If I could recommend just one daily practice for you, it would be to do at least three things that fill you up, nurture you and are pleasurable. I call these types of activities self-care “wants.”

There are two kinds of self-care: self-care needs and self-care wants.

Self-care needs are things like flossing your teeth, keeping your home tidy (unless you love to do it!), folding laundry, or washing the dishes.

Self-care wants are activities that feel wonderful to you — beginning, middle, and end. These are activities that give you a positive visceral (bodily) response.

Most women have a self-care wants deficit.

(Get a link at the end of this article for a podcast episode I did explaining the difference between self-care needs and self-care wants.)

Every woman needs a list of at least 20 things she enjoys doing that fall into the self-care wants category.

Here is a list of 30 simple self-care ideas that I hope will inspire and tempt you to begin nurturing yourself even more.

30 simple ideas for self-care:

1. Enjoy a cup of tea or delicious coffee.
2. Draw in an adult coloring book.
3. Knit, crochet, or do any craft that you love.
4. Write in a journal.
5. Ride a bike.
6. Sit in the sun (or the rain!) for 5 minutes.
7. Take a walk around the block.
8. Pet your dog, cat, or favorite creature.
9. Light a candle.
10. Take a bath or shower.
11. Listen to your favorite music.
12. Take an aimless, no destination ride in your car.
13. Enjoy a nice piece of chocolate.
14. Read a book for pleasure.
15. Work on a puzzle of any kind.
16. Play a game.
17. Listen to inspirational messages or programs that inspire or uplift you.
18. Pray.
19. Go to your favorite cafe.
20. Tend plants or a garden.
21. Visit a museum.
22. Go on a beauty hunt anywhere that reliably pleases your sense of sight.
23. Go to an art supply store and browse.
24. Meditate.
25. Dance or move your body in ways that feel pleasurable to you.
26. Learn something new.
27. Read a card, letter, email, or text you received from a friend or loved one telling you how wonderful you are or how much they appreciate you.
28. Brush your hair, or massage your scalp for no reason other than to enjoy the experience.
29. Anoint your body with creams or oils that nourish you physically and emotionally.
30. Look through a picture book.

What’s on your list? I (and everyone else reading this post) would love to hear in the comments below!

Click here for Episode #70 of the Beyond Bitchy Podcast: Two Types of Self-Care & Committing to Both!

© Vicki Tidwell Palmer (2021)