Do you have time to take care of yourself (affiliate) regularly? Not many people can say "yes" to this question because they are busy doing tasks for others. I know that I will take care of myself better some days than other days. I am trying to change this, 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 your home 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 or shower, 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.
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2. Make a great salad with all the healthy trimmings.
If you are not a cook but love salads, creating a colorful, healthy salad may do the trick to help you relax. An attractive salad is also pleasing to the eyes and the stomach. Why not be creative with your next healthy salad? Check out my salad recipes below.
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. I love my tidying up task after dinner. It helps me keep my home clear of clutter. If you want to learn more about it, please read the post here.
4. Take a 20-minute walk at a comfortable speed.
Taking a 20-minute walk is an easy way to show self-care. An article I found from the National Park Services says, "Just 20 minutes in nature improves concentration and reduces the need for ADHD and ADD medications in children." It also helps you connect to your loved ones if they walk with you.
5. Get ready for your day.
Creating a list is great, but what is even better is making a to do list (affiliate) in priority order. You can even use sticky notes (affiliate) and write one task down on each piece. Then, rank them by priority (what needs to be done first, second, third, etc...). This task, which may take some of your 20 minutes each morning or the night before, will give you direction and help you stay focused during the day. Making lists before 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.
Setting a healthy routine (affiliate) each morning will also help you practice self-care. Making your favorite green smoothie and taking your vitamins are just a few ways to show your love for you.
7. Write in a gratitude journal.
Writing in a journal (affiliate) is a lovely way to begin or end your day. You can write in a gratitude journal (affiliate) with prompts to help you stay focused. If you want to write in a notebook, here are some prompts to help you start. 50 Daily Gratitude Journal prompts to help you notice the good in your life
Gratitude Journal: Give Thanks, Practice Positivity, Find Joy
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Gratitude Journal: Invest few minutes a day to develop thankfulness, mindfulness and positivity
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8. Write down your goals and post them.
Several studies show that if you write down your goals, you are more likely to achieve them. Here's an article from Forbes if you don't believe me. It even talks about how visualizing the achievement of the goals will help to cement the goal in you. If you tend to feel forgetful or overwhelmed, hanging your goal in a convenient place will also help you remember your goal. I also wrote about goal setting in these posts: SEVEN SIMPLE QUESTIONS TO MAKE YOUR GOALS STICK and HOW TO JUMPSTART YOUR GOALS THIS YEAR
9. Straighten up your home and remove the paper from your desk.
Desk clutter has been known to distract oneself. For desk items to get rid of, visit this post, 30 Desk Items To Throw Away For A Tidy Space, from our sister site (Sabrinasadminservices.com).
10. Eat cucumbers or food that is refreshing.
Some snack options that may help you include 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 (affiliate) 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 lift your spirits. If you can't touch your toes, try this hack I found on YouTube. Here is a video that shows the easiest way to do jumping jacks I found on YouTube.
14 Listen to your favorite music, and get up and dance.
There are so many benefits to getting up and dancing. It improves your mood, creates social interaction to improve mental health, and reduces stress. Pick some TikTok dance videos to learn and get silly - it’s OK!
15 Pick up the phone and call a dear friend or loved one.
Talking may help you feel more connected with others. So, making a quick call to a dear friend or loved one usually lifts one's spirits and allows one to get out of one's head.
16 Look through a photo album and admire what you have done with your life.
When you want to relive happy memories, photo albums and homemade movies can do the trick. Watch a homemade family film to see where you came from. Acknowledge that you are strong and have accomplished a lot over the years.
17 Take a hot bath or shower, and moisturize after.
Taking a shower or a hot bath can also allow you to stop and relax. Adding a cup of herbal or decaffeinated Tea with some aromatics, like lavender bath salts, will help you as well.
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18 Write up affirmations (supporting positive thoughts) and post them.
Mantras (affiliate) or affirmations (affiliate) are also an option to help you calm down and relax. It may just help you remember a positive thought to get you out of the habit of thinking negatively. You can try these POSITIVE MANTRA IMAGES TO START YOUR DAY OFF RIGHT. I am also sharing other inspirational quotes (affiliate) that may also help you stay positive.
19 Create an emergency plan and an emergency kit.
Sometimes, our anxiety gets the best of us. A way to help relax us a bit is to create an emergency plan and an emergency kit. It doesn't need to be significant. It just needs to include things you may need in case of an outage or if you must leave the house quickly because of a weather emergency. Visit this post for a step-by-step emergency kit setup. Here are other ways to start writing down the things that may make you anxious.
20 Do yoga poses and deep breathing exercises.
There are lots of deep-breathing exercises online you can try. Here is one I found: Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant stress response. YouTube has some great yoga instructors that are free to watch.
These tasks may sound simple—and, of course, they are—but we need a reminder now and again. So, print this list and post it in your home to help you remember to take care of yourself (affiliate).
I hope this helps you remember to practice self-care. Feel free to share this with anyone who needs more of that.
In the comments section, let's discuss your favorite way to take care of yourself (affiliate). Does it work all the time? Do you do it often? I look forward to hearing from you.
Visit our other 20 Ways to Take Care of Yourself post for more ideas.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate), and at no additional cost, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
William Rusho says
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 says
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 says
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 says
That's a great way of maximizing your time in the morning! Thanks for sharing and commenting.
Rose M Griffith says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Glad you liked the list. I particularly love my green smoothies in the morning too. Thanks for stopping by. =)
Seana Turner says
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 says
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 says
You are welcome. Great idea! I love "spa" water too. Haven't quite got the right combination yet but I keep trying. =)
Catarina says
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 says
Yoga helps so much. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Ken Dowell says
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 says
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 says
Thanks Beth, that means a lot from you. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Phoenicia says
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 says
Great job Phoenicia! It's so important to take care of ourselves.
Donna Janke says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
It would be wonderful! Everyone would feel more relaxed for sure.