Self-care is a verb and not just something that’s a trending topic on social media. I created this post-30-day self-care challenge to help you come back to yourself.
Very often we feel lost in life and feel as if we have lost ourselves midway. We live this life for others, for our family, for work, for money and forget to enjoy ourselves- the one with whom we are actually living all along.
Some of us think that self-care is a privilege not everyone can have.
And yes, indeed it is a privilege because there are many out there in this world who don’t even know what self-care means, who don’t even know that they can actually do things solely for themselves to make them feel nice.
But if you know what self-care means, then you are already privileged and you can practice it.
Some of us think that self-care is too hard a thing, or we don’t have time for it, but trust me, self-care can be easily integrated into your daily routine and you can also create small practices for self-care.
I hope that this self-care challenge gives you the needed boost to come back to yourself.
What to expect after this 30-day self care challenge
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Here are some things you can expect after you complete this 30-day self-care challenge:
- You will start to enjoy your daily rituals like its a time to come back to self
- You will feel more stable in yourself
- You will come to know what practices help you in supporting you
- You start taking any time with yourself as sacred
- You feel like you want to give time to yourself
- Your self-worth in your eyes starts to grow
- You will start to feel nice about yourself
- You will start being kinder to yourself
- You will no longer feel alone in your company
- You will learn how to take better care of yourself and the joy of taking care of yourself.
So let’s begin!
One-month self-care challenge
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Day 1: Make your bed in the morning without rushing
When you wake up in the morning, get up with ease and lightness and make your bed first thing without rushing.
If you always rush to work because you have less time, then challenge yourself to wake up a little early so that you don’t have to rush to go to work.
Instead, get up a little early so that you can do things slowly and calmly as a new day is waiting for you to be honoured.
Each day is a practice ground, our worksheet in practising self-care.
Living slowly and calmly is self-care. Giving a little morning time to yourself without rushing is self-care.
Even changing our clothes, ironing our clothes, taking a bath, making our breakfast and whatever we do in the morning can be a challenge to practice self-care if we do them slowly and give them to do them slowly.
It’s a simple thing, but it’s nevertheless difficult, and that is why it’s called a challenge.
Day 2: Prepare and have a mindful cup of tea
Do you rush to make your tea and rush to have your tea in the morning? Or do you simply sit down to just enjoy your tea?
On day two of your self-care challenge, I would want you to bring in mindfulness in just this simple ritual that you do daily.
Let every act of preparing the tea from boiling the water, to putting in sugar, and tea leaves, be done with total mindfulness and presence.
Then sit down to have your tea in the morning being present with the tea.
Have your tea as if you have all the time in the world, even if it’s just for 5 minutes and be grateful that you’re getting to enjoy this tea today.
Be grateful that you woke up this morning and got the time to make tea for yourself and enjoy.
You deserve to be with yourself even if it’s just for little moments in your day like this.
So enjoy your cup of tea. Hold your cup in two hands. Know when you’re taking a sip. Know when you’re keeping the cup and enjoy.
Just slowing down and enjoying some time with yourself is a wonderful self-care practice.
Day 3: Dance in the morning
In the morning before you head out for work, take some time to dance in the morning.
I honestly feel dancing is the easiest and the best practice for self-care because it immediately boosts our mood and makes us feel happy for no reason.
Also, dancing is a wonderful exercise!
I always play music when I brush my teeth and make my bed before I sit down for my morning routine and dance in between.
I dance while I am brushing my teeth, dance when I am applying my makeup and dance a little when I am getting ready for work.
I also love doing dance workouts.
Here’s who I follow for dance workouts. She has dance workout videos for both young and oldies and I love them.
Day 4: Light an incense
Light incense in your room in the morning and evening.
I love how the incense slowly spreads in the room and makes it feel sacred.
Make your bed in the morning and tidy up your space and then light incense in the morning.
It’s a part of my everyday prayer and mostly it is for all of us Indians.
For me, it’s a part of my reverence when I pray and I take the incense and carry it around in all my rooms as I bring in gratitude for a new day.
As the incense spreads across the room I feel it purifying and touching the spaces sacredly.
I feel lighter and cleaner.
Day 5: Pamper yourself mindfully
Most people think self-care is just putting on face masks, going to a spa or getting a pedicure.
Yes, that is also it, but it is also so much more.
But for day 5, let it be that way, because we do hardly give any time for taking care of ourselves, our skin, our body and always keep on looking after others’ needs or get busy with work.
Today find time in your day to pamper yourself mindfully.
Here are some ways
- Put on some music and paint your nails as if you have all the time in the world and don’t do anything else other than paint your nails
- Apply moisturizer mindfully
- Take a slow bath and enjoy
- Change your house clothes
- Soak your feet in warm water
- Apply body lotion slowly without rushing
- Apply face mask
Day 6: Take care of how you look and feel at home
Most of us hardly care how we look while we are at home. We dress up like homeless people. We don’t care to comb our hair or apply any cream or anything.
But aren’t we at our truest selves when we are at home?
We might not meet anyone special when we are at home and hence not care how we look, but we are still meeting ourselves, even more freely and fully when we are at home, and we must meet ourselves feeling fresh.
I am not saying you need to apply makeup and everything, but just care about how you feel and look while at home because we deserve to feel good and look good for ourselves more than anyone else.
I learned this during the pandemic time when I found that when I took a little effort in dressing up well, combing my hair, tying my hair, and taking care of how I look and feel even while at home, I immediately feel boosted.
Try this today as your self-care challenge and feel the difference.
Day 7: Buy yourself flowers
I love buying myself flowers. They just impart so much joy and amazement and wonder when you just look at them.
Today, just go and buy yourself flowers. It feels nice when you’re carrying flowers and taking them home for yourself, by yourself.
You are worth the flowers and though the flowers might not care, if they are being admired or not, because they just love to bloom, they were cut for a purpose, and you bring them home makes the flower’s purpose to be fulfilled too and not go to waste.
I don’t know if it makes sense, but I just feel it that way.
And as Miley says, “I can buy myself flowers…. I can hold my hand….I can love me better than you can”
Day 8: Sit in silence for 10 minutes
Any time in the day, whether in the morning or evening, sit in silence for 10 minutes focusing on your breath.
It may feel like a hundred tabs are open in your mind, but just sit in for 10 minutes no matter how hard it feels.
Self-care also requires self-discipline.
Just focus on the in-breath and out-breath and notice it coming in and going out. You don’t have to do anything.
If any thoughts come up, let it. If you forget that you were focusing on your breath, it’s okay.
What matters is if you remember it again. When you remember, then again focus on your breath.
Day 9: Take a mindful slow bath
You take a bath every day, but we don’t often see it as a form of self-care.
But any daily routine can be turned into a ritual of self-care if we do it slowly and mindfully.
Today, take your time while taking a bath and do it elaborately.
Rub your soap or body shower gel slowly and gently and feel your skin.
Say thank you to water as it cleans you and refreshes you. Water is so noble. Imagine a world with water. We are privileged to have access to it without any trouble.
Enjoy your bath and if you want to, you can create your own self-care shower routine which you can do every once in a week and enjoy even more fully.
Day 10: Make a morning routine
We all have a morning routine, but it’s just that for most of us, it’s not conducive to our self-care and growth.
It’s easy to make a simple morning routine and you also don’t need to give yourself 2-3 hours for yourself.
You just need one hour. You can get this hour by waking up a little early, but you must give at least one hour to yourself in the morning.
And if one hour is too difficult, then at least half an hour, and if not half an hour, then at least 20 minutes, and if not 20 minutes, then just 10 minutes.
Here is a one-hour morning routine that you can tweak it in your own way.
Day 11: Write a journal for 5 minutes
In the morning write in your journal for 5 minutes. Write whatever you feel. Write whatever comes to your mind. There is no hard and fast rule that you have to write about your day only.
You can write whatever. Writing is healing.
But if you need some prompts, here are some self-reflection journal prompts by Yung Pueblo.
Day 12: Declutter 5 things you don’t need
Decluttering is self-care too. Getting rid of things you don’t need is self-care too, because too many things also create overwhelming anxiety.
Today, as a self-care challenge, declutter 5 things you don’t need.
Here are 15 things I got rid of that simplified my life.
Day 13: Tidy up your room
Our room is our sanctuary. Our room’s energy directly impacts our well-being and our mood.
A messy room brings in irritation, lack of focus and a messy head, whereas a clean and tidy room helps us in boosting our mood, feel better and give clarity to our mind.
Taking care of how our room makes us feel and keeping it tidy is also self-care.
If your room is messy right now with clothes lying everywhere and with files and papers lying everywhere, please give yourself some time to clean it up and clear your room.
After that see how it makes you feel.
I live alone and nowadays I don’t dread cleaning my room. It’s an activity I can do mindfully and also helps in physical activity.
Sitting in my clean room after I have taken a bath, and changed my clothes gives me such a good feeling.
I have even written a post on Why I enjoy cleaning my home and not dread it if you’d like to read and get some inspiration.
Day 14: Call a friend
How long has it been since you had a long conversation with your friend over the phone?
I am not saying Instagram DMs and about exchanging memes. I mean proper calls with your friend.
Today, just call your friend with whom you haven’t talked and catch up in a while.
Doesn’t matter if you can’t talk for long hours and you have other tasks to do.
Just call, even if it is just for saying you remember them and called to ask how they are.
If not nothing, they will feel nice, and making others feel nice directly affects how we feel and makes us feel nice too.
So just call a friend and make each other feel nice.
Here are 40 different ways to make someone happy or smile if you’d like to know 🙂
Day 15: Smile at yourself in the mirror
Today’s self-care challenge is easy. Just go and smile at yourself in the mirror.
Look into your eyes with kindness and a smile.
As you smile, smile at the world, smile at those who hurt you, smile at the feelings you may be feeling, smile at your disappointments in life and open up your heart to trust, love and give better to the world.
The world deserves your smile and your kind heart and most of all you deserve a smile too you and you deserve your own kindness.
See the world with eyes of trust and joy instead of doubt and tiredness, because the world is full of joy and colour too if you look at it that way.
It starts with you smiling to yourself in the mirror and cleaning your heart.
When you take care of yourself, you take care of the world.
Day 16: Do mindful walking for 15 minutes
Go out for a walk and walk mindfully for 15 minutes.
Walk slowly and follow your breath as you walk.
Notice as you lift your foot up and put it down and when you’re walking know that you’re walking.
Walk gently and slowly as if there is a rhythm you are following and let it bring you peace and joy with each step.
Let go of everything while you’re on your walk and simply be with the walking.
Don’t hurry to reach your home or hurry to get to other tasks that are left.
When you’re walking, give your all to walking. It’s a wonderful self-care practice.
Here is walking meditation 15 minute guide you can enjoy:
Day 17: Make a wonderful breakfast/ dinner for yourself
You deserve to have a hearty breakfast and dinner from time to time.
Make it for yourself as an honour to yourself and as a treat to yourself.
You are doing a great job at what you do and you deserve to be treated by you.
Cook mindfully and slowly and enjoy the process of cooking without any feelings of overwhelmingness.
You can listen to a podcast if you want to or listen to music. Just enjoy cooking a wonderful meal for yourself.
Day 18: Write 5 things you are grateful for
This is easy. Write five things you are grateful for before going to bed today and don’t use your phone after that.
Think about gratefulness before going to sleep and sleep with a happy heart.
P.S Why Thankfulness is mindfulness
Day 19: Change your bedsheets
Sometimes just changing our bedsheets and pillow covers are also self-care because it makes us feel so nice and fresh,
and, especially add to it- the feeling of it after taking a wonderful shower, lighting an incense, dimming the light and lighting candles with soft music playing in the background!
Ah!! I simply love the feeling!
Day 20: Listen to peaceful music mindfully
Today, sit down any moment of your day and instead of sitting in silence, just open a peaceful music you think you will enjoy and only immerse yourself in the music.
Listen to the notes and beats of the music and listen to every tune mindfully.
Even this is meditation, but instead of focusing on your breath, you’re focusing on the musical notes. Breathe gently all the while and let it greatly calm you.
Day 21: Write a letter to your younger self
If you could tell something to your younger self, what would it be?
Write a letter to your younger self today. Write about what you learned growing up and give kindness to your younger self.
Your younger self might not have known what you know now, but still, she/he evolved and grew and faced all challenges bravely. Give kindness and support and admiration to your younger self.
What would you tell her/him?
How proud are you of her, of him?
Write about the incident your younger self went through and acknowledge how she or he handled it and overcame it, for they did overcome, otherwise you wouldn’t be here reading this.
Write it all down and heal yourself.
Writing is a wonderful self-care we can give to ourselves free of cost.
Day 22: Go to bed feeling nice
Put in a little effort to go to bed feeling nice today.
Here are some things to do:
- Set a bedtime you want to follow and even if just for today, challenge yourself to stick to it.
- Don’t use social media one hour before bed. (You can uninstall it for the night)
- Take a warm water bath
- Apply lotion and night cream mindfully
- Tidy up your room before sleeping
- Write in your journal about whatever that’s going on in your mind and in your life and any learnings lately.
- End by writing 5 things you are grateful for
P.S 10 things you should do every night before bed
Day 23: Stay hydrated
Be mindful about how much water you’re consuming in your day and challenge yourself to finish at least 2 bottles of water.
I used to drink very less water earlier and used to drink water only when I felt thirsty.
And sometimes, even when I felt thirsty, I would be too lazy to get up and get water.
I no longer do this now and have become a water drinker now.
Something that’s helped me is buying a good water bottle that I liked and keeping it close to me filled with water.
I drink one bottle early morning gradually as I complete my morning routine and I drink water throughout the day.
I feel much more energised and I feel my body much better.
Day 24: Spend some time in nature
Today open your blinds and windows and let in the fresh air.
Let your room be filled with natural light and stay close to natural light.
Feel the morning sun and let it kiss your face.
Watch the sunrise or sunset.
Water your plants.
Go to a park.
Listen to the birds.
Take a hike.
Walk in a park or just anything and spend some time in nature in any way you like.
Day 25: Unplug from social media
For a day, challenge yourself to unplug from social media. Uninstall the app that you use frequently as a habit and see how it feels.
Instead, be with whatever you are doing fully without the need to press the social media app again and again just because of a habit. Pick a book to read instead and decide on your reading list for the month.
With the amount of time we use social media, most of us can finish 2 books easily if we don’t use social media and instead give time to better habits.
Building better habits are the highest form of self-care and getting into the habit of reading is the best thing you can cultivate in your life.
I truly feel that those who don’t read good books miss out so much on life and I feel it so sad that so many people die without reading good books, without knowing the meaning of life and without understanding what life has to offer and what we have to offer to live.
Here is how I make time to read every day.
Day 26: Engage in a hobby
Today take some time out to engage in a hobby. I feel hobbies are so important to self-care, but most people don’t talk much about it.
I truly feel as adults we all need to have hobbies and engage in some activity that lights up our life a bit.
If you feel you have no hobbies and don’t know what you should engage in, then take some deliberate time to seek out new hobbies and explore.
We have this one life to explore and it’s never too late to add new hobbies even if we have already.
There is so much to explore and feel astonished about.
So seek new things and astonish yourself and fill your life with colour.
Here are 60+ hobby ideas for adults and something to inspire you: Why you must have hobbies as an adult
Day 27: Write down your goals and dreams
As we’re heading toward the end of the self-care challenge, don’t forget that looking after and honouring our goals and daring to dream is self-care too.
We dishonour ourselves by not believing in what we can do and by not trusting our hearts.
The truth is we all have dreams buried deep inside us which call to us from time to time, but we don’t care to listen because we don’t have the courage to go after them, thinking we’re not ready, or thinking we don’t know enough.
But listening to our hearts and going after our dreams is self-care because it satisfies our hearts to the fullest degree.
In the end, it’s not the results that satisfy us, but having the courage to do it, try it and experiment with it that satisfies us.
So for today, write down your dreams for the next 5 years and 10 years down the line and set goals for them.
If you don’t know I have a podcast called the heart of living, and in one of my episodes I talked about how to set goals the right way.
Most of us don’t set goals the right way which is why it doesn’t get accomplished.
Listen to the episode here and follow my podcast, ‘Heart Of Living’ on Spotify and apple podcasts.
Day 28: Eat mindfully
Pick a meal whether breakfast, lunch or dinner and today challenge yourself to eat mindfully.
Don’t use any gadgets, don’t use social media or watch the TV while eating your food.
I know in the beginning, it might feel a bit absurd as most of us just don’t know just how to eat without having something to watch.
But just for today, see if you can eat mindfully.
Before eating, know that you are about to eat and give gratitude for your food.
When eating, know that you are eating and savour the taste fully.
Chew your food mindfully and feel joy and give thanks for what you’re eating and for who prepared the food.
If it was you who prepared it, give thanks to yourself for making a wonderful meal and give thanks to nature, because without nature, nothing would have been on our plate.
Day 29: Consume mindfully
We are what we eat, and this applies to also what we consume for the mind.
Most of us living in unawareness consume things unmindfully and without any awareness.
We share memes and listen to things that are self-sabotaging and put in wrong beliefs in our subconscious.
If you truly want to take care of yourself, take care of what you consume in the form of what you’re reading, listening and watching.
Be aware of who and what you’re following on social media. Read good books and Listen to good podcasts that will help you live better and learn new things.
Here are some of my podcast recommendations
- The Marie Forleo Podcast
- The Way Out is In
- Mindful In Minutes Podcast
- Tim Ferris Show
- The Mindful Kind and
- I am also adding my new show to the list, which is ‘Heart of Living’
Day 30: Go on a date with yourself
30 days of Self Care!! I hope you loved it and enjoyed doing the challenges.
I hope you’re feeling good and in a high-life state.
On the last day of your 30-day self-care challenge, go on a date with yourself.
Dress up nice and take yourself somewhere, anywhere.
Go with a sense of excitement and exploration even as you get ready for your date with yourself.
You can take yourself to a nice restaurant, go for a movie, go for a day tour, or simply spend some time with yourself in the park.
The rule of courtesy is the same. Just as you wouldn’t use your phone while spending time with someone you love, you should keep your phone away too and simply be in the present moment with you, except if its for taking a picture or a selfie.
Go and enjoy a date with yourself.
Here are solo date ideas for you to try.
So this was it!
30-day self-care challenge
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I hope you love it and challenge yourself to do them.
I hope you do it with a lot of love.
More Self-Care Posts
- 7-day Self-care challenge
- Self Care relaxing night routine
- How to practice self-care on hard days
- 101 quick 5-minute self-care activities
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