19 Calming Self-care Ideas To Fight Stress and Anxiety

Looking for relaxing activities for a healthier mind and body? These self-care ideas will help you feel grounded and fresh again.

Self-care is not just about pedicure and facial mask. Same as your body, our mind needs constant attention to function properly.

If you find your mind jumping around and just can’t seem to focus, mental self-care activities can help to bring calmness back.

And taking care of your mental health doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. Here are 19 self-care ideas to fight stress, anxiety and restore the zen you need.

Self-care Ideas To Restore Calmness

Create a self-care kit

Put together things that calm your mind. Photos with your family, affirmation cards or your favorite scented candle.

Wake up earlier

Make yourself a cup of coffee. Sit down and make plans for the day before breakfast. Here is a list of morning routines to start your day strong.

Meditate for 10 minutes

Meditations don’t have to be a 30-minute session. Schedule 10 minutes a day to sit down with your thoughts and see how it feels.

If you’ve never meditated before, here is a meditation guide for beginners. Stick to it for a few days and you may see the clarity it brings to your mind.

Read a book

Any book irrelevant to your work or life. This will give your mind a perfect pause from daytime stress.

Take a warm bath

Soak your stress and anxiety in warm water. A soothing bath will boost your blood flow and enhance your energy level as well.

Make a gratitude list

Practice gratitude by listing 10 things you are grateful for at the moment. Stick it to your vision board or the mirror. It will shift your focus from unfinished to-do items to the great things in life.

Coloring

The benefits of coloring for adults are countless. It takes your mind off your day-to-day and soothes your brain muscles. So just grab a coloring sheet of your choice and some colored pencils and start today.

Take a whole-30 challenge

Fuel your body with clean and healthy food. Eat good, feel good.

Take a nap

Recharge in the middle of the day. Try this guided sleep meditation if you have trouble falling asleep.

Listen to a random TED talk

Get inspired by some of the best ideas on earth. It doesn’t have to be relevant to your job or your life as long as it interests you.

Take a long walk

Preferably in a park or somewhere you can get a taste of nature. But if it can’t happen, put on your earphone and walk around the neighborhood.

Visit a special place of your childhood

It can be your old house, a playground or your elementary school.

Clean and organize your space

When your place is in order, you’ll have more space for your body and soul. The cleaning process itself can be a needed distraction if you are too caught up by anxiety and stress.

Talk to an old friend

Someone that knows you well but it’s not in your current social circle. The reconnection with an old friend may bring new perspectives and solutions you need.

Hug someone you love

Comforting physical contacts with your loved ones will boost the sense of security.

Get crafty

It can be a dinner for yourself or a craft project. No need to set the bar high. Treat it as a stress-relieving therapy and take as long as you want.

Do yoga

Stress-reliving is one of the many science-backed benefits of yoga. So give it a try when you feel down and distracted.

Random acts of kindness

By giving kindness, you will receive a sense of fulfillment in return. Here are some kindness ideas to get you started.

Make new friends

Expand and bring new blood in your social circle. It can be achieved by volunteering, getting involved in a community event or simply talking to a stranger.

For introverts, try making pen-pals with apps like Slowly.

So here are all the calming self-care ideas for when you feel stressed out. More ideas that work wonders for you? Tell us in the comment!