The 30 day self care and self love challenge is designed to refresh and re-energize you. You will come out if happier, invigorated and ready to take on the world!
How the 30 day Self care challenge works
Once you join the challenge you will receive access to a list of energizing, soothing, and fun activities that will refresh your body and soul.
Start by looking over the self-care and self love activities so that you get an idea of what they are. (In the challenge schedules section.)
Every day choose at least one activity to complete. Once you have completed the activity simply click on the activity and press complete. This will allow you to keep track of your progress
Introduction
A 30 day self-care challenge is the perfect way to refresh and energize yourself. Do you feel tired or demotivated? Like you just need a minute to breathe and relax.
If even the smallest part of you thinks you may need some time for self-care, chances are you definitely do.
I can already hear you thinking. I do need to take care of myself better.
You’ll glance through the list of self-care activities.
Some of you might even vow to take time out for some self-care. But then life will get in the way
We feel guilty about taking time for self-care
Do you have a partner and kids who always need you? Maybe you have lots of work piling up that you need to get to. Or maybe you just feel selfish taking time out for yourself.
Regardless of the reason you need need to know it’s okay to put yourself first sometimes.
Remember if you’re in a plane crash you are expected to put on your oxygen mask before helping anyone else out. And the reason for that is simple. You have to take care of yourself to take care of others.
It’s okay to tell your boss that you need some time to unwind. Or to tell your partner that you need a night out.
We’re all too busy
In fact most of us are so busy that we never the time to really take care of ourselves.
So we get exhausted and overwhelmed.
And the more drained we get, the less time we have for self-care. And so the cycle keeps going.
Some of you may be thinking to yourself. I don’t even have a busy life. What reason do I have for being tired and frustrated?
Exhaustion isn’t just related to how busy you are. Sometimes your exhaustion stems from being frustrated with how mundane life can be.
One of the ways to prevent that is by deliberately engaging in activities which make us feel good.
It is those activities which will prevent you from burning out. Which will prevent you from getting frustrated and angry.
It is these small activities which will re energize you and motivate you to achieve your dreams.
“People that look after themselves [and practice self-care] do have better cognitive ability. They do have better focus and they do have better concentration.”
Dr. Russell Thackeray
So the self-care activities will actually help you do other things more efficiently.
But you have to make the time
Self-care doesn’t happen by itself. In fact it will always be the last item on your to-do list.
And so you have to set aside time to take care of yourself. Set aside time to do things that will make you happy. Set aside time to put your mental health first.
What is especially important about putting aside time for self-care is that you automatically value the activity you are engaging in more.
Many self-care activities are things that we do every day anyway.
But just setting aside time to mindfully enjoy those activities, makes us appreciate them more. And it makes us happier and more energetic.
Tips for the self-care challenge
Make sure you tell the important people in your life that you are taking this challenge. And that there will be days where you need them to help out.
The only way to get help is to ask for it. And in order to get time to do self-care there are days where you will need help.
Do it with a group of friends
I always recommend doing the 30 day self-care challenge alongside other people.
A lot of us put ourselves last. Even when it’s detrimental to our mental health. And so if you do this challenge by yourself you may end up not completing it.
But if you do this challenge with a group you’re more likely to stick to it. And less likely to feel guilty for putting yourself first for once.
Doing the 30 day self-care challenge with a group will also make you appreciate the activities more. Because when you discuss your positive feelings with someone else, you automatically feel even happier.
What do I need for the 30 day Self-care Challenge?
Most of the items on the challenge list will be lying at home. A few of them will require just a little bit of preplanning.
Getting a massage.
Post covid-19 few people are willing to get a massage from a therapist so here’s what we recommend instead
- Ask a loved one to give you a 5 minute massage. Your child , sibling or spouse. Offer to reciprocate the offer
- Buy a massager that you can use even after your 30 day challenge is over. I find massages heavenly. Even if they’re not electric they are just so relaxing. I personally have a foot massager and head massager. Here are some recomendations
- Handheld head massager (Only $3.99 at amazon)
- Foot massager roller
- Back massager
Read a book
- You can borrow a book for free from our library
- You can watch tv instead
- Sign up for a free 30 day trial with audible and get an ebook
Burn a scented candle
- Amazon sells them for as low as $3.5
- If you don’t want to spend money spray some nice smelling air freshener or clean the house with scented supplies instead.
Something to consider
According to the Harris Poll 44% of people believe that most people don’t have the time to do self-care while 35%% believe that only people with money can do self-care.
The activities on the self-care challenge list are things that can be done by anybody. Most of them are free, and can be done at home.
Feel like you don’t have the time? Don’t limit yourself to the activities suggested one each day. Do whichever activities you want. If you enjoy going for a walk do that every day.
Just commit to doing one thing every day for your self-care. And do that activity mindfully if possible.
30 day self-care challenge experiences
“I don’t really have a reason to be overwhelmed because I don’t have a lot of responsibilities. But I often find myself irritable. Everything just gets boring in life. It’s always the same old. The 30 day self-care challenge definitely put me in a better mood by spicing things up slightly. Just made me appreciate my life more and focus on the things I am grateful for. ”
-Ashley
“I rarely have any time to myself with 2 rowdy (but lovable) little boys. So this last month was really, really, REALLY nice. I tended to choose the activities which took less time and planning. Just because I’m super busy. But even those activities helped relax me. And make me feel like a normal human being again. Other moms know what I’m talking about. “
-Anonymous
“I really like the fact that the 30 day self-care challenge provided 2 optional sets of activities for each day. I’ve done a challenge like this before but I found it difficult to stick to because of how rigid it was. With this challenge I could choose self-care activities based on what I liked. Definitely enjoyed it.”
-Lisa
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How to complete the 30 day Self Care Challenge
Every day for the next 30 days you will select one self care or self love activity to complete from the categories created below. Please note that the categories can be minimized by clicking on them. The challenge is interactive and every time you do an activity you can mark it as complete allowing you to keep track of your progress. Try and do at least 1 activity a week from each self care or self love area. Start by going through each of the activities in advance so that you have an idea of what they entail. Clicking on the activity will provide you with tips on how to make each activity more fun. Some of the activities are easy to complete and others you will have to plan in advance. The self care and self love categories are 1.Emotional self care & self love 2. Social self care & self love 3. Spiritual self care & self love 4. Physical self care & self love 5. Mental self care & self love.
No items in this section -
Emotional Self Care & Self Love
- Write in your journal or talk to someone about how you’re doing.
- Turn of social media for the day. Or limit it.
- Say I love you to someone you care about
- Watch a feel good movie like the Pursuit of Happyness
- Sit outside and drink a cup of tea all by yourself
- Get dressed up to feel good
- Take a bubble bath or a long hot shower
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Social Self Care & Self Love
- Call up an old friend and catch up
- Plan a night out
- Reflect with a close friend
- Plan a barbeque
- Walk over to your neighbor and introduce yourself. and offer help if they need any
- Have a family dinner / event
- Join a social group online (eg. facebook) and interact with people through a post
- Cuddle with a loved one
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Spiritual Self Care & Self Love
- Do a 10 minute guided meditation
- Do 10 minutes of yoga
- Reflect with a close friend
- Do a mindful activity
- Write down 3 things are you grateful for
- Express gratitude to someone. Or forgiveness.
- Listen to uplifting songs while sitting outside
- Watch the sunset or imagine being on a beach with your eyes closed
- Burn a scented candle
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Physical Self Care & Self Love
These are activities that will help increase your overall health and well being. They will help reduce your stress, and keep your energy levels up.
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Mental Self Care & Self Love
Mental self care consists of activities that give you a feeling of accomplishment and make you feel worthwhile. This is an area of self care that is often overlooked, but make you feel important and useful.
- Read a book
- Solve a puzzle
- Take part in an online trivia game
- Learn something new
- Take a guilt free nap
- Say no to something you don’t want to do. and don’t feel guilty about it
- Pay attention to your thoughts & challenge any negative thoughts that arise
- Paint a picture. Or color in an adult coloring book.
- Schedule some “me time” in your calender
- Organize your house or clean your room
