15 Underrated Self-Care Rituals that Only Take a Few Minutes

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Try these self-care rituals for just a few minutes every day to gradually move toward a happier, healthier, and better you.

Underrated Self-Care Rituals

1. Enjoy a Cup of Tea

A great self-care routine, drinking hot drinks can soothe the body and bring calm when you feel frustrated or stressed. Various hot teas, such as green or camomile, come with many nutritional and medicinal benefits.

But it doesn’t have to be a cup of tea. Coffee, a fruit smoothie, or a cup of hot water with ginger, lemon, and honey are all drinks to try.

Many tea drinkers agree that, often, it is not even the drink they look forward to. The act of making tea at certain times of the day is calming and therapeutic.

2. Take Deep Breaths

Smiling while sitting in a little cocoon tree over water

Taking deep breaths is a self-care ritual you can easily do on your own, every day, with no equipment needed.

Just taking a few minutes to breathe in and out fully can do wonders for your mental health. Apps like Calm can help guide you.

Deep breathing is also a great entry point for controlled meditation, once you are comfortable. It’s a great way to start your self-care rituals.

3. Take in Some Fresh Air and Sun

Standing on a balcony looking at the city

After a long day spent indoors, even just a few minutes of fresh air can help reduce your stress and agitation and make you feel calmer. It’s a simple form of self-care that is hugely overlooked.

One of the easiest ways to get fresh air is to try to schedule walking breaks or a little outdoor time in the middle of your day. Light and sun are good for your skin, brain, and well-being.

Getting some fresh air is a very easy self-care ritual to stick to. Many people instantly feel better as soon as they step outdoors and breathe in a big breath of air.

4. Stretch

Regular stretching and practices like yoga and pilates can keep your body mobile, functional, and ache-free.

However, hour-long yoga or pilates sessions can be overwhelming if you have a packed day. So aim just to do a few minutes of stretching every day.

Even simple stretches like reaching for the ceiling, or moving your head side to side, can make a difference. Aim for as much circular motion as you can.

Stretching is also good to incorporate into your morning routine, even if for a few minutes.

5. Start a Gratitude Journal

Positive thinking is one of the most underrated ways we can take better care of ourselves. However, switching your mindset can be difficult in a world of bad news, social media, and busy lives.

Gratitude journaling is a quick and easy self-care method you can do first thing every morning, and it only takes a few minutes.

Keep a pen and journal next to your bed. Then, when you wake up, write at least one thing you’re grateful for each day. In time, it can become one of your most powerful daily rituals.

6. Play Your Favorite Songs

Most of us have favorite songs and artists that make us feel happy or nostalgic. Maybe it’s your first dance song or a song that reminds you of a summer spent abroad.

Every day, build the habit of playing your favorite song or artist, even just for a few minutes.

Hearing that music will trigger positive thoughts in your head. This will help you feel calmer, optimistic, and more in control throughout the day.

7. Hydrate

The fitness industry is constantly talking about the latest liquid diet or superfood smoothie that you should be drinking. Yet, the most important liquid in our bodies is always water.

So many of us forget to drink enough water throughout the day. Simply pouring and drinking a glass of water takes only minutes, even seconds, but it can have a huge impact on us.

Staying hydrated will help you stay focussed, positive, and energized. When it comes to self-care, drinking water is one of the important things we can do.

8. Take Bubble Baths

Few activities are as soothing and relaxing as taking a hot bubble bath. Particularly after a long day, a bubble bath of essential oils and soaps is an excellent way to unwind.

A scented bath bomb can also help you relax, along with a good book, or a face mask.

If finding the time for a long, relaxing warm bath is difficult, try a shower instead. The feeling of hot water and bubbles against your skin still has a relaxing effect. Start short, and work up to a long shower.

Water on your bare skin is healthy. It can help you have softer skin and stimulate your entire system.

In the bath or shower, try singing too. Singing will help release any pent-up frustration or energy, and you will feel much better.

9. Go Barefoot

Sitting in an egg-shaped chair looking at greenery

Ever gasped and felt relief when taking off your shoes and socks, freeing your feet from their cotton and leather prisons? Then, you should try going barefoot for a few minutes every day.

Going barefoot is freeing and relieving. It allows you to connect your energy to the ground below you, and with Mother Earth. It’s a small change that makes a big difference.

Best of all, spending even just a few minutes barefoot every day requires no extra time or effort. Just take off your shoes and socks at home and go about your day.

10. Dance

Dancing is a wonderful way to get physical activity into your day without needing to change clothes or drive to a gym.

Simply plug in your music or turn on the television, and dance away. If you feel embarrassed about people seeing you, dance in an empty room or draw the curtains.

You can dance however you want. Dancing is all about releasing energy and making yourself feel happy, positive, and energized. Even a few minutes of dance a day can make a big difference.

11. Track Your Hours of Sleep

While getting enough sleep often isn’t an overnight fix (excuse the pun), tracking your sleep is the best way to start.

Sleep tracking apps like Sleep Cycle simply need to be opened before bedtime. Along with tracking your sleep, such apps can also record sleep quality, among other metrics.

If you don’t want to sleep with a phone near you, a sleep tracker printable can also be very useful. You can fill it in every morning to see how many hours you are getting.

Everyone needs different amounts of sleep. Finding out and getting your optimum amount of sleep will improve physical health and overall well-being.

12. Keep Healthy Snacks at Work

When busy or stressed, the urge to get a quick sugar or caffeine fix is overwhelming. However, while the initial rush of coffee or sugar feels good, the crashes and long-term effects on health most certainly are not.

To improve energy levels, keep healthy snacks close to your workstation or in the car. Snacks like nuts and fruit will boost energy, without the ups and downs of caffeine or sugar highs.

13. Set Boundaries

Daily life can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t learn to say no. Setting boundaries is one of the best ways to practice self-care.

Only check email during certain hours. Turn off the laptop at the end of the day. Don’t check your phone after 9 pm, to stop blue light from affecting your sleep.

14. Track and Manage Money

Financial hardship and money worries are one of our biggest contributors to negative energy.

While we generally can’t solve money problems overnight, we can start to get on top of our finances by simply tracking our income and outgoings. This is a great first step to take.

Doing this once a year is overwhelming. So build the simple habit of doing it at the end of the day. Use a finance tracker printable or budgeting app to help you.

Particularly if you’re dealing with job losses, knowing your income and outcome will allow you to work out how much time you have, reducing stress and blood pressure in the process.

15. Schedule Quiet Time

Quiet time is one of the most effective self-care activities. Even a short amount of time in silence can do wonders for your mind and body.

Quiet time allows you to be in the present moment. It gives you mental clarity. It takes you away from the constant noise of your busy day and electronic devices.

If work or home life is too distracting, walk to a local park for quiet time. Or find a spot away from home, and take a yoga mat. A meditation app or guided meditation recording can also help.

Sometimes, even just a few minutes of quiet is enough time to recharge and reset. Do it on a daily basis, and soon this can be one of your most effective daily self-care practices.

When it comes to self-care, we often think too much, too soon. We try to go to the gym, change our diet, read more, meditate, and so on until it all becomes too overwhelming.

Change needs to be gradual. You have to start with very small changes to your daily routine, then work toward bigger changes.

These self-care rituals are just ten of many very small, easy, and time-sensitive things you can do, every day, to feel happier and healthier.

Don’t try to do two hours at a gym. Start by dancing for a few minutes. Don’t overhaul your diet overnight. Start by drinking more water. This is the best way to make a change.

Taking better care of yourself is a marathon, not a sprint. So start today with these simple self-care rituals, and make them a habit. Soon enough, you’ll notice positive changes in your health and well-being.

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Keen to bring these self-care rituals into your day-to-day life? Save this article to one of your self-care Pinterest boards, ready for when you would like to start building these habits.