When I think of self-care, I think of spending a full afternoon sitting in the sun, reading, talking with friends, and eating delicious food. The reality is, though, most days I simply don’t have the time for a full splurge.

Most days, I run from one task to the next, hoping I’ll have enough time to do it all and usually end up feeling overwhelmed. I don’t have the time to take a whole day to rejuvenate very often. For the days or weeks like this, I pulled together a list of my favorite 5-minute self-care activities.

These are activities you can do each day. All you need is 5-minutes. Sacrifice 5 minutes of Facebook scrolling during the middle of the workday to reconnect with your energy.

What other things do you do for a quick rejuvenation?

1. List 5 things you’re grateful for

These can be as simple as the chair you are sitting in or the air you breathe. Once you’ve listed five, don’t stop there. You’ll soon find more and more things to be grateful for. Soak in the gratitude and let the corners of your mouth turn upward. Life is good.

2. Breathe deeply

Take a cycle of three deep breaths in and out. Feel your belly rise and fall with each breath. Let your breathing return to normal and notice your thoughts. A mini meditation like this can calm your mind and refocus you on the important things in life.

3. Wash your face

If you’re somewhere near a sink, give your face a quick splash. If you don’t have access because of where you are, consider carrying around a makeup wipe or two in your purse. Use this simple act of washing your face as a metaphor for wiping off the mess of the day. Move forward with a clean slate.

4. Drink a glass of water

H2O. Drink it. If you can, sit somewhere quiet as you sip. Avoid scrolling on your phone. Instead, focus on the present moment for the few minutes it takes to finish this glass. Give your brain the break it deserves.

5. Stand up and walk around

Whether in your office or at home, stand up and take a walk. Clear your mind, and get your eyes off your screen. Throughout the day, we get sucked further and further into those small screens, and quicker than you think, you’re leaning forward, hunched over with glazed eyes. Take a quick break. I promise you’ll come back rejuvenated with more energy to move forward.

6. Listen to a favorite song

I love this self-care step. Music has a powerful effect on our minds. Use this to your advantage and find an upbeat song or a personal favorite. Most often when we listen to music, we let it fill in the background. For these five minutes, bring it to the foreground of your mind. Close your eyes and truly listen. Focus on the melody or try to identify all the instruments you hear.

7. Speed clean your workspace

This sounds like work, but a clean workspace leads to clear thoughts. Throw away those stray receipts and stack those books. If you have more than five minutes, declutter if it’s started to get a little out of hand. Aim to donate three items.

8. Write the thoughts on your mind

Pull out your journal if possible. Or, simply pull out a blank piece of paper. Write in a stream-of-consciousness style. Write whatever comes to mind. If you want more concrete ideas of what to write, check out my blog post about my journaling process, or this post with 31 days of journaling prompts.

9. Massage your neck

A lot of tension from stress goes straight to the neck and shoulders. Give yourself some love with a quick massage. If you have about 10 minutes, check out this video. You can skip the first 40 seconds or so.

10. Stretch

Try some simple stretches or do a few yoga poses. My personal favorites are downward facing dog, forward fold, and mountain pose. If you don’t know how to do any of those, no worries. Start with some slow neck circles, shoulder scrunches and relaxing, and interlacing your fingers behind your back. When you get back to work, focus on keeping your posture straight.

11. Cloudgaze

Getting out into the sunshine is self-love enough. Sit on the grass or a bench and count the clouds that pass by. Combine this with deep breathing or meditative thoughts.

12. Pet your dog/cat

One of the basic needs of humanity is a sense of belonging. We want to feel loved, and for many people, they feel love through touch. Pet an animal for a few minutes or give a loved one a long hug. They’ll probably love it just as much as you will. If you aren’t near others, wrap yourself in a big bear hug. Give yourself an extra little back massage if you can reach.

13. Sketch

Many days, we stay within the same, small bubble of space. Take a moment to metaphorically break out of that bubble. Reach upward as high as you can. Cross your left arm across your body to the right and hold it there. Do the same with the right arm. Try some yoga poses. Doing something as simple as stretching can have as much a mental effect as a physical one.

14. Take a walk

When thoughts start to overwhelm you, stand up and take a walk. If possible, get outside and breathe in the fresh air. There are numerous studies showing the positive effects on walking outside. Have faith in the positive changes you’ll see and start walking.

15. Eat a fruit or vegetable

First of all, yum. Secondly, when was the last time you took time to savor delicious, nutritious food? Carry an apple or some carrots in your purse so it is always available. By eating this small serving of nutritious food, you’ll give a small boost to your brain and get you ready to go again.

16. Color a doodle

I love relaxing by doodling, but even more relaxing to me is coloring. It must be the repetitive nature of the strokes of a marker, but I almost feel meditative when coloring. You can even color while listening to some inspirational or relaxing music.

17. Compliment yourself

Wherever you are, you can compliment yourself. This is especially helpful to those of us who tend to self-deprecate. Don’t stop at just one compliment; give yourself five! You are more powerful than you know. You can start with complimenting your appearance, however, I find the most powerful compliments are about personality. I love saying things like “I loved how I was able to lift X with my words today,” “I carry myself with confidence,” or “I work through hard times even when the pressure to quit is high.” Isn’t that powerful?!

18. Turn your phone on silent

This is such a simple change. When you silence your phone, you are giving yourself permission to focus. You are getting rid of the distractions of notifications every five minutes. A similar idea for a desktop is to limit your browser to one tab.

19. Think of a “win” from today

Positive thinking! What happened today that you are proud of. Some days, the best I can come up with is that I got out of bed when I wanted to lay there all day. That is a win. No matter where you are at in life, you can find a win every day.

20. Plan a fun activity for tonight or the weekend

Having a fun activity to look forward to energized me. Sometimes, I get in a rut of routine, doing the same things every single day. A fun activity in the next few days gives me something to look forward to. I find that I can focus better while working because I know I’ll have a great way to relax later.

21. Read

Too much of the day I find myself staring at the screen. Can you tell most of these self-care tips are subtle nudges at me to relax, haha? Reading is my way to relax. If I’m feeling ambitious, I’ll read a self-improvement type book. If I just need to relax, fantasy is my go-to genre. Find what you love and do more of it.

22. Apply some lip balm and lotion

Keep your lips and skin moist and get a quick massage too. I call that a win-win situation. Massage your hands (they get a beating each day with all the work they do) and sniff the beautiful scent of your lotion.

23. Send a kind text

Self-care doesn’t have to be only about yourself. Think of those around you who need help and send them a kind text. It can be as simple as “I was thinking about you today. Thanks for being an example to me of perseverance. I appreciate your friendship more than you know.” A simple text like this can make someone’s day. Not only will you lift someone else, but you’ll find yourself lifted as you serve. Service is an amazing form of self-care.

24. Pray

Turn off the background music, find a quiet place, or pray in the chaos around you. Prayer connects your soul to heaven. I find a quick prayer in the middle of the day reminds me of what is important and takes my focus off the insignificant annoyances of the day.

25. Read scriptures

Reading scriptures is a form of prayer. Echoing the previous point, reading scriptures alters my perspective to focus on the important things.

26. Google “inspirational quote” and think on a few

There is an infinite number of inspirational quotes on the internet to sort through. I like to look through my Pinterest feed and pin a few to remember for later. Take a few minutes to think deeply about one or two of the ones you like. Why did they resonate with you? Combine this with complimenting yourself and listing five things you’re grateful for.

27. Turn on some aromatherapy

Treat your senses. Turn on lavender for sleep, eucalyptus for relaxation, or orange for energy. Take a few deep breathes to take in the new smells. If you aren’t somewhere you can turn on your own, keep a small bottle of essential oil to smell.

 

Self-care shouldn’t take hours each day. You have the power to incorporate it into your everyday routine.

Make each day better.

 

 

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