5 Ways to Practice Self-Care (in 30 Minutes or Less)
Self-care. We all need it, but rarely do it enough. Sometimes I have to force myself to spend 30 minutes decompressing. But really, is there anything better after a long day than hopping into a bath, listening to some music & sipping on some tea (ok, you know me… more like wine). Or, if you’ve had a bad day, burrowing in your bed with a giant burrito and watching some Gossip Girl? A lot of the time, self-care is moved to the end of our to-do list though because we don’t make ourselves a priority. That’s why I’m sharing my list of 5 ways you can spend some quality “me time” in 30 minutes of less. I can literally spend 30 minutes scrolling through options on Netflix, so there’s no excuse not to!
30 Minute Self-Care Ideas
Read a Chapter of a Book
See that… I didn’t say read an entire book. Read a chapter! The great thing is that you can do it anywhere. Whether it’s in your car before work, in bed with some cozy blankets or even at a coffee shop. If you’re reading at night, I recommend setting a page limit so you don’t wind up staying up too late. Sometimes, a quick chapter is all you need to reboot or relax.
Find New Recipes
One of my favorite ways to spend a quick break is by reading through cookbooks. Actually, I collect cookbooks, so taking time out of my day to actually look through them is really fun. I like to spend 30 minutes every Saturday or Sunday scanning through a few random cookbooks, looking for recipe inspiration for the week ahead. I find that it not only makes me excited to go grocery shopping, but it makes me want to cook food instead of going out and spending money on takeout.
Watch an Episode of Your Favorite Show
Everyone has a show they love to binge watch. Mine is The Office. I’ve seen every episode literally like 100 times. Instead of putting on a new show that I end up getting sucked into, I like to watch a quick 20 minute episode of my favorite series. It always puts me in a better mood & reminds me to laugh!
Create a Relaxing Instagram Collection
Did you know you can save Instagram photos to a gallery? I like to save funny photos and videos and memes to a special collection. When I need to relax or am in a funk, I go to the board and watch videos of puppies, look at cute pigs & laugh at funny memes.
Take a Walk Around the Block
Ughhh exercise, I know. But bear with me. If you’re feeling frustrated, tired, lazy, overwhelmed, sad, etc… take 10 minutes out of your day to walk around the block. If it’s raining, grab an umbrella. Or, if you’re stuck in an office, walk up and down a flight of stairs. I recommend throwing on some headphones and listening to your favorite band at the same time. But walking is a great way to get your blood flowing & if it’s outside, you’ll get a little Vitamin D!
My View of Taking Care of Myself
In addition to making sure I incorporate self care into my weekly schedule, I think it’s important to talk about taking care of our physical selves as well. That means: eating healthy foods, drinking enough water, getting exercise, connecting with ourselves, connecting with others, getting enough sleep, etc.
One thing I hadn’t really realized I had been neglecting was my eyes! Weird right? I’m healthy everywhere else in my life, go to the doctor for checkups, get my teeth cleaned… but I had totally been slacking on updating my eyeglasses prescription. I’ve literally been wearing the same pair of glasses for like 4 years. Mainly because I was being lazy. But also, because I didn’t want to spend a ton of money & hate the process of having to go shopping.
Since I sit in front of the computer most of the day, I started getting vision-related migraines. I realized it was time to start practicing what I preach and take care of my eyes, because they affect so much of my life! Literally… I need glasses for every single item on the self-care list! Reading a book? Yup. Finding new recipes in a cookbook? Definitely. Watching TV? Yes, especially if I want to know what’s going on. Scrolling through my phone? Unless I want to hold my phone 2″ away from my face, probably a good idea. Walking? Uhh… yes, also a very good idea.
So, I made the jump and decided to find a new pair of glasses from Zenni. As I mentioned, I HATE going into stores to go shopping. I get so overwhelmed. I also normally only remember I need things at strange times, like 11 PM when I’m in bed and forgot to buy eggs for breakfast. There are literally a million options when it comes to buying glasses, but I opted to go with Zenni because they have so many choices at really affordable prices. I’m serious too… you know I love a good deal.
A few reasons I chose Zenni for my new glasses:
+ Literally the most affordable glasses I’ve seen online. Prices start at $6.95 for a pair of frames and prescription single-vision lenses. Shipping is under $5 too!
+ They keep their prices low because they don’t have physical store locations. Meaning you have to buy them online. Which is a bonus for me, because I prefer to do my online shopping at 2 AM!
+ You can upload your picture and virtually try on glasses. I uploaded a photo and “tried on” about 50 pairs of glasses before narrowing it down to two. Yes, I got 2 pairs! They’re such a good deal that I opted for a “fun pair” and a more classic style.
+ They have a fun referral program! Every time someone uses your code, they get a $5 credit and you get a $5 credit too!
Long story short… getting new glasses has been a major game changer. And I’m not being dramatic. I literally told Tony at the end of the day (after the first day I wore my new specs), that I couldn’t believe I waited so long to get new glasses because it was AMAZING being able to see clearly! Not to mention my eyes don’t feel tired and I haven’t been getting headaches from staring too close to the computer screen!
FYI… I ordered these round glasses and these cat-eye glasses!
*This blog post was sponsored by Zenni.
