear about is a morning routine. It’s so popular to create a morning routine because starting the day with accomplishment sets the tone for a positive day mentally. Following the same steps every day after you wake up triggers that reward system in your brain, meaning you feel good early on.

Find Small Things That Bring You Joy

Even if a lot of daily self-care doesn’t seem “fun,” you can still create a lot of joy in it. 

For example, drinking a tasty herbal tea may not be required for your health, but it’s not hurting anyone and it makes you happy. Or you may not love the taste of water, so you add a flavor packet to it that you enjoy.

Another example is crafting. Again, it’s not something that’s going to improve your health, but it gives your brain a break from work and your normal routine, and it’s something that brings joy.

It’s Still Ok to Do “Unproductive” Self-Care

On that same note, it’s important to do those larger self-care activities as you need them. You’re allowed to take a bubble bath and relax, buy that iced coffee while running errands, eat ice cream for dinner, and have a spa day a few times a year.

The reason we don’t do these every day is that they can impact our physical health and our finances, which can deteriorate our mental health. But sparingly and intentionally splurging can be good.

Learn how some self-care like retail therapy can be both helpful and harmful.

The purpose of daily self-care is to keep our mental health at a healthy, elevated baseline. It won’t lead to the same feelings that grandiose self-care things create, but to make it so that we don’t feel like we constantly need to do them. 

Why Daily Self-Care is Important

It’s easier to get to a good spot mentally and physically if you have a little bit of a head start. Maintaining wellness can help you recover from any emotional downturns faster, or limit how severe they are.

Have you ever felt a sense of accomplishment or even just satisfaction over something small? That’s what daily self-care can provide. Even little victories can trigger our brain’s reward system, which sends “feel good” hormones that boost our moods.  

Daily self-care doesn’t always feel like much, but it lays the foundation for a healthy, grounded mental state.

Read our full guide on stress management to learn more about the benefits of daily self-care.

Building a Daily Self-Care Routines—Creating Habits

Doing self-care daily means you need to build good habits. And building habits boils down to consistency. It can be difficult, but keep in mind that anything worth doing is worth doing in any capacity. 

If you feel too tired to brush your teeth before bed, brush your teeth for just a few seconds. It’s better than not doing it. If part of your nightly routine is doing the dishes, but you feel overwhelmed by what’s in the sink, clean just two plates. Stretch for two minutes in the morning instead of 10 when you’re busy.

Discover the Best Way of Taking Care of You

At Inner Balance Counseling, we can help you find the best way to maintain your mental wellness. Daily-self care can go deeper than just taking care of your body and creating a routine, and we want to help you find what works best for you.

Reach out today to get started. Whether you are ready to dive in or just have some questions, we’re here for you.

Learn more about our counseling services.