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Do you have time to take care of yourself regularly? Not many people can say "yes" to this question because they are busy doing tasks for others.
I know for me that I will take care of myself some days better than other days. I am trying to change this and make better choices and choose myself first. So, on this quest to take care of myself, I created a list of tasks I can do in less than 20 minutes to show that I am taking care of myself.
Jump to:
- 1 Soak hands in warm, moisturizing water. Then add more Moisturizer after you dry your hands.
- 2 Make a great salad with all the healthy trimmings.
- 3 Do a 20-minute clean sweep: Put away items left out of place and clear the surfaces.
- 4 Take a 20-minute walk at a comfortable speed.
- 5 Get ready for your day.
- 6 Take multivitamins and drink a healthy shake with kale or dark greens.
- 7 Write in a gratitude journal.
- 8 Write down your goals and post them.
- 9 Straighten up and remove the paper from your desk.
- 10 Eat cucumbers or food that is refreshing.
- 11 Drink two large glasses of water.
- 12 Take a 20-minute power nap.
- 13 Bend down and touch your toes. Then do five jumping jacks.
- 14 Listen to your favorite music, and get up and dance.
- 15 Pick up the phone and call a dear friend or loved one.
- 16 Look through a photo album and admire what you have done with your life.
- 17 Take a hot bath and moisturize after.
- 18 Write up affirmations (supporting positive thoughts) and post them.
- 19 Create an emergency plan and an emergency kit.
- 20 Do yoga poses and deep breathing exercises.
1 Soak hands in warm, moisturizing water. Then add more Moisturizer after you dry your hands.
You can easily add your favorite moisturizing liquid to about half a bowl full of warm water. Stir to separate. Then, soak your hands for 20 minutes. When you are done, remove your hands, dry them with a cotton towel, and add more moisturizer.
2 Make a great salad with all the healthy trimmings.
The color in your salad is appealing to the eye and the stomach. Why not be creative with your next healthy salad?
3 Do a 20-minute clean sweep: Put away items left out of place and clear the surfaces.
Doing a tidying-up process allows you to keep your home clean and your mind clear.
4 Take a 20-minute walk at a comfortable speed.
Walking on a trail or in a quiet neighborhood works nicely.
5 Get ready for your day.
Create a list of tasks in order by priority, and be sure to add a to-do take care of yourself task. Making lists before you go to bed takes things off your mind and allows you to sleep better at night.
6 Take multivitamins and drink a healthy shake with kale or dark greens.
We have a few healthy shakes on our blog you can try.
BOOSTED CHOCOLATE PROTEIN SMOOTHIE
DAIRY-FREE VANILLA CHAI GINGER SMOOTHIE
DAIRY-FREE VANILLA TROPICAL GREENS SMOOTHIE
7 Write in a gratitude journal.
You can use gratitude journal (Affiliate Link) prompts to help you. Visit this post: 50 Daily Gratitude Journal prompts to help you notice the good in your life
8 Write down your goals and post them.
Visit some of our posts about goal setting. SEVEN SIMPLE QUESTIONS TO MAKE YOUR GOALS STICK and HOW TO JUMPSTART YOUR GOALS THIS YEAR
9 Straighten up and remove the paper from your desk.
Desk clutter has been known to distract oneself. Visit this post 30 Desk Items To Throw Away For A Tidy Space from our sister site (Sabrinasadminservices.com) for desk items to get rid of.
10 Eat cucumbers or food that is refreshing.
Some snack options that may help you could be cucumbers, celery, carrots, or anything with a crunch. Visit our post for healthy snack options for College Students. They can also be your go-to snack list.
11 Drink two large glasses of water.
Drinking water can help you considerably. Make sure the water is filtered to remove any tastes. Stay away from flavored water. Instead, add some cucumbers to your water for a refreshing spa-like drink.
12 Take a 20-minute power nap.
Power naps are refreshing ones. There are many benefits. Read more here.
Keep going! Below are even more take care of yourself tasks. Read on to check them out.
13 Bend down and touch your toes. Then do five jumping jacks.
Doing a little bit of exercise may get the body flowing again and may bring your spirits up.
14 Listen to your favorite music, and get up and dance.
Try some of the TikTok dance routines. Be a little silly. It’s OK!
15 Pick up the phone and call a dear friend or loved one.
Calling a close friend or loved one usually picks up your spirits and allows you to get out of your head.
16 Look through a photo album and admire what you have done with your life.
Watch home movies to see where you came from. Acknowledge that you are strong and that you have accomplished a lot over the years.
17 Take a hot bath and moisturize after.
Relax with a cup of herbal tea or decaffeinated Tea.
18 Write up affirmations (supporting positive thoughts) and post them.
Mantras are also an option to help you calm down and relax. Try these SIX POSITIVE MANTRA IMAGES TO START YOUR DAY OFF RIGHT
19 Create an emergency plan and an emergency kit.
Visit this post for a step-by-step emergency kit setup.
20 Do yoga poses and deep breathing exercises.
There are lots of deep-breathing exercises online you can try. Here is one that I found: Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response
These tasks may sound simple. And, of course, they are. But we need a reminder now and again. So, feel free to print this list and post it in your home to help you remember to take care of yourself.
I hope this helps you. Feel free to share this with anyone you know who needs to take care of themselves more. Let's discuss, in the comments section, what is your favorite way to take care of yourself. Does it work all the time? Do you do it often? I look forward to hearing from you.
Visit our another 20 Ways to Take Care of Yourself post for more ideas.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
William Rusho
Great little tips, and in only 20 minutes. I know the problem with me is simply finding the minutes. Some days I have none left. I do know you have to find them, and make room for things you suggested. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Marquita Herald
These are all great ways to invest our time Sabrina! I'm a big believer in closing out each day the right way. I do a quick review of what I accomplished, what went well/want didn't and how I can do better next time. Then I set everything up for the next day. Not only helps me to stay focused but clears my mind so I never have trouble sleeping at night worrying about unfinished business. Thanks for the tips and inspiration!
Pamela Chollet
I just started doing something similar to your. "clean sweep" tip. I used to stand , like a fool, hunched over staring at the coffee pot as it brewed. Now, when coffee's brewing or something's cooking on the stove, I do something in the kitchen. Maybe, I'll organize a drawer or clean out the fridge. I'm amazed how quickly a task that may have loomed over my head for days gets completed.
Sabrina
That's a great way of maximizing your time in the morning! Thanks for sharing and commenting.
Rose M Griffith
I love the 20 minute walk as something to clear and refresh my head and body. I work from home, on the computer all day. So it's important to get the cobwebs out of my brain and the circulation back in my legs!
Sabrina
Great point! We are all stuck in our heads these days. It's amazing what a little exercise can do. Thanks for stopping by.
Mahal Hudson
Awesome list! Simple yet easy to follow. A great reminder that it is really not that difficult to place value about US by intently taking the time to do so.
20 Ways To Take Care Of Yourself In 20 Minutes is surely a hit! Thanks for thinking about this.
Sabrina
Thanks Mahal! My site's purpose is to inspire people to take action. You won't find too much complex stuff here. Thanks for commenting.
Lenie
Sabrina, this is a great list. I can`t say I do all of them but I probably do at least 5 of them every day. The healthy salad and the green smoothie are definitely daily occurrences as well as the 20 minute sweep. Other than that it`s pretty well hit and run but having this list will remind me to smarten up.
Sabrina
Glad you liked the list. I particularly love my green smoothies in the morning too. Thanks for stopping by. =)
Seana Turner
We are big believers in the 20 minute nap. It is just enough to take the edge off, but not enough to send us into a deep sleep that is hard to wake from. I also agree on the water drinking - it does wonders!
Erica
So you gave me the idea to combine two of your suggestions. You have eat a cucumber followed by drink two large glasses of water. Well, I'm going to put my cucumber (with oranges) into my water. I love "spa" water and I never make it at home. That is such an easy thing I could do for myself that I would really enjoy and would help hydrate me. Thanks for putting the idea in my head!
Sabrina
You are welcome. Great idea! I love "spa" water too. Haven't quite got the right combination yet but I keep trying. =)
Catarina
Good suggestions of easy and quick ways to take care of yourself. Some of them I do on a daily basis. Yoga for instance.
Sabrina
Yoga helps so much. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Ken Dowell
Like the 20-minue power nap idea. I used to do something like that. I would lay down as if I was going to sleep for 8 hours but instead get up after 10 or 15 minutes. I did feel revived when I did that. Will have to start trying it again.
Beth Niebuhr
Sabrina, what a nice list of nurturing actions that we can take. It's great to have them all in one place so that it is easy to select one that feels right for the situation. Thanks for sharing.
Sabrina
Thanks Beth, that means a lot from you. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Phoenicia
Great list!
I do a number of these already;
Drink lots of water
20 minute brisk walk
Write a to do list
Listen and dance to music
Quick clean - little and often as they say!
I need to take more relaxing baths. I tend to jump in the shower and it is not the same at all.
With regards to drinking a green shake - not quite ready for that yet lol!
Sabrina
Great job Phoenicia! It's so important to take care of ourselves.
Donna Janke
Great list. If we could each do 1 or 2 things from the list each day, we'd be taking better care of ourselves. I think 20 minutes of meditation could be added to the list too.
Patricia Weber
What a terrific list you've given us Sabrina. I do a variation of a lot of these. For example, just twice a week I have a clutter maintenance day - reminds me of your "clean sweep in 20 minutes," number 3. But I cannot say I do this daily.
Well except for drink water. I drink a LOT of water every day.
Sabrina
That's great, Patricia! The intent is not to do the entire list on a daily basis either, just to remind viewers that when they feel the need to be taken care of, they can do it themselves in 20 minutes or less. Thanks for stopping by.
Jacqueline Gum
That is a really cool list! Just think if you could do just ne or even two of those every day what a difference that would make!
Sabrina
It would be wonderful! Everyone would feel more relaxed for sure.