If your idea of self-care is scrolling Instagram while eating last night’s cold pizza (no judgment, we’ve all been there), you might need to up your game. Self-care isn’t just bubble baths and face masks. It’s the stuff that keeps you sane, healthy, and, let’s be honest, tolerable to be around.
So let’s dive into the types, benefits, and strategies that’ll have you feeling like a million bucks (or at least not like an overworked zombie).
Self-care isn’t just a luxury — it’s a necessity. Taking time to care for your mental, physical, and emotional well-being can transform your life and even your workplace.
This isn’t a “pick one and hope for the best” deal. It’s more like a buffet. You need a little of everything:
Here’s why self-care is so essential:
Protects Your Well-Being
Regular self-care helps you recharge and stay balanced. It reduces stress, improves focus, and prevents burnout, especially in high-pressure work environments. Think of it as refueling your tank so you can keep going without running on empty.
Boosts Decision-Making and Resilience
When you prioritize self-care, you’re better equipped to handle challenges. It sharpens your focus, improves emotional resilience, and helps you make thoughtful decisions—even during stressful times.
Improves Productivity
Self-care isn’t about stepping away from work; it’s about returning to it refreshed and ready to perform at your best. Regular breaks and stress-reducing habits can lead to sharper thinking, more creativity, and greater efficiency.
Supports Long-Term Health
Self-care is an investment in your future health. It helps lower your risk of chronic conditions like hypertension, anxiety, and depression. By building healthy habits now, you set the foundation for a healthier, happier life.
Strengthens Organizations
A workforce that values self-care is healthier, more engaged, and more productive. When employees take care of themselves, they bring more energy, focus, and positivity to the workplace, which benefits everyone.
By making self-care a priority, individuals thrive — and organizations reap the rewards of a more resilient, energized team. Whether it’s taking a mental health day, exercising, or simply stepping outside for fresh air, self-care is the key to sustaining success in every area of life.
Skipping self-care is like skipping oil changes for your car. Sure, you can get away with it for a while, but eventually, you’re gonna break down — mentally, physically, or both. Here are seven self-care strategies:
When your body is under a lot of stress, your breathing changes. If you’re feeling anxious and start to take shallow breaths, this can lead to inefficient oxygen levels as you take smaller breaths and use your shoulders versus your diaphragm. If you’re hyperventilating, anxious feelings can actually make physical symptoms of stress worse. Learning to control your breath can help you feel more comfortable and less anxious.
When to try it: Deep breathing exercises are excellent to do anytime when you feel overwhelmed. If you’re going into a stressful meeting or phone call, try to take a deep breath or two. Sitting in traffic and running late? Try a series of breathing exercises to keep your calm to drive on.
Related: 4 Easy Breathing Exercises to Reduce Stress at Work
After the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become evident how vital human socialization is for us. By adding socialization events to your calendar, this self-care strategy can help you avoid the feeling of loneliness and isolation. Ensuring you’re adding quality time with quality people during your social events can help you elevate your spirits the right way. Setting boundaries and practicing reaching out to others is a great form of self-care for your social life.
When to try it: Haven’t seen a dear friend in a while? It’s time for a lunch or coffee date. Consider reaching out to friends and colleagues beyond just a text. If you can meet them in person, do it! Find a balance that works best for you.
Related: What is Social Health? A Pillar of Wellness Workers Need Now
At any time, anyone can start a meditation practice. Best of all, it doesn't have to look the same as everyone else's. Sometimes meditation means praying or journaling. Sometimes it means sitting in silence. Other times it might look like a walk in nature. Meditation is simply a time of quiet and peace where you can sit with your thoughts. It allows you to create space in your mind and learn how to be content simply by being.
When to try it: It’s best to try meditation when you have several minutes of uninterrupted quiet time. You can try it on your lunch break. Or it might mean taking a walk after an intense meeting to enjoy the sounds of nature. Do it when you can spend a few minutes alone and feel a need to break away and unwind from the stress of work.
Related: Mind Racing? Feeling Overwhelmed? Try Meditation for Stress
As stated above, meditation is a great way to take an intentional break in your work day. When working remotely, it can be easy to be plugged in and working 24/7 — even after you meant to clock out. Make it a point to take several breaks throughout the day. Many states have laws when it comes to work breaks, so make sure you're taking advantage of them.
When to try it: Feeling like you're stuck in a rut after a few hours of the same work duty? It is probably time for a break. Taking an intentional break will allow you to stretch and come back with renewed insight into tackling your work responsibilities.
Make it a point each day to use an end-of-day ritual as a self-care strategy. Your body and mind will get used to this routine and you may even find yourself looking forward to it. Whether that means attending your evening yoga class right after work or cleaning up your desk before logging off, get into the habit each day.
When to try it: You can set up rituals for both the beginning and end of your day. In the morning, you may try reading a positive self-help book while enjoying your coffee. In the evening, it may look like putting on your favorite pair of cozy socks and reading a book before heading to bed. Do what feels good and helps you feel relaxed and ready to go into the next day with a good attitude.
A solid social network can look however you want it to — in-person or online or even a mix of both. Your network might be full of childhood friends or neighbors. For other people, that might just be their colleagues. Whoever you count as your favorite people, make sure you keep in touch with them and stay connected. Sometimes, that’s just a monthly check-in. But doing so shows you care and will often be reciprocated. Find people who fill you up with positive energy and support you in your goals to experience the power of a good social network.
When to try it: This self-care strategy is an ongoing one. It's not a set-it-and-forget-it type of self-care activity. You have to be intentional with reaching out to other people. Life gets busy for you and for others, so maintaining strong relationships relies on the power of good communication on a regular basis.
When it comes time to log off from work, really log off. Take time away on your scheduled breaks to put your computer on sleep mode. Unplugging — even for those few minutes for a break — resets your brain and allows you to reduce your stress. Taking a break from screens can also minimize eye strain, reduce headaches, and other health issues. It also gives you a chance to fully experience present-moment awareness.
When to try it: Once you clock out, see if you can fully disconnect from other technology, too. Focus your attention on other activities that don’t require Wi-Fi. Read a book, go for a walk, enjoy dinner with your family, journal, exercise, or tackle that disorganized closet.
Self-care isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your self-care plan should be as unique as your Netflix recommendations. Taking the time to create a personalized self-care plan can help you stay balanced, energized, and ready to take on whatever life throws your way. Here’s how to get started:
1. Identify Your Needs
Reflect on what you truly need to feel your best. Are you craving more connection, physical activity, or downtime? Consider areas like emotional, physical, mental, and social health.
2. List Your Favorites
Write down activities that make you feel happy, calm, or recharged. Maybe it’s journaling, walking your dog, or catching up with a friend. Choose things you enjoy — not just things you think you “should” do.
3. Set Realistic Goals
Start small and focus on what’s manageable. For example, aim for 10 minutes of stretching in the morning or scheduling a weekly coffee date with a friend.
4. Plan Ahead
Make self-care a priority by blocking out time in your calendar. Treat it like any other important meeting — it’s non-negotiable!
5. Review and Adjust
Regularly check in with yourself. Is your plan working? If not, tweak it until it feels right.
Encourage yourself to treat self-care like a lifelong habit. When you prioritize your well-being, everything else in life starts to feel a little lighter!
Reminder: self-care isn’t a cure-all. It’s amazing for keeping your tank full, but life can throw a curveball that you just can’t handle solo. And that’s okay. Knowing when to bring in a pro is a power move— not a weakness.
Because we all need a little help sometimes, here are some great places to start:
Self-care is one area of your life that your body hates to ignore. If you let yourself get too stressed out, your body will loudly let you know — physically, mentally or both — that it’s time to reset.
Practicing daily self-care strategies ensures you don’t get to the point of burnout. Like your daily workout or even scheduling a doctor’s appointment, take the time to invest in emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, and social self-care practices.
Research shows that developing a consistent self-care plan can help you stay stronger mentally and physically. It’s not a one-size-all practice, so doing what works for you is important.
Above all, remembering these aren’t just at-home techniques but are also necessary for the workplace can help keep you balanced.
What are your favorite self-care practices? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Editors Note: This post was updated in January 2025 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.