Self-Care Ideas for the New Year
Planning to make yourself more of a priority in the new year? If “YES!” is your answer, you need to learn as much as you can about self-care. It basically involves any activity that you enjoy doing that helps you in at least one area of your wellbeing.
This article is full of self-care ideas that you can take with you into the new year and beyond. The key is to make sure you are taking proper care of yourself so you can take care of your family and everything else too!
The Different Types of Self-Care
Depending on where you look, you may find self-care broken down into several categories. To make things easier for you, most self-care tasks can actually fit into at least one of the following four areas:
- Emotional
- Physical
- Mental
- Social
You may find that others look at professional, spiritual, and other categories, but the basic four are more than enough to get you started on a productive journey of caring for yourself.
Each time you engage in self-care, aim to hit one of these four main categories. Don’t be surprised, however, if they overlap often. Those are the BEST self-care tasks, as you can improve more areas of your wellbeing at once.
Self-Care Ideas for the New Year
Let’s take a look at several self-care ideas that you can use in the new year…
Declutter and organize
Start the new year off right by getting your main living spaces under control. Studies show that a clean home and workspace can improve your mood and your productivity.
- Declutter your bedroom and the living areas in your home
- Organize your workspace
- Switch to paperless billing as much as possible
- Pay bills online
- Create a cleaning schedule to keep everything neat (not sure how to get started? I’ve put together these baby steps to help you create your first cleaning routine!)
Start a self-care journal
Writing can be one of the most therapeutic activities for the human mind. We have so many thoughts throughout the day, it’s easy for the brain to get compacted with everything. A journal can help you sort everything out: dreams, goals, hopes, responsibilities, fears, and feelings.
Just writing 10 minutes each day can be a great way to take care of yourself. The journal can also become a place where you track your self-care activities and monitor progress.
Prioritize your health
New Year’s resolutions for weight loss aren’t a new thing. This year, however, focus on more than just losing weight. You want to practice self-care that will get you healthy in a number of ways.
- Commit to trying just one new healthy recipe each week
- Take a cooking class that will give you new ideas for the kitchen
- Schedule your medical checkups and follow through with any doctor recommendations
- Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night (parents of small kids, you get a pass on this! I feel you, I am you.)
Get your body moving
Self-care should involve exercise in some shape or form – and the more you can squeeze in, the better! How you decide to get active, however, is totally up to you. Find creative ways to burn calories that you actually enjoy!
- Dance around the living room
- Walk with a friend or pet
- Join a class at the gym
- Train for a road race
- Follow a workout DVD
- Or if you identify as someone who hates exercise, I challenge you to check out these 40 “Joyful Movement” activities that will get your body moving in some seriously enjoyable ways!
Being active isn’t just for physical self-care, either. Make an effort to get out and do fun things that increase your happiness.
- Visit new museums and other attractions
- Be a tourist in your own city
- Have lunch with a friend
- Try a new ice cream parlor
Gather support
Having a great crowd around you as you work on self-care in the new year will be greatly beneficial. Now is the time to evaluate relationships and cut ties with the negative or toxic people in your life. It may not be easy, but surrounding yourself with only positive people will help transform your own outlook and mindset.
Learn to Unplug
Social media has become a staple in many of our day-to-day activities. Have you ever gone a day without checking Facebook or sharing your food on Instagram? If the internet is dragging you down, let the new year be your time to unplug. Not only will this reduce your exposure to what everyone else is doing, but it will also free up so much more time for other, more essential tasks.
Find better ways to connect with loved ones than social media.
- Buy some adorable stationery (like this sweet set!) and write letters
- Make phone calls
- Connect on Marco Polo – an app that allows you to leave video messages rather than text messages
- Video chat with long-distance friends or relatives
Even More Self-Care Ideas
Here are even more ideas for self-care, just in case you are still struggling to figure out how to take good care of yourself.
Remember, any fun task that doesn’t feel forced and improves your life in one or more of the categories above counts as self-care!
- Take a bubble bath
- Try aromatherapy
- Listen to podcasts
- Buy a bike and ride it daily
- Learn a new language (it’s simple to get started with an app like Duolingo!)
- Try a new hobby
- Do yoga
- Focus on your breathing
- Get a mani/pedi
- Clear out unworn clothing
- Listen to music
- Try meditation
- Get a plant for your living space
- Create a “To Read” list
- Read one new book each month
- Plan a weekend getaway
- Go to a concert
- Grab takeout and binge on your favorite TV show
- Take a nap
- Get a new hairstyle
As you can see, there are so many self-care ideas you can put into action in the new year.
It’s all about finding what helps you relieve stress and take better care of yourself!
What are your favourite ways to engage in self-care? Please let me know in the comments!
PLUS check out my other articles on self-care (it’s kind of a big deal on this blog!):
- How to know if you’re in burn-out and in urgent need of self-care
- What is (and isn’t) proper self-care
- 22 soothing self-care hobbies you can do at home
- Essential self-care tips for busy full-time workers
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