We asked BuzzFeed writers and the BuzzFeed Community to share their favorite self-care tips. Here are some of the best ones.
1. Put clean sheets on your bed.
2. Try disconnecting from the world for a couple of hours.
"Turning off your phone or muting your social media notifications can work wonders for your mind. You'll be able to truly relax because you won't have that constant need to reply to a message or notification instantly. And if the thought of switching off freaks you out, try it in small increments or when you're out doing something with a friend."
3. Watch a movie, TV show, or comedy set that always makes you laugh hysterically.
4. Clean out your wallet, bag, or desk to give yourself that nice-fresh-start feeling.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
5. Go for a walk, ride, or hike.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
6. Say something nice about yourself.
7. Make a gratitude list or create your own happiness manifesto.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
8. If you're feeling stressed, try tidying your surrounding area to help put your mind at ease.
"Vacuum your bedroom floor, shower, and put on clean pajamas. Even it if feels unnecessary, you'll feel so clean and less stressed afterward."
9. Find a support group that can help you with a specific thing you’re dealing with.
"Psychology Today’s group therapy and support group finder is a good place to start."
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
10. Floss.
11. Light some candles.
"Go for unscented ones if you don’t like a lot of fragrances — the ambience they create is still very nice. You could also do string lights or faux candles, or just remember to flick off your overhead lights and turn on a few lamps."
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
12. Change up your hair or wardrobe every once in a while to give your mind and body a refresh.
13. Have a designated time for using your phone or laptop so you're not looking at them directly before bed.
"Having a designated time to look at your screens helps you to sleep better. You'll find that your eyes won't be so tired when you go to sleep and wake up. Or, if you can't commit to this, try blue light–blocking glasses. They're kind of like putting every screen on night mode."
—uwu
14. Commit to a daily fitness routine that makes self-care, not results, a priority.
"My workouts are definitely self-care. There are days when that is the only time I take just for myself, and it reinforces that I am capable even when I don't feel it. The key to being able to view it as self-care, though, was to divorce it from trying to get particular results. I do it because I enjoy it."
15. Get some good-quality sleep as often as you can.
"A good night's sleep is SO important to your physical and mental health, and so many of us can forget that. It goes hand in hand with exercising regularly and having a balanced diet, so make sure you're not skimping on getting in your optimal number of hours at the end of the day."
16. Pick ONE single chore that needs to get done and do it.
17. If you need a release, dance out all the stress that is weighing you down.
"I like to listen to tacky music, dance in front of a mirror, and bust some moves I would never dare do in public! It's a good release."
18. Use essential oils and other aromatherapy techniques to help you relax.
"The place I go to provides different scents for different purposes, and they all work wonderfully."
19. Have a beauty-specific self-care day.
"At least one day out of the week, typically a Saturday or Sunday, I'll do a full-blown beauty or skincare routine. This usually includes cleansing, exfoliating scrub, hair mask, face mask, and moisturizer. Then, to end my night, I'll make a hot cup of tea and read. I find that reading before bed makes me feel more relaxed and refreshed, as opposed to scrolling through my phone for hours. Depending on how much or how little you spend on beauty or skincare products, you could easily find inexpensive but still-effective drugstore products!"
20. Go outside.
21. Clean or tidy your bedroom or living room, and then plop down in your clean space to do something you enjoy or to just...be.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
22. Read for free using a library app.
"Reading more has helped me a lot. Joining my local library and using the Libby app was very useful during quarantine, and I've continued to use it."
23. Save posts that make you smile.
"If you're on something like Tumblr or Reddit, you can save posts. Personally, I like to save things that I know will make me smile, like funny posts or cute animal videos, and then when I'm struggling, I go to my saved posts and scroll through them."
24. Splurge a little and get a mani-pedi every once in a while to help you feel a bit more put together.
25. Ease those tired muscles with a yoga session.
"Costs nothing — there are a ton of free yoga videos on YouTube."
26. Set firm boundaries.
"Costs nothing, might be difficult at first, but it is so worth it and will save your mental health in the long run. Stop wasting too much of your own mental sanity on other people’s problems. Put your oxygen mask on first; take care of yourself so you’re more able to take care of those who need you."
27. Get a haircut.
28. Take a very long, involved shower.
29. Sit by a peaceful body of water.
"Sitting at the water's edge. Doesn't matter if it's a lake, a river, or the ocean. It always helps me relax and breathe easy for a moment. When I'm stressed, I look for the nearest body of water to visit."
—eell
30. Read religious texts or attend religious services.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
31. Try a relaxing hobby like cross-stitching.
"I took up cross-stitch during lockdown last year, and it's so relaxing. If I'm in a bad mood, I can stab something, and instead of a murder charge, I've made something cool. There are loads of awesome patterns on Etsy; it doesn't always have to be old lady–style stuff, either. For example, I recently commissioned a pattern of the characters from my favorite TV show!"
32. Unwind with a coloring book.
"Coloring books and coloring apps. It's always calming, and it helps me sleep when I'm having bad insomnia."
33. Watch your favorite childhood movie.
34. Put an end to doomscrolling.
"Doomscrolling has been one of the biggest causes of stress for me. I've started identifying what kind of news I need to be aware of and what is just causing unactionable worry. I stay aware of how much caution I need to exercise about COVID, and get involved in tackling issues in ways that are affordable and safe for me, but I've cut way back on how much news I read."
35. Bird-watch.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
36. Use YouTube to find free guided meditations.
"YouTube has tons of free ASMR, guided meditations, etc., and it's all free. You don't need apps like Calm or Headspace."
37. Cultivate creative playlists as a mood booster.
"Listening to music. Have a playlist ready to go of your favorites!"
—J M
38. Listen to your favorite album from when you were a preteen or teen, one that you haven't heard in a WHILE.
39. Drink. Water.
"Look, water is not a cure-all, but it'll help. At work, I'm the patron saint of STAY HYDRATED because growing up, I didn't drink a ton of water (I was a soda gal). Just have a few glasses throughout the day. You don't HAVE to overdo it, but you will definitely feel better when you wake up tomorrow."
—Allie Hayes
40. Try meditating.
41. Go to a barbershop for a traditional shave.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
42. Call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while and have a nice, long catch-up session.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
43. Shake off the energy of a long day by having a hot shower followed by a pampering session.
"Take the kind of shower where you can feel the day wash off, and then lotion and face-mask it up to feel like you're starting fresh and not taking your day to bed with you."
44. Do a crossword puzzle or sudoku.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
45. Look through old family photos.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
46. Reach out to someone, anyone, you'd like to speak to (call, email, text, etc.).
47. Visit a natural science museum, history museum, or the zoo.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
48. Find an activity or hobby that relaxes you.
49. Drink the most delicious hot beverage you can think of — coffee, tea, hot chocolate, warm milk with honey, etc.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
50. Cook or bake.
"Not only will this engage all of your senses, but you’ll also be left with something incredibly delicious to eat, which is a second form of self-care. A loaf of homemade bread and/or a delicious pot of soup is my go-to for this."
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
51. Commit to a daily skincare routine that not only is something you enjoy but also gives you time to focus on yourself.
52. Watch the sun rise or set.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
53. Organize something small.
54. Spend time with someone you like, and whose presence always leaves you feeling energized.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
55. Look up at the stars/moon/night sky.
"Maybe identify a planet or constellation if you're feeling brainy."
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
56. Wash your feet.
"When I don't have the bandwidth for a full shower, washing my feet always helps a lot."
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
57. Make a mood board (IRL or online) dedicated to something you're passionate about or something that calms you down.
58. If you have unused vacation days...use them.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
59. Listen to birdsong or nature sounds.
60. Have a good, long cry.
61. Go to the doctor for a physical if it’s been a while, or if there’s something you’ve been meaning to get checked out.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
62. Do a puzzle.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
63. Take a stretching break.
64. If you've got the time, indulge yourself with a bath, some music, and a nice beverage.
65. Write a letter to a friend or loved one telling them how much they mean to you.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
66. If you have access to a fireplace or outdoor firepit or campfire space, build a fire and then hang out by it.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
67. Catch up on all those books you've been meaning to read.
68. Go for a drive.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
69. Take some time to unfollow toxic people on social media.
70. Do a little light yard work — nothing too strenuous, just something that’ll get your blood moving and make you feel accomplished.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
71. Get a no-polish manicure (often called a “men’s manicure”). Having neat, clean nails is such a small thing, but it’s so nice.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
72. Revisit a hobby you loved when you were young — drawing, playing a musical instrument, woodworking, model trains, etc.
73. Get very cozy — cozy socks, soft pants and top, a robe, a great blanket — and then settle in to do one of the other things on this list.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
74. Create or follow a system to keep yourself from feeling burnt out.
75. Reread your favorite book.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
76. Watch a super-engaging documentary that won’t rile you up.
"Planet Earth is my fave, but several Ken Burns docs — The Roosevelts, Prohibition, and The National Parks — are incredibly mellow and good without being depressing."
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
77. Go through your closet and donate things you no longer wear or want.
78. Do a big purge of your garage, your linen closet/bathroom cabinets, or even just your mail pile/paperwork. Ahhhhh.
—Rachel Wilkerson Miller
79. Treat yourself to some comfort food.
80. Or prepare your favorite meal from scratch.
Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity.
This post contains content from Farrah Penn, Allie Hayes, Rachel Wilkerson Miller, and Isha Bassi. It was compiled by Laura Frustaci.