What do you do need when you desperately need some TLC that doesn’t involve baths, massages, pedicures or brunch with friends? Well, you can try one of these 20 unusual self care ideas for inspiration!
While every one of these self care tips may not be relevant for you, this list contains a variety of self care tips that you can use as a starting point.
Experiment, think outside the box and remember to always do what feels in alignment with your current needs.
1. Experience Life In The Fairyland Cottage
Fairyland Cottage is a YouTube channel that shows a day in the life of am Irish woman who lives – not surprisingly – in the Irish countryside.
It’s a slow-paced, back to nature channel that shows her drying fresh herbs, harvesting food from her garden, hanging laundry outdoors and basically living a minimalist, zero waste life.
Her voice is incredibly soothing and the images of the Irish countryside are just so calming.
It might inspire you to dream about the type of lifestyle you’d like for yourself.
2. Have Fun With Feel-Good Words
Grab a notebook or sheet of paper and write down one word that makes you feel good (i.e. makes you smile or feel hopeful or motivates you to dream).
Then think of another word that makes you feel good and write that down on the next line.
And then think of another word and continue the process for 10 minutes.
For example, the word “ease” makes me think of “relaxation,” which makes me think of “simplicity,” which makes me think of “nature,” which makes me think of “sunshine,” and “flower gardens,” and “outdoor yoga” and “lazy afternoons”
These are all words that make me feel relaxed, warm ‘n fuzzy and less tense.
Give it a try for yourself.
3. Look At Old Pictures of Your Favorite City
Whether it’s the city you live in or cities you’ve visited, you can hop onto google and type in “old pictures of _____”
You’ll find lots of old images with great stories associated with them.
And you can make up your own stories about the pictures too.
Gives you a new perspective!
4. Take a Tiny House Tour
Living Big In A Tiny House is a YouTube channel that shows the many facets of living in a tiny house.
Even if you never intend to live in a tiny house, you’ll find lots of decor and landscaping, inspiration on this channel, from bohemian to ultra modern and everything in between.
And above all else, it’s a reminder that many times in life, less is more.
5. Book An Airbnb In Your City
Save yourself the expense of traveling far way and plan a staycation, complete with a booking an AirBnB right in your city.
Whether you do it for a night or a weekend, this is a great way to take a break from the norm and treat yourself.
You’ll experience your city in a new way while enjoying a lovely cottage or modern apartment, without the hassle of traveling.
6. Go Indoor Rock Climbing
Indoor rock climbing is a mental and physical challenge that also requires lots of coordination.
And for this reason it’s really great for bringing you into the present moment, helping you to forget all your worries.
I first attempted indoor climbing when I was in my 20s and it’s amazing how it totally clears the mind and leaves you feeling refreshed.
By the way, if you have kids, you can take them with you (unless part of your self care plan is to have some time without them). Their speed and agility in this activity will put a smile on your face (and maybe make you cringe internally too!).
7. Listen To Bird Songs
This one’s pretty simple.
Find a bird song collection on YouTube or Spotify.
Sit or lie down in a quiet space (with headphones on if you like).
Listen to the soundtrack and just allow the sounds of nature to invade every cell in your body.
As you listen paint a picture of the birds, trees, flowers and overall scenery that comes to mind.
8. Get Crafty With DIY Body Care Products
Ever thought about making your own soap? Or your own face oils? How about a soothing hair tea or hair oil?
All of these things are both an art and science.
And because these activities engages both the creative and intellectual/procedural parts of the brain, they can really bring you into the present moment.
You become really focused on what you’re doing, which means you’re not dispersing your energy in worry and random thoughts. You come out of it the activity actually feeling replenished in a deep way.
Plus you’re making something nice for yourself with lovely oils, butters, herbs and essential oils of your choice.
A quick and easy way to get started is by giving yourself a nice herbal hair rinse. I’ve put together this guide on tea rinses for hair, which covers their benefits, herbs to use and how to make your own.
9. Dance With George Jefferson
You know how they say laughter heals everything?
Well, spend 60 seconds watching the legendary Sherman Helmsley do his famous George Jefferson dance, and it becomes clear why that statement exists.
You’ll be smiling from ear to ear! And maybe you’ll be inspired to try your own version of this one-of-a-kind dance!
10. Spend Some Time Daydreaming
As adults we spend a lot of time worrying (i.e. speculating about what could go wrong or past mistakes) and not much time daydreaming (i.e. speculating about what could go right and what’s fun).
Kids are much more in touch with daydreaming (and their imaginary friends) which is probably one reason why they’re able to just float through life (at least for a while!).
So, spend some time sitting around and doing nothing but daydreaming.
And if you want, write down those daydreams in a notebook/journal.
11. Craft Your Own Printables
Do you look at printable quotes, cards or art on platforms like Etsy and think “I’d love to make something like that?”
Well, you can. And you don’t have to go to design school to get started.
You can use online tools like PicMonkey or Canva to make pretty designs of your own.
Start with a free account on and use the info from their blogs (or YouTube tutorials) to make your own birthday cards, recipe cards and so on.
12. Create Pinterest Boards That Make You Dream
Whether it’s travel, health, a new kitchen, new hairdo or starting a business, Pinterest has an endless supply of motivational content.
So, if you need inspiration for the next steps in your life or a new project, create boards and add in pins that motivate you.
13. Stash Your Phone For A Day
Put your phone away, on silent, airplane mode or completely turn it off once a week (say, Sundays).
No messages, no interruptions.
Just a full day to do you.
You’ll realize that life does go on even when you’re not tethered to your phone.
And that realization is actually very invigorating.
14. Sip and Meditate
Sometimes meditating is hard. You simply can’t focus.
So, instead of trying to force it, make yourself a warm drink (tea, golden milk or regular milk ‘n honey), sit on a cushion on the floor (or a simply sit in a straight back chair) facing a window.
Sip your drink slowly as you stare outside and enjoy the simplicity of the moment.
15. Listen to Kirtan Chants
Kirtan chanting comes from the yogic traditions and at the most basic level, it’s about reciting specific mantras in musical form.
Now, the word mantra comes from man (mind) and tra (which is the root word for instrument).
So, a mantra is an instrument to train our minds.
When you find the right mantra, performed by an artist whose style you like, these chants can be incredibly hypnotic and soothing to the mind.
Some of my favorite artists in this category are Deva Premal, Krishna Das and Wah.
They all put their spins on this ancient tradition by incorporating various modern sounds.
16. Hand Wash Dishes
There’s something about accomplishing something with your hands.
It creates a sense of accomplishment and in a small way, builds confidence and trust with yourself.
Doing dishes by hand may not always be fun but this is a list of unusual self care ideas, so…
Give it a try (especially with no music or TV playing in the background as distractions.
It’s actually quite grounding.
Plus, it’s a small thing you can do to tidy up your space and having a tidy space clears up visual clutter that would normally drain you.
17. Have An Ugly Cry
There’s a fine line between trying to be strong or positive, and flat out avoiding your feelings.
An important part of self care is allowing yourself to feel your feelings.
And sometimes that means having a big ole ugly cry!
Just let it go.
After all, crying’s not a bad thing. It’s a natural form of expression, just like laughter and anger.
So, if you need it, just let the tears out.
It’s a strong detox and once you release that stale energy, you’ll feel lighter.
18. Practice Non-Judgmental Observation Of Yourself and Others
A lot of the exhaustion, stress and lack of inspiration we experience comes from taking everything to heart.
Meaning, we are too strongly attached to how things currently are or how we think they should be.
Holding on to shoulds means we don’t allow space for something new to emerge.
This can lead to placing restrictions on ourselves, our kids, parents, spouse and so on.
Through practices like mindfulness meditation, we can allow things to just be without infusing them with our judgments or criticisms.
Those judgments or criticisms tend to drain us of joy, creativity and inspiration anyway.
So, practice letting them go.
Here’s a funny anecdote to help put it in perspective 🙂
19. Listen To Your Favorite Childhood Boy/Girl Band
We all had one or more boy or girl bands that we loved as kids (or even all the way up to college…just sayin’).
If you haven’t listed to their music lately, then resurrect it and marvel at the fact that once upon a time you thought that music was absolute genius!
20. Catch Up With The Golden Girls
Another classic TV show that reminds us that life isn’t complete without friendship, camaraderie and boatloads of sarcasm 🙂
These ladies will help you snap out of a funk in a heartbeat.
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