Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Exam season is coming up and for a lot of people that means a ton of stress. Whenever I feel particularly low or need a break I usually do some sort of self-care activity. I am always trying to find new ways to spend my ‘me-time’ that are affordable as well as fun. In this blog post I wanted to share these affordable and fun self-care activities with you.
Table of contents
1. Read a Book
Books are the one thing that I don’t think I could live without. Reading is extremely fun when you find the right book. The one thing I love about reading is that you can simply escape from reality and enter a whole new world. This escape can be really comforting in times of stress and anxiousness. I find that it’s also the only hobby I don’t feel guilty about spending a lot of time doing as its both fun and educational.
Now I know reading can be an expensive hobby so I would recommend going to your local library or purchasing second hand books from a charity shop or on amazon. I have a kindle and so I usually just read off of there but you can also download apps such as audible.
2. Have an at home spa day
Having an at home spa day is an extremely relaxing way to just rewind. When I have an at home spa day I usually go around my room looking for anything I can use like face masks and creams. I also buy my favourite snacks and just chill with some good music or a book.
3. Dance to your favourite songs
This is my favourite thing to do. No matter if I have a good or bad day I can count on this one thing to give me an energy boost. At Uni I simply make my room fully dark, put on my headphones and just start dancing. Now, I cannot dance to save my life so I probably look crazy but its so fun. It’s a little bit like a solo dance party; but that sounds too sad. It’s more like an extremely fun, dopamine-boosting solo dance party.
4. Movie nighttt
I don’t usually have enough time to watch a movie and when I do I’m usually multitasking and so not fully paying attention. However, it is nice to dedicate some time to watch a particular movie. When I have these movie nights I usually create a little blanket fort and bring all of my favourite snacks in my dorm room. The last movie night I had I watched a three hour Bollywood movie. And I don’t regret a moment of it!
5. Do some Art
Whenever I do something artistic as a self-care activity I usually do painting or some sort of craft. However, art is an extremely broad concept so this could include playing an instrument, content creation or any other creative project.
I think Art holds a lot of power when it comes to de-stressing. It’s also extremely satisfying seeing certain projects come to life.
One of the things I like doing is going to a craft shop or looking on Amazon for Art kits. These kits are perfect if you are unsure of what type of Art you want to do.
The image above is a recent art project of mine were I learnt how to make (lopsided) clay pots. I’m just going to call it abstract art.
6. Spend time in nature
Out of everything on this list this is the one thing that drastically improves my mental wellbeing. The one thing I love doing is going hiking during the summer but spending time in nature doesn’t have to be as daunting as a hike. Instead go for a small walk around your local park or go to a garden. The key is to observe your surroundings. Nature really helps me become more present, and its all around us.
Another thing that I enjoy doing is taking photos of anything that I find pretty (even if its as simple as a patch of grass). You never know what you may capture!
Squirrels kind of scare me (after watching Charlie and the Chocolate factory) but I can admire them from afar.
Magnolia trees are so pretty. This was my first time seeing a white one.
7. Meditate
Now, I know how hard and daunting meditation can be. I have a love-hate relationship with it. In the past I used to struggle to sit through a whole meditation session without becoming bored. However, recently it has been something that has really helped me become more calmer and aware of my feelings.
Meditation is a great way to de-stress and is a cheap (if not free) activity to partake in. I usually use YouTube as my main meditation platform. However, I know there are a multitude of different apps out there. I say definitely try and implement this into your routine.
8. Gratitude
The next Self-care activity is gratitude. This year I decided I would show my gratitude and try and be more grateful for everything I have. And I think its one of the best things I have done for myself. Gratitude makes me more present and it prevents me from wanting more than what I already have. It also helps me feel more grounded and in control.
What I do to show gratitude is write down a list of things I am grateful for at that moment. This can even be a mental note or you can use an app dedicated to this. The best thing about this is that everybody can have their own way of showing gratitude. For some it may be writing down a list of things they are grateful for. For others it may be reflecting on past happy memories. It is a great way to become more present and can be customised to fit peoples lifestyles.
9. Cook/Bake something Fancy
Okay, I can’t be the only one who pretends they’re a MasterChef contestant or a famous chef when they’re cooking. Whenever I’m feeling down, cooking something fancy really helps lift me up. I think it all comes down to the process of actually preparing and cooking the food and enjoying your creations.
Sometimes I don’t even follow a recipe and just create something random and see how that goes. Be creative and have fun with it (its a little like an art project).
The only time my pancakes ever looked like pancakes…
10. Learn something new
I love learning new things, especially small life skills that don’t take long to learn. For example, I am currently learning a few Hindi phrases. And whilst learning a whole new language takes a long time, learning a few phrases is really fun. And who knows when it may come in handy!
Other examples of this is when I wanted to learn more about how to use WordPress; I would watch YouTube videos. Or when I was looking at makeup tutorials on YouTube (and failed miserably). The point is dedicate time to learn something new.
Conclusion:
I hope that you have enjoyed reading about these Affordable and fun Self-care activities. I would love to hear any Self-care activities that you may have or additional comments to the ones on these lists.
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