21 Self-Care Ideas To Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Although it’s been months since quarantine and social distancing measures first started in March 2020, I’m going to be honest with y’all that I’m still in quarantine/homebody mode and I ain’t even mad about it, LOL. With this extra time at home, I’ve actually been learning more about myself as I spend more time alone and I’ve never felt more at peace with where I am in my life than at this current point in time.
Before the quarantine, I was literally running left and right to different photoshoot locations, tastings, and family engagements and never failed to give myself the “me” time that I always truly craved. I felt burnt out. I felt stressed.
Nowadays, I have definitely used the last few months to catch up on my daily dose of “me” time through diving into different activities/hobbies that have helped lower my stress/anxiety during this difficult time. In fact. I wanted to share all of these activities with you guys as well and show how much they have tremendously improved my life for the better. Additionally, these self-care ideas can be applied at any time throughout a person’s life and is not applicable to just quarantine season. With that being said, let’s get started!
25 Self-Care Activities To Help Lower Stress/Anxiety
1) Write a gratitude list.
Write 3 things/people you’re grateful for in the morning. Writing your gratitudes consistently reinforces the feeling and idea that you are thankful and happy for what you currently have in life. Having gratitude allows you truly to appreciate the little things you have in life and the overall bigger picture.
2) Start a bullet journal.
The design process takes HOURS so if you have a lot of time on your hands and an artistic creative heart within you, this project is for you! Sketching out just one page in pencil took me at least 30 minutes. Filling out the remaining sections with color literally took me 30 minutes to over an hour. At the end of the day, bullet journaling allows you to feel more relaxed and accomplished when you look back at your completed work.
3) Send gift(s) to a loved one.
When I wasn’t able to see my loved one(s) physicially due to quarantine, I sent them a present instead! Nothing says “I love you” or “I’m thinking of you” than a surprise gift at one’s doorsteep ;) If you don’t have a high budget for gifts, even a nice handwritten CARD will do!
4) Take an Epsom salt bath or bubble bath.
My massage therapist has been trying to get me to take baths for MONTHS to help reduce muscle tension. Finally, I am able to treat myself to more frequent baths after moving to a new home! (TMI: My apartment tub gave me a bacterial infection…and this was the first and last time I ever took a bath there. Definitely don’t miss that apartment.)
5) Pamper yourself with an in-depth skincare routine.
There are no NEGATIVE effects when it comes to spending more time on your skincare routine! So get out all of those products and start applying - cleansing oil, facial cleanser, sheet mask, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream, face oil. I’m not kidding. Even if you don’t own a lot of skincare products, I would still highly suggest to use a cleanser and apply a moisturizer at the end of a long day. Our skin gets exposed to a lot of pollution, environmental toxins, and dirt so it definitely deserves being cared for!
6) Read a book. Or, read multiple books at once!
Don’t know where to start? I gotchu gurl ;) Check out my top recommended books linked here - I recommend genres from self-growth to finance to motivational and more.
If you’re curious, I’m currently reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert is one of my favorite authors of all time for her witty and eloquent writing style, and she is also the author of the popular novel called Eat, Pray, Love.
7) Start a blog.
Personal Blog/Diary: Writing out your thoughts/passions will truly help you channel where your creative energy lies. Additionally, writing is a healthy creative outlet to help you process any current thoughts (both positive and negative) that may be residing in your head.
Professional Blog: If you want to write all the while helping others, you can blog just about anything. Potential blogging topics include fashion, product reviews, beauty, lifestyle, books, movie reviews, marketing tips, and more. The list is endless, and the world is your oyster ;)
8) Take an online class.
Always wanted to learn a new skill/hobby? Same here, sista! I have taken TWO classes during quarantine - Julie Solomon’s Pitch It Perfect class & SkillShare for Photography and have learned so much from both. Since I am also involved in social media marketing, pitching is a really important skill for me to refine and I love how Solomon’s class helped me see things in a different perspective. As for Skillshare’s photography class, I was able to reinforce my basic knowledge of photography and it never hurts to study a topic you’re passionate about.
Class Ideas: Dance, Photography, Videography, Social Media Marketing, etc.
9) Take a social media detox.
If you are reading this and want to start your social media detox journey, turn off all of your phone notifications right now. Or, better yet, turn off your phone. Now, go live your life offline!
10) Declutter & deep clean the house.
Declutter: Go around your house and analyze one section at a time. One bin. One drawer. One basket. One crate. Clean out the entirety of that section, go through the items, and find what sparks joy and what doesn’t. Anything that you won’t miss or doesn’t light you up can be sold, donated, or given to a friend/family member. Trust me when I say that you’ll find true satisfaction in minimizing the amount of things you own.
Deep clean: After decluttering, go around the house and start using cleaning products to maintain a clean, dust-free space. This includes spraying Windex on your mirrors, polishing your wooden cabinets, spraying all-purpose cleaner on your countertops, bleaching moldy corners of that shower stall, and more. Also, I’ve included my FAVORITE cleaning products below because…I’m a cleaning nerd, what can I say bahaha.
Kitchen Cabinet Cream - for wooden kitchen cabinets (makes cabinets SMOOTH and NON-STICKY!)
Mold & Mildew Stain Remover Spray - for shower stalls, sinks, etc.
Multi-Surface Everyday Cleaner - for kitchen countertop, dining table, etc.
Kitchen Granite Countertop - for kitchen granite countertops
Windex Glass & Window Cleaner - for mirrors & glass tables
Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner - for bathroom sinks
11) Schedule in a spa day.
You don’t need an S.O. or girl gang to go to the spa because you can take YOURSELF. Girl, I’ve been going to my local Burke Williams for over a year by myself and I couldn’t be happier with this choice! This is MY alone time to surround myself in a calm environment. Oh, and to treat myself to a long-awaited 2-hour deep tissue + hot tissues massage ;) (Cue drool emoji)
Check out my list of must-visit LA/OC spas here.
12) Create playlists of your favorite songs.
“Bored in the house and in the house bored?” I feel ya. I enjoy listening to different playlists that range from lo-fi, chill YouTube covers, acoustic songs, hardhitting ratchet songs, mainstream remixes via Soundcloud, or Asian songs (Chinese & Korean to be specific). P.S. I’m listening to a fun song right now and I’m already in a better mood as I write this blog post!
You can create new playlists and listen to them free via Spotify, Soundcloud, or YouTube.
13) Sleep in on the weekends.
Unless you are a morning enthusiast (good for you!) who loves to be productive the moment you wake up, why not treat yourself to sleeping in? …As long as you don’t overdo it, HAHA. Personally, I wake up at 6:00AM on the weekdays for work and I am DEAD tired when I get home on the weekdays so I always make it a PRIORITY to sleep in a little bit longer on the weekends since that’s what my body personally craves. I noticed when I am able to catch up on rest, my body responds positively and I have so much more energy to tackle the day! Plus, I’m usually in a better mood and I find things to be less irritable/frustrating when I catch up on my zzz’s! Of course, to each their own, but if you have the extra time, why not?
14) Play games that are calming and/or reduce anxiety.
Okay I learned this pretty late in the game (PUN MOMENT, COULDN’T RESIST), but I realized some games that I absolutely LOVE actually increase my anxiety. SIGH. AN-SIGH-ETY. LOL okay, I’ll stop with the puns now. The number ONE game I can suggest for decreasing your stress/anxiety is Animal Crossing. I never owned Animal Crossing until recently, but I can truly say that this game can help relieve stress all the while making you feel accomplished and calm in the process. Highly recommend for both kids and adults!
15) Go on a neighborhood walk.
I can guarantee that if you surfed the internet, you will find countless online articles that mention how incorporating 30-minute walks into your day play a beneficial role in your health. One article including my blog post right here, heh ;) One reason I love going on neighborhood walks is for the fact that it’s actually an EASY exercise that comes with a lot of health benefits. In fact, walking 1 - 3 miles every day was a huge weight loss factor when I paired this with healthy eating as well. My pounds literally dropped as fast as the bass drops at a rave.
16) Adopt a pet.
I am not suggesting this CASUALLY. Please do not adopt a pet unless you are 100% confident that you LOVE animals and that you will take 100% ownership in taking care of a pet. In all honesty, I’ve been feeling a bit lonely during quarantine but I realized - why not adopt a dog? I love animals (specifically dogs) and I have ALWAYS wanted to care of a dog on my own. Just make sure that before considering adoption that you have the funds and the time to watch over your little furry animal!
I’ll include a few dog adoption resources below that I have previously checked out as well.
17) Volunteer!
The number one feeling humans crave is fulfillment and you can get this feeling easily by volunteering!
Volunteer Ideas: Pack groceries for hungry families, beach clean-up, dog/cat shelters,
DIY Volunteer Idea: Create/DIY items (ex: face masks, goodie bags, etc.) and give them out to those in need. A “giving back” initiative I worked on recently was with my agency, Infinite Potential Agency, on donating fun goodie bags filled with snacks and beauty products to our hardworking healthcare workers during the COVID pandemic. Since our healthcare workers work endlessly to make sure our community is safe, I wanted to make sure to express my love and care to them as well! See the goodie bags extravaganza here.
18) Try out guided meditation.
Can I just say that guided meditation saved my life? It’s saved me from having meltdowns in public and it’s saved me from letting my negative, anxious thoughts get the best of me. I truly truly mean this when I say it. When we are angry, stressed, or frustrated, our breathing patterns tend to be erratic and uncontrollable. If we can control our breathing, we can then control our mood. I’ve done guided meditation for a few months now and I can safely say that it’s been a game-changer in my life. For example, there was a time when I was crying in the bathroom from somebody’s hurtful words and after listening to one 10-minute guided meditation service, I instantly snapped out of my funk and continued on with my day like nothing had happened!
Currently, I use the Calm app and pay for their annual subscription, as I can’t put a price on health. However, can try out their 7-day trial to see if it is for you though!
19) Create a positive affirmation visual and/or future manifestation of your life.
So what does this mean exactly? It can mean whatever you want it to mean - simply, it’s a way to express yourself and remind yourself what your goals are. My therapist actually recommended this step for me and for anyone who needs to be reminded of their self-worth/self-love. Creating a positive affirmation visual of your life will include elements that bring you joy and happiness. This can be in the form of tearing out magazine pages that inspire you and taping them on your apartment wall like a fun wallpaper design. This can be making a polaroid scrapbook of you and your loved ones. This can be sketching out a drawing of anything that makes you happy, such as your family, friends, boba, dog, and more! At the end of the day, this is YOUR work of art so make it uniquely dedicated to YOU!
20) Whip up a new recipe!
Pinterest is the ideal platform to try out new recipes you’ve never even dreamt of cooking one day! Ever since I started pinning mouthwatering recipes to my Pinterest boards, I’ve developed a knack for trying out one new recipe per week based on what I’m craving. Recently, I whipped up this DELICIOUS 10/10 Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread and it’s my proudest creation yet. My sister even said it looked so good that she wanted me to freeze it to save it for her to try later on, LMAO. I guess photos don’t do justice ;)
Check out my RECIPES Pinterest Board here.
21) Have a succulent garden.
Although I’m a relatively new novice green thumb, I know plenty of people who own succulents who feel at peace whenever they water their plants. Additionally, owning more houseplants help purify the air around you so it’s a win-win situation!
Don’t know where to buy a new houseplant? Check out Modern Garden’s website linked here. Not only do they have a variety of plant sizes and types to choose from, but they also package your plant carefully so that it is in perfect condition once you receive it. I currently own three houseplants from them and they always make it on to my Instagram feed, hehe! :)
Discount Code: MICHELLESUN for 10% off your online Modern Garden purchase.
And there we have it - 21 self-care ideas to get rid of that stress and anxiety once and for all!
What idea on this list would you want to try? Are there any ideas that I missed in this list that you recommend others to try out?
Talk to me in the comments below. Let’s chat!