7 Self-Care Tips To Make Your Week Better

Self-care is the best care.

Sian Butcher/ BuzzFeed

1. If you have 3 minutes: Learn how to give a quick massage.

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1 minute for you and your partner to watch the video + 1 minute for you to give a massage + 1 minute for you to get a massage.

2. If you have 5 minutes: Write a nice email.

Casey Rackham/Andy Golder / BuzzFeed

I recently sent an email to an editor I admire, congratulating her on how well her team had worked together on a big story – and how positive I found it that her team all supported each other's roles in getting the story.

The message took me less than five minutes to write, and though I felt a bit cringe for sending it, I really meant what I wrote. Over the rest of the day, all her team members stopped me to say thank you, and how nice it was to have their work recognised. I felt great, they felt great, and I'm going to do it more often now.

3. If you have 10 minutes: Think of the good you're going to do today.

Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed

This is part of a larger piece on how to be a morning person. The morning person boat has 100% sailed for me, and I will never wake bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. But I loved the intention behind this:

"The thought of all those unfinished tasks may drive you up a wall, but if you focus more on the impact that will come from completing them, you might feel better, Lombardo says. So, say that you’re a nurse or a janitor in a hospital, focusing on the good that comes out of these jobs — healthier people and a safer environment — might keep your negative feelings toward them from swirling around in your head. The same goes for all of your personal goals — just think about how accomplished you’re going to feel once you’ve taken a step toward reaching them."

4. If you have 15 minutes: Do some easy yoga poses.

Michelle Khare/ BuzzFeed

Try these stress-relieving positions.

If you don't have time for this, or you feel awkward about stretching in public, I am now going to give you my secret tip: Go the bathroom, run the taps to the perfect temperature, and take five minutes to lovingly and gently wash your hands. Imagine you're in a warm bath. Then dry them off with care, take a deep breath, and carry on with your day.

5. If you have 20 minutes: Find something that makes you snort with laughter.

Sian Butcher / BuzzFeed

Look, I know I am six months late on this one, but I recently started listening to the podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno and I have laughed snot out of my nose at least twice so far. Get it on iTunes here. And, proving that I am six months late on this, read this interview with the creators.

6. If you have 30 minutes: Try a guided meditation.

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This tip comes from commenter Nina Seale. She writes: "Listen to Andrew Johnson's Relax apps. He has the best voice ever! Will totally chill out anyone with anxiety." Find out more here, or click on the YouTube link for a video version.

7. If you have 30 seconds: Read this tweet.

BRiELLE @briellewestwood

I put this donut pillow on my dog 20 minutes ago and he loves it and won't let me take it off

10:12 PM - 05 Oct 2016

This is a weekly series. Have a self-care tip that you think should be in next week’s post? Let me know in the comments or tweet me!