5 Self-Care Activities You Can Do Anytime

We live in a world so stressed that self-care is now being marketed as a hobby. It’s a bit sad, but good too, because no matter what the world looks like, it’s always worth paying a little attention to our mental health.

Self-care can mean a million different things. As long as it makes you feel good and it is a relatively healthy behavior, then it is likely to be self-care. This includes training, contact with family and friends, and the time to attend to your needs even when you don’t feel like it. But what many of us need most is quick self-help activities that we can do anytime we feel stressed out about the traffic or the person who made us angry earlier in the day.

Here are 5 self-care activities you can do anytime:

A breathing exercise

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If you’ve ever googled how to relieve stress or take care of yourself, you’ve stumbled upon breathing exercises. It feels repetitive to say it all over again, but it’s very true so it needs to be highlighted. Breathing exercises are the most efficient way to focus on the present and help you get rid of the stress you are experiencing. It’s also something anyone can do to put a timer in their phone when they want to be extra busy and stick to a breathing pattern for a few minutes.

Walk

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Going for a walk can help you take some distance from any problem you have, be it an argument or just feeling stuck at work. Taking a walk can help you put things in perspective, distract yourself from the problem, and change attitudes. It’s a good approach to dealing with a wide variety of problems.

strain

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Running or going to the gym can sometimes feel too awkward, so doing a quick stretch can help you feel active, burn a few calories, and feel good for your body. A stretching session can also help you lead a more active lifestyle, and offers plenty of opportunities for relaxation and deep breaths, which, as I said, are always good.

listen to music

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When you need something positive really quick, you can listen to positive music or music that you love. If you’re the type of person who loves making lists, you can try something fun and helpful creating an emergency self-care playlist, something filled with music that you love and that will put you in a good mood quickly.

Reading a few pages of a book

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Reading requires some attention. Ask yourself to separate yourself from any problem you face in order to know what is going on in the story. While it may take a few tries, the more you do it, the easier it will be to let go of something that is stressing you. A good idea is to get a book of short stories and read them when you have time, to use it as something calming and rewarding for your day.