Self Care: 111 Things You’re Forgetting to Do

“Nature therapy is a big thing for improving mood,” says Dr. Stair. “Science has shown that just being in nature (or even just looking at photos of nature) naturally improves one’s mood.”

16 — You can plan a full day picnic in big gardens/parks

17- Visit a nearby Park just with 3 Bs: blanket, book, and a beverage

18- Things of beauty, natural wonders; nearby or far away

19- Artistic wonders like museums

20 — Revisit your favorite place

21- Just do people watching

We are so blessed to have so many parks nearby, some even within walking distance. Just visiting the park can cheer someone up. It lifts my mood immediately. Nature does magic.

22 — Food can be a restaurant meal; or just some fast food

23-Ice Cream / Gelato

24- Nearby coffee shop

Ice cream, especially gelato in our area happened to be our family favorite. We visit that place many times just to satisfy our sweet tooth, and always brighten our day. Sometimes we would get a pint from Coldstone Creamery back home to enjoy later.

25- Sleep in late

26- Take a nap

27- Just burn a candle while working on your dream, which is my favorite. I can work late nights working on my blogs; I love it.

28- Just do whatever your loved ones want to do if it is about their care. If you love them enough, you will do it. I don’t care much for golf, but my family likes it; so we make a point to go to a mini-golf course in our area. Planned our kids’ birthdays in that place. I went to movies with my friends just because they wanted to go and see those movies.

There are 3 factors in journaling.

29- Journaling to write what you like about yourself; yes, we are talking about self-love and self-care here.

30- Journaling what you like about your close ones. I had 3 diaries/journals kept for our family: 2 for our kids, one for my husband. Every day, I noted at least one thing which I liked about them. This increased my appreciation towards them and also lifted their spirits.

31- List the things which you don’t like about yourself or in your life. Write them and then burn that paper; say goodbye to them.

32- Can take help on daily chores of cooking from your family.

33 — Bake together. Baking together always had a magical effect on our family. My husband always watched YouTube videos on cooking, baking but he never entered our kitchen. So my younger daughter pointed out to him that he loves to cook, mainly baking. He took her word and started baking and they thoroughly enjoy their time together baking still. I do enjoy eating what they bake together. My husband has become an expert at baking bread and pizza now.

34 — Detoxification by choosing your food to detox, we do that using book “7 Day Detox Miracle”

35 — Detoxification by taking a tech break

This is a proven technique. The further away you are from technology: your cellphone, iPad, PC, etc.; the closer you are with your family and friends. Period.

36 — This can be anything, just having a meal together when your TV is off, playing games together, going to parks, restaurants, coffee shops, or taking short or long vacations. Everything worked for us. We always made a point to spend time together so we were not shocked by the Pandemic like many of my friends; they had no idea what to do when a full family is around all the time.

37- Sing together, dance together; just have fun quality time together. You can have quality time with yourself. As Swami Vivekananda says, talk to yourself; else you will miss out on talking to one the most intelligent person.

38- Yoga is a great stress reliever.

Yoga has been part of my life for decades. Our family physician recommended that I should practice yoga in my teenage years. Then it became part of my life. During a certain period of my life, I didn’t practice my yoga and started facing problems; so quickly turned back to my yoga solution. It was not that easy for my husband but it became part of his life when he started practicing meditation. Whether you guys sign up for a class or find a tutorial on YouTube, yoga is a great way to find your way back to happiness. Now I am glad to say that my kids love yoga too, maybe because of watching us; don’t know. I don’t care for credit for that anyway.

39- Pranayama (Breathing exercises) strengthens the connection between your body and mind.

40- meditation is something typically done alone, but everything is always more fun with or for a loved one!

My husband had high blood pressure and at the time I attended a seminar by the South Asian Heart Center. Every doctor who came on stage mentioned that meditation can help control blood pressure. So I suggested it to my husband, but he refused to learn. He said most of these places are cults. So, I went ahead and learned from many organizations and taught him. Got some DVDs on guided meditation and am now glad to say that he practices those and his blood pressure is under control.

41- Practice mindfulness attitude.

42- Give them or yourself flowers. This was my husband’s trick; whenever we fought, he would send me flowers. Nowadays we don’t argue much; so I am missing the flowers. You can pluck or get flowers for yourself too.

43- Cannot do for self-care, but can do with others. Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. A quick search for pranks on Google or Pinterest will help you find some healthy and clever pranks. That is what my brother did for me and still, it puts a smile on my face.

Oh, there are many kinds of exercise, just mentioning a few ones.

44- Run, walk, jog. Can do various exercises at home. “Exercise is a fun way to build endorphins, increase oxygen, get you moving and distract you from a bad mood.

45- You can do whatever exercise you want, but if you want to be extra silly, try skipping. You will lift yourself and others too.

46- Just go to the gym and find various options, take classes.

47- Dancing has been our fun activity during Pandemic. My husband and I do it for exercise; still waiting for our kids to join us. Want a fun activity that’s sure to take anyone’s mind off their woes? Make up a dance to your loved one’s favorite song, or try to copy the existing choreography.

48- Sometimes being annoying can be endearing, too. If it smiles at them, it’ll be worth it. My kids love animals and we don’t have any pets; so this is a way to give them the enjoyment of having pets. I find many funny dog or cat posts and tag them in any and everything that might give them a laugh.

49- Unfollow toxic, inactive connections. What is the point of having thousands of followers if you are not connected or communicating?

50-Join new FB groups

51- Make a TikTok / YouTube short and upload it

52- Say hi to your 10 followers on Instagram

53- Make beautiful Pinterest pins, I just love doing that.

54- We covered this part by going to nearby parks or even going on vacation before. This category is to cover all other remaining options. So, whether you’re in the middle of a metropolis, or you’re lucky enough to live a stone’s throw from a national park, find something to do outside. Even if it’s just 15 minutes of the fresh air outside, just in your backyard; it can boost your friend or loved one’s spirit.

55- Watch the sunrise, sunset from your backyard; watch the sky after sunset.

56- Talking is one of the most effective ways to cheer someone up. You can talk to yourself or a higher power if it is about self care, self love.

Encourage your loved ones to share their feelings! “Teenagers (especially girls) often say that when they are stressed that they want someone to talk to about things. Be there for them, listen to them. Listen with your eyes; what does that mean? Means look at them when they are talking to you. If you are cooking or looking at your phone, it is not considered compassionate listening.

57- This is different from cooking with them.

This I learned from my daughter. As a mom, I was always cooking; so whether it is downtime or happy time, I would be cooking. We had a live-in nanny when our kids were small, but still, I cooked meals since my husband didn’t like her cooking.

Once my daughter had invited one of her friends and she told me that she was cooking pasta for her because she felt that her friend was facing some hard times. You can always learn from others, right?

Once we were in a restaurant for breakfast on New Year’s Day; and I was asking a waitress what she did for the eve? She said she just cooked a nice meal for her and enjoyed. Now that is self-care, self-love.

58 -My husband and I got married in an arranged way; our parents arranged for us. So when we got married, we hardly knew each other. I do remember our “Honeymoon” mainly because we dreamed of our future together in a bright way. If your pal is particularly upset about a recent test score, tell your own experiences and share your wisdom with them.

59 — Make a Vision Board; you can visualize goals, dreams while practicing self-care. Do with your loved ones when you are caring for them.

60- This is quite natural for girls, they always look in the mirror and smile. I remember doing it all the time when I was a teenager. Just make us feel good.

61- We never tried this but watched it on TV and found it interesting. In Greek families, restaurants; this is a common practice.

62- Make them laugh! Know what can make them laugh. Laughter is good, but sometimes some people don’t appreciate certain kinds of humor. If it is not natural to you, then borrow ideas from books, the internet; searching for clean jokes.

63- Practice laughter yoga, oh yes.

64- Have a smiling contest, make funny noises, do your best impression, etc. — the only catch is you have to keep your face as straight as possible, you can also play statue.

65- Get out of your comfort zone. This can go either way. If you try to assemble a new piece of furniture or do some gardening; it can frustrate you or uplift you. Know your balance and limits. Once you start feeling that it is going in the wrong way; stop.

66- I remember in my childhood, once my dad took us to a street hawker and told us that we can eat as many pani puris as we wanted. It was fun.

Grab your loved one’s favorite dish and eat it. See who is finishing it fast. If you are doing it just to uplift yourself, then get cozy and have your favorite dish. If you don’t want to cook then sure you know the ways of Uber Eats, DoorDash, etc.

67- One of my friends is recovering from Cancer, and it was hard for their family. So as a community, we took charge of their meals, so that the family can have some breather. You can do this for yourself too; since you are a loved one for self, right?

68- My family always had cute nicknames for me, which showed love for me. Come up with a nickname. The more ludicrous it is the better. I also have a nickname for myself, which tells me I am a winner, champion. At this point I make sure to make a list of 3 achievements in my life, or simple like 3 hard things I did that day; then it is quite easy to call myself a winner, a champion. What do you call yourself?

69- When we were in school, we had friendship bracelets and rings that made us feel so special. This throwback activity is sure to bring a smile to your friend’s face while they’re making it and whenever they look at it. You can make something nice for yourself too.

70- One of our business partners is a millionaire through our business, and he always had a challenge about what gift to give for Christmas. He started the Scavenger Hunt with his family and the whole family thoroughly enjoys it every Christmas. In self-care, I have just walked around in my backyard, exploring new flora. That was my Scavenger hunt.

71- In-person or just call your loved ones or text them.

This works for self-care and even while caring for them. Discussion can be on anything, politics, Hollywood, current happenings; anything. My husband and I always talk about primetime shows like “Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” etc.

72- We are blessed with 2 girls; so this was very easy for us. No idea how it can work with boys, they can dress up too, not sure about the make-up part though. But surely you can lift yourself, just by dressing up and putting on some good make-up.

73- Braid your hair in self-care or theirs in their care.

You can do it up in a fancy French braid, or just give them some flower child side braid. It is my experience that you cannot keep quiet in this activity. Easy way to open up. In self-care, hmm; you can braid your hair while looking into a mirror.

74- You’ve probably been doing this for years, but grab some popcorns, pizza, magazines, and ingredients to bake some cookies, and your night is guaranteed to be fun.

75- Some of these parties even one of the parents is invited; so double the fun.

76- Many times I was busy complimenting a stranger, I was overlooking my family. Then I heard on our business training CD that the people’s skills which you learn to apply to your family too. Then it was like lighting a light bulb into my brain. Also one of my mentors told us in our big business function that the best way to make my life miserable is to make my wife unhappy; then I thought it makes sense. Keep your friends, family, and surroundings happy and then you will be happy.

77- Joan Marie believes that young people need to give each other empowerment statements more frequently. We mentioned compliments, so these are similar but not the same. Sometimes you can just say that “We know you can do it”. This is more likely to boost their self-esteem and also to show a possible bright future. Of course in self-care, you can do it for yourself too. Try to convert something negative into positive; try it as a game.

78- Whenever I go to a party at someone’s place; I like to help them set their dishwasher. That just makes me feel good. Most of the time I cannot help them cook for the party but when I help them in cleaning up, I just feel that going over there for a party was not a burden for them but a blessing.

79- In self-care, just go to the farmers market, get an exotic fruit, go to a boutique store, and do window shopping.

80- This is a part of the exercise plan; but has audio and you can go alone for a walking tour with your audio or with a loved one. One of my mentors has a routine of listening to business training CDs, now streaming, and going for a walk. She gets her exercise with the business training.

81- This is my daughter’s therapy for me. If she sees me working hard even on a weekend, she makes me shut everything down and forces me to sit in front of the TV; and starts a nice heartwarming romantic movie. She may or may not sit with me to watch a movie but she does make my husband join me in watching the movie.

It is so funny, tech detox or getting help from help; both can be in self-care.

82- Identifying and focusing on the good things in your life is not only for Thanksgiving. One of my business associates suggested that my kids make a list of all things they can be grateful for; when they were at her place for a slumber party. We loved that idea. A natural way of practicing gratefulness.

83- Help your friend settle into their new house. It is a lot of work to pack and unpack in a move, you can just help your friend and have a good time together.

84- Just help them declutter their house or room. In such cases, your friend can be even your grown-up child. For yourself, just declutter your house or room.

85- Just set a goal of cleaning one corner of your house every day, if there is overwhelming work in your house. That will make you feel good that you achieved something that day and slowly all your work will be done in weeks or months.

86- A few years back I got the news that my father passed away. One of my clients/friends came running to my place and took me out for a Mani-Pedi day. We relaxed, we talked. At the end of the day, I was feeling light. I am so grateful to her for that.

87- We were on vacation one time and my younger daughter was going through some challenges. We didn’t go out much for sightseeing; but went for massages, Spa days and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

88- Can do just masks, facials on each other or just for yourself. It is very relaxing.

89- Can get a day pass at a nearby 5-star hotel and enjoy their facility.

90- Foam roll or stretch, releases all the tension sitting in your muscles.

91- Activities like iFly, Jumping stations, mini golf will take some money; but they sure provide value.

92- If you live near water, do water activities like boating, sailing, kayaking, etc.

93- Follow your passion. I love to paint and used to do oil painting. My daughter is after me to start that again.

94- Go to church, temple, mosque; whatever you believe in; depending on your religion. Going closer to a higher power; gives peace of mind.

95- Heard a lot about how horses are healing patients. But you can do simple things like going to a petting zoo and pet animals there.

96- Drink herbal tea / hot chocolate / fancy cocktails / healthy energy drinks/smoothie or just oxygenated water.

97- Go for a long car drive or just a bike ride.

98- Take selfies, take photos, arrange photos or just look at old photos.

99- This is different from a vision board. Vision boards have things that you want to achieve in the future, it can be time specific. A bucket list has things that you achieved before too. It is a complete list of things you want to achieve in your time.

100- Practice forgiveness; forgive self and others.

101- You might have said yes to something due to peer pressure or whatever, just go and tell them “no”.

102- Date, fun night, clubbing, or whatever clean fun you can have.

103- Tech organize, organize folders on your computer, delete unnecessary stuff. Clean email inbox.

104- Organize your closet, you will feel so good after you are done.

105- I love Vanilla, which one is your favorite?

106- Vitamin D is very instrumental in reducing anxiety.

107- I always thought I didn’t have a green thumb; but during the Pandemic, my husband encouraged me to do gardening and realized how much it can help in self care.

108- Just give a hug to loved ones.

109- Read inspiring quotes on Pinterest.

110- Essential Oils have many blends, choose which will elevate your mood.

111- As I mentioned before, one of my friends was recovering from Cancer and it was a really tough time for her family. We asked for specialized help, professionals, and non-profit and informed my friend that family is not all alone. There is help available. If you want, you can ask for professional help too, it is a part of self-care, self-love.

The bottom line, do what makes your soul happy. You have one life to live. Nourish your soul and not your ego. Excess of anything is poison; so just bringing a little balance into your life, you can practice self-care, self-love and you can be a blessing to others, can help them cheer up. With Love😍💕

I am Sue Pats; sharing my journey, my blessings with you all. Sharing some principles which helped us in our business from the great leaders and mainly our mentorship team. Came across a life-changing mentorship team with the business that changed our lives for good. So just sharing our testimony to inform you. In case of any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us; we will love to answer every question you have. In case we don’t have an answer, sure can recommend someone who can guide you. Details on our journey are on www.MynuBeginning.com

We got started on our business just to make some money, to create choices, options in our lives. Who knew that this business would help us in every area of our lives? But that surely happened, now it is our chance to spread our blessings to others.

This is a social media era and when you are finding out any new thing, we want you to have enough information and trust about the project you are looking into and that is why we want you to have complete information about our mentorship team and our team wants to know relevant information about you; before we proceed further. That is why we have a little longer screening process before they can start on our project.Sue Pats

Be a blessing in people’s lives; be a solution provider.