In an effort to take care of yourself, you might often think that you need to dedicate hours out of your day to really focus on yourself. But what if I told you that you could get excellent benefits from just a 5 minute self care session?
Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to involve complicated practices all the time. Of course, you have to make time for yourself but in some instances, it doesn’t have to be lengthy or take a huge amount of time.
Taking the time to take a few deep breaths when you need to, repeating a mantra, saying an affirmation, or a prayer to help get you in the right headspace matters. It can be as simple as that.
Here are some self care activities that can help you to beat stress and some of them takes 5 minutes or less.
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5 Minute Self Care Ideas
When it comes to taking care of yourself, do you always think that you’re too busy and that you don’t have time for self care?
Here’s the thing, caring for yourself is one of the best things you can do for you and even though you might not have a ton of time on your hands surely, you have 5 minutes.
Here are some self care activities to get you started that take 5 minutes or less.
1. Take A Deep Breath
Whenever you t taking deep breaths is one of the best ways to help reduce stress in your body and improve your situation. This is because when you take a deep breath, it lowers your heart rate and sends a signal to your brain to relax and stay calm.
The important thing is to not just do your regular breathing. Start with breathing in and and while breathing in count to four, then hold it in and count to four again, then blow out that air while counting for four.
That didn’t take long, did it?
2. Eating Slowly
If you’re in the habit of stuffing your face at a fast pace, it’s time to think about taking it slow when you eat. When did you last enjoy your meal?
Studies have shown that when you eat too quickly you’re more likely to gain more weight in the long run, in comparison to other people who eat at a slower pace. Nobody wants that!
Going forward, when you eat something and it doesn’t have to be a large meal it, can be anything slow down and take the time to chew your food properly so that you can taste and enjoy the different flavors and textures.
When you slow down your eating it improves your digestion and helps you to better absorb the nutritional goodness it gives. It also plays a part in helping you to helps you to savor your food more, causing you feel more calm and in control and therefore lowering your stress levels.
3. Drink More Water
All the cells and organs in your body need water in order to function properly. For instance, your body needs water to regulate your temperature, cushion your joints, remove waste and prevents dehydration.
If you’re dehydrated it can prevent you from thinking clearly and puts you in a foul mood. So if you’re feeling stressed or even if you’re not, drink a glass of water to help remove brain fog and help lift your mood.
Always opt for water over sugary or carbonated beverages and when you’re out and about, take your water bottle with you, so that when you need to take a sip, it’s right there, reducing the temptation for those sugary drinks.
Related article: Health benefits of drinking water
4. Give Yourself A Break
Taking a break is a deliberate act of taking some space and slowing things down. This triggers the nervous system and helps you to become more calm and relaxed.
There are a lot of good aspects of taking a timeout. Putting a pause on everything helps to calm those readily persistent, invasive thoughts, unwind and breathe freely and be present in the moment.
Switch off all your electronic devices and close your eyes while sitting. When you do this even for just a minute works wonders.
5. Reflect On What You’re Grateful For
When you have a grateful heart it helps to change how you look at the world and is actually great for your state of mind h and your mental attitude in general.
Think about something that you’re thankful for. Or even better, take a moment to send a quick message or phone call to a family or friend regarding something you appreciate about them.
Making time to do this is not just for your loved ones but also for yourself. It will take just a few minutes and you’ll be amazed at the impact this has on your mental and physical health.
You’ll feel less stressed out and calmer it will help you to feel much more level-headed, happier as you carry on with your day.
6. Set Your Daily Intentions
Setting your intentions is declaring what you have in mind and expect to achieve through your actions. It’s about who you are, what you’re about, and why you do what you do.
It helps when you set daily intentions so that you have a clear picture of what’s important to you and it’s also a clear guideline to remind you of how to get through your day.
Also, it’s a great way to improve your inner strength. When you set your intentions and carry them out, it allows you to stay focused in the moment.
It helps you to realize and work on your principles and standards and boost your enthusiasm and as a result, elevate your physical energy.
7. Light Some Candles
Candle lights are calming, period. The soft captivating nature of their light makes them an excellent addition to your self care routine.
The gentle glow helps you to feel so peaceful and relaxed reducing stress. It improves how you feel both physically and emotionally.
When you feel more relaxed you have much more likely to sleep better. And, we all know that getting your rest plays a big role in boosting your immune system and puts you in a better frame of mind, and gives you an overall sense of excellent well-being.
Scented candles are also an option because they have the added advantage of stimulating your sense of smell. In this situation, it’s best to choose scents that have soothing and relaxing effects.
When you’ve chosen your favorite scent that you find relaxing and soothing add them to your daily routine to give you a moment of peace and calm. When you sit quietly in a candle-lit room at the end of your day, it’s a great way to kick back and just chill.
8. Treat Yourself To Some Fresh Flowers
You don’t have to wait on family or friends to send you flowers. Why not treat yourself to a bunch of beautiful flowers. It’s a form of self-care and self-love.
According to Behavioural Research carried out at Rutgers University, the state university of New Jersey, Researchers found that nature has given us a simple way to boost emotional well-being, and that’s with flowers.
They also found that flowers improve your level of happiness immediately. Volunteers smiled from ear to ear on receiving the flowers and showed that they were thrilled and grateful.
The studies also showed that the volunteers felt less depressed as well as less anxious after receiving flowers. This reaction was throughout all different ages in the groups that participated.
One thing is certain, flowers make us happy so treat yourself to some flowers today and boost your happiness.
9. Color A Picture
Coloring has the tendency to relax your brain. It has the same effect as that of meditating in that, it alleviates those thoughts in your anxious mind, which helps to relieve anxiety and increase mindfulness.
This is because it calls for your total concentration but not in a stressful way. You’ll need to put all other stuff out of the way mentally and focus on the moment. And, it creates a sense of peace and stillness for your mind.
So if you’re looking for a calming, relaxing, and satisfying way to loosen up and de-stress after a long day, then coloring fits the bill. Don’t put it off. Grab an adult coloring book of your preference and pick the coloring pencils you want and just start coloring.
10. Say No To Something Stressful
If you have a limited amount of time with a million things to do, not to mention those scheduled for a particular deadline why would you want to shove something else on your plate? Saying no to some of these things can help to ease overwhelm and stress.
When you say yes to situations while you’re already bombarded with a long to-do list, it will cost you – It will affect your mental and physical well-being. The thing is, it’s better for you to say no because you’ll be less stressed and have peace of mind
You only have 24 hours in a day and only you know what you can handle within that time frame with time to spare for you. It makes no sense to commit yourself to projects or situations that you know you can’t live up to.
You’re the only one that knows how much is too much meaning what amount of projects you can tackle without getting sick and stressed out.
Saying no to new undertakings will give you a chance to give your undivided attention to work on and complete those you already have, leaving more time for you to take care of yourself.
11. Practice Forgiveness
Whether it’s a little tiff or a long-standing falling out, unsettled disputes can cause more damage than you know.
When you forgive someone it doesn’t mean that you’re weak at all but instead, it signifies a win for you.
It makes no sense to be bitter by allowing that person who hurt you to take over your every thought and your emotions. It can weigh heavy on your mind.
You’ll feel so miserable and be like a prisoner and miserable while the person who hurt you is going about their life. As the saying goes, it’s like you’re drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
Studies have shown that forgiveness can benefit your health, hugely. It helps to lower your blood pressure levels as well as the risk of a heart attack. And can also reduce your levels of anxiety and stress. Here’s the kicker, you’ll be able to sleep better.
Forgive and let it go, your health hinges on it.
12. Take A Warm Shower
Apart from cleansing the skin, a warm shower provides some much-needed ‘me time. It gives you a chance to relax and get your head together and get your mind off things.
After bathing, your body tends to feel revived y. Often times without even knowing it we usually keep tension in our bodies. If you have aches or soreness after a hard day, a warm shower will do wonders for your body.
There are a number of benefits to be had when you take a warm shower such as:
- Helps you get better sleep.
- It can minimize signs of stress and anxiety because it helps to relieve tension in the muscles.
- Lowers your blood pressure.
- Increase blood circulation.
- Helps you feel more refreshed.
13. Repeat Your Favorite Affirmations/Mantras
Repeating affirmations or mantras can make you feel empowered, it can boost your confidence and just so sure of yourself.
Mantras and affirmations simply put are sentences that you use to free your mind.
There’s no shame in repeating statements to help you get in the right headspace and help you get through your day. It can have a significant effect particularly if you’re in a stressful situation or you have a problem getting in the right mindset.
Related article: Affirmations For Self Care
14. Play With Your Pet
A lot of us are not even aware of the rewards both mentally and physically that we can get from our pets. Pets are sensitive to our actions and emotions and show unconditional loyalty.
Playing with your pets can help you to be more active and help you to discover and go through increased positive effects on your health. It can also help to take the edge off of your loneliness by providing priceless companionship.
And, It can help to reduce muscle tension, help you to feel calm and loved, lower your stress, blood pressure and anxiety levels, and can increase happiness. It has these therapeutic benefits that meet the human desire for touch.
Take your pet and have at least a 5-minute play session.
Conclusion On 5 Minute Self Care
You’ll feel stressed and exhausted when self care is missing it can lead to an unhappy, unfulfilled life.
When you aren’t taking care of yourself, this, in turn, can lead to exhaustion and overwhelm and a sense of resentment. For instance, it could be that you’re overwhelmed due to taking care of everyone else’s needs and not catering to yours.
And, as time progresses, if you don’t factor in self-care, you could end up resenting your loved ones.
Everybody has at least five minutes to spare no matter how busy you are. Taking 5 minute self care breaks throughout the day can be your secret weapon and a turning point to a marked difference in taking care of yourself.
Don’t short-change yourself, level up your self care game. Have you tried using 5 minute self care activities to help you get through your day? Comment Below
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