Self Improvement

5 Ideas For Self-Care On The Go

posted on July 16, 2018 | by Sam Brown

I LOVE feeling like I’ve got my shit together. But because I rarely have my shit together, that feeling comes from little things I do to trick myself that everything’s under control. So I thought I’d share a few of the things I do with you as well as some ideas to inspire you to squeeze a little self-care into your day. And these are all things that won’t take much time – because it doesn’t need to take three hours to feel good about yourself!

Look at your nails

I put this one first because having my nails done is my absolute go-to when it comes to self-care. Mainly because having beautiful nails makes me feel like everything else is OK – even if it isn’t! You don’t need to spend $$$ to have nice nails. There’s a ton of YouTube tutorials that’ll tell you the best drugstore products and how to achieve that salon effect. But if you can afford it and you’ve got a few minutes to spare, it’s always nice to have someone do them for you!

Practice gratitude

Practicing gratitude is a good way to look after yourself and you can do it absolutely anywhere. My favorite thing to do is say three good things about the day to my boyfriend before I go to sleep every night. But you can turn this into any kind of ritual! Maybe you think them through when you’re in the shower, when you’re on the train or when you’re riding the elevator at work. Whenever it is, reminding yourself that your day is NEVER as shitty as it feels is always going to help. Because sometimes it’s easy to forget you’ve got clean water, a warm bed and a full belly.

Do a face mask

Face masks have become a symbol of self-care, haven’t they? But it’s for a good reason! And honestly, I don’t think it’s even because of the way your skin feels after you do a face mask (though it does feel amazing!). More so, because it’s something that most would consider a luxury (even though there are plenty of cheap ways to do it). Plus, you’re doing it for your own benefit and nobody else’s. And I’m not arguing with that! Next time you’re watching Netflix after an exhausting day, pop on a face mask, too.

Be present

I feel like being present really is the best ‘on the go’ self-care there is because you can really be anywhere to do it. I’ve personally found that the easiest way to be present isn’t to focus on my breathing or anything like that, but simply to not be looking at my phone. If you’ve got a bit of a social media addiction (we’ve all been there!), I share my tips on how to curb it in this post. And I’ve actually found that cutting back social media to 2 checks per day gives me the same feeling as meditating consistently for three weeks. Definitely worth trying!

Be early

If there’s one thing that makes you feel like your life is HECTIC, it’s rushing to everything (I should know). I get that life happens and sometimes it’s impossible to get to things on time, but being a little more conscious of your time can be a huge sanity saver. Especially if the alternative is cursing your way through rush hour traffic. I’m still working on this one myself but thought it was still worth including. So far I’ve found that it makes a huge difference!

I hope you’ve found this post helpful! Let me know your favorite way to practice self-care in the comments.

And just so you know, I write more posts like this on my blog Smart Twenties.