9 People Share How Their Self-Care Has Evolved Since Last Year

The Unwinding by Sharecare app can help you manage stress, build better habits, and incorporate mindfulness into your life. Here are some real-life examples of how self-care can include mindfulness and intentionality.

1. Be aware that the small moments of your life can be intentional self-care.

Via Getty Images

This might sound cliché but 2020 taught me to really appreciate the simplest of pleasures. When life and the world were going completely wild around me, I invested in the little joys in my day that I could control and I've continued to do the same since. Things like taking my morning walk or jog, listening to the radio after dropping my son off at school, having a hot cup of coffee, texting with my sisters, and seeing my son's ear-to-ear grin when I pick him up at the end of the day give me the boosts of serotonin I need to handle whatever decides to come barreling my way with a little more perspective and resilience.

—Victoria T.

2. Rather than striving for a goal, think of your exercise routine as a time to be present and mindful.

Via Getty Images

With COVID limiting outdoor activities, the boredom and restlessness became too overwhelming. I would spend hours lying in bed jumping from one social media app to another, from one TV show to another, feeling incredibly bored, restless, and inactive. Finally, I decided that I needed to do things that felt fulfilling, not just unsatisfying things to pass the time while waiting for the next day to arrive. So I started going back to my old routine of jogging at the park twice a week. This has felt good for me not just physically but also emotionally and mentally. During my jogs, I get to have my thoughts to myself, admire nature, and decompress. I've stopped feeling restless and I'm doing something fulfilling.

—Anne F. 

3. A hobby is a perfect way to quiet your mind and stay in the moment.

Via Getty Images

I'm not sure where I read it but "may you live in interesting times" is a great way to explain 2020 for me. I was promptly furloughed at work, my savings account drained, and uncertainty loomed in the back of my mind daily. While I haven't had a three-month break from work in over a decade, it was hardly a vacation. It was stressful so I had to find ways to occupy my mind. I began with cooking and learned several new dishes I've always wanted to learn. Next was the pergola in the backyard. While I've never been a carpenter, I had too much time on my hands so I gave it a swing. After that was built quickly, I needed something else to do. I found coffee. It had always been there in the morning but I was no longer able to go to my local café to grab a quality cup, so I figured how hard could it be?

I started on an old popper, then realized quickly that I needed to upgrade so I bought an air roaster. I think at first it was just a pursuit for a great cup but then I realized I enjoyed the process. I had to figure out what region's beans I liked and what elevation was the best. Are the beans roasted better light, medium, or dark? How long should the Maillard phase be? First crack or second crack? How many seconds into the crack? I found that I could dedicate myself to a craft that would challenge me but demanded focus and research. In the end, I did discover my perfect cup of joe. I also found I needed a hobby. Something to keep me busy, something to create and bring me joy, and share with the people around me. It was a void in my life I didn't know was there and I'd finally found something to fill it with. 

—Chris T.

4. Give yourself the opportunity to unwind with regular journaling.

Via Getty Images

I had journaled almost every single day of my life since the seventh grade. But after COVID hit in March 2020, I found it difficult to sit down and write about how I felt because I wasn’t feeling too optimistic about the future. Eventually, I decided to make a more active effort to write again every day. While it wasn’t easy to find the motivation, just getting something down on a page — no matter how large or small — really helped me work through the things I was going through. Now, I’m continuing to make it a priority! This, year, I’ve already filled up three times as many pages as I did last year and I have no plans to slow down. 

—Brooke B.

5. Focusing on making positive choices for your day and for your living environment.

Via Getty Images

In the past, there were four things that helped me manage my mental health: volunteering, making time to see friends in person, working out, and spending time with animals. Because of COVID, I was really limited in how I did the first three things. I volunteered at a hospital but then they weren't allowing volunteers in, gyms were closed for a long time, and I wasn't comfortable seeing friends indoors. Instead, I tried to focus on what I could do instead of what I couldn't do! For me, that meant volunteering outdoors at a food bank, connecting with friends online, and not beating myself up for not being as active. I also tried to focus more on making my apartment somewhere I wanted to be; I started collecting plants and making small decor changes that made my tiny space feel like a home!

—Dana V.

6. Instead of trying to distract yourself, create new habits that allow you to quiet yourself and focus inward.

Via Getty Images

The hardest thing about COVID for me was having so much free time. I quickly realized that in my prepandemic life, I was deliberately stacking my days to be super busy as some kind of emotional coping mechanism. But the quarantine showed me that I couldn't do that anymore and I'd have to find a new relationship with time. It took a while but eventually I developed a new routine that slowed me down. I meditated daily, even if it was just for five minutes. I introduced relaxing and introspective activities into my day that had no purpose other than my enjoyment of them: I painted, bought a jump rope, and went on idle walks that were just about taking in the city around me. I even bought little badminton rackets and rallied on my balcony with my boyfriend whenever we felt like it. This has really given my nervous system a break and allowed my brain to catch up and to sit with my thoughts. But the idea of doing something with no purpose other than doing it is a form of self-care that I hadn't learned until COVID forced me to. Life slowed down and my mental health significantly improved.

—Cassie Y. 

7. Understand that true self-care isn't about relaxation. It's about making intentional choices.

Luis Alvarez / Getty Images / Via gettyimages.com

As the world was opening back up in spring/summer, I felt the pressure to make the most of all the time I missed out on in the past year. I thought I was giving myself the self-care I thought I needed by filling up my social calendar but it ended up being the exact opposite. To go from 0 to 100 so quickly, I was emotionally overextended and it bled into my personal and professional life, so I decided to pump the brakes. It took some time to overcome the FOMO and lingering anxiety that I was wasting my nights, but I had to keep reminding myself that staying in with sushi and a good book on a Friday was as much self-care as going out with my friends. I just had to do what felt right for me in the moment. 

—Emily C. 

8. Focusing on a pet is a great way to help you be present and in the moment.

Via Getty Images

I am allergic to cats but during the pandemic, I got a cat. My family back home was in a tragically vulnerable position during the height of the outbreak so I was in a mental state where I was constantly worrying about their well-being. But due to travel restrictions, I couldn’t physically be there. So with the cat, I had someone I could actively take care of. Whenever I felt worried about my family, I remembered that while I couldn’t be there for them, I needed to be here for this furry creature that depends on me. It was a “things I can control” sorta exercise and it totally worked. The trick worked so well, I even got a second cat!

—Tim U.

9. Understand that breaking the cycle of anxiety involves intentionally setting aside time to be with yourself.

Via Getty Images

Before COVID happened, I used to plan every second of my day. I relished in having a routine. Friend dates had to be scheduled months in advance and I traveled at least twice a month — I was always on the go. Saying I had a packed agenda would be an understatement. Once COVID hit and I found myself forcefully home, it took me a minute (a very looong minute) to get used to an empty calendar. This didn't happen overnight at all but I realized how much I missed spending time by myself and with myself. I had been hopping around from activity to activity for so long, I had forgotten to slow down enough to get in touch with my feelings and thoughts (and I had been stuck in an unhappy relationship for a while, which I ultimately left). As I spent more time on my own, a lot of things happened: I began to feel love for myself again, to embrace the slow passing of time as a replacement of productivity, and to rejoice in being in my own company. I don't know if I would've taken a moment to look in the mirror and listened to myself had the entire world not been put on pause. Now, well into 2021, I am still putting myself and my needs first, investing my time more intentionally in everything I do. 

—Marie M. 

You're one step away from better handling anxiety and daily stress. Download the Unwinding by Sharecare app today and get access to science-based practices and tools. Be happier, more aware, and more focused on the things that matter most to you starting now.

Get it delivered via your smartphone or tablet today.