This self care checklist covers the essentials for taking good care of your basic self care needs; plus find ideas and inspiration for keeping on top of your overall health and wellbeing with this list of self care ideas for women.
A Basic Self Care Checklist is Not a Basic Needs Checklist
What does good self-care mean to you? Because when the term is used in its intended context, it’s very positive. But when it’s taken out of context, it can actually be harmful.
In this post I’ll show you what aspects of your life you should consider self-care, and provide some suggestions of how to meet each of those needs. And at the bottom of the post you can grab your printable self-care checklist.
All humans deserve to live a comfortable, fulfilling life, and that’s what self-care is about.
I’ve been guilty in the past of equating self-care with the bare minimum I need to survive, which is totally ridiculous.
That is not self-care! But I’ve learned a lot over the last few years, and to keep myself on track I’ve created a self care checklist of the things I need for my overall wellbeing.
All humans deserve to live a comfortable, fulfilling life, and that’s what true self-care is about.
A large part of self-care is actually making the time for it! Here are my best self-care tips to help you schedule in those activities it’s one of the most important things you can do for your overall wellbeing.
Tips For Making Time For Self-Care
As a busy parent I appreciate how tricky it can be finding time for ourselves. That’s why being organised is so vital for me, because when life is hectic you won’t find it – you have to make it.
While there’s no easy way to conjure up more time, here are a few of the things I do to streamline my life admin in order to make enough time for self-care:
- Keep a synced calendar for everything,
- Batch cook (as often as possible!),
- Keep our home tidy so I don’t get overwhelmed with mess,
- Automate as many regular payments as possible.
Each of these small steps helps me to carve out time for healthy self-care habits.
I like to think of self-care in layers.
Beginner’s Guide to Self Care – The Basics
Once you have some processes in place to maximise the time you have available for things besides jobs and chores, it’s important to consider what self-care actually looks like.
I like to think of self-care in layers.
As I mentioned earlier, survival is not really what I consider to be self-care, because of course it’s the very top priority and an absolute given; beyond that there’s the following very basic daily self-care checklist.
And then there are those things which are first to slide when time is short.
All of them are important in their own right.
Self-Care Categories For Optimum Health and Wellbeing
We should be aiming for positive health in the following areas:
- Physical health
This includes each of the following elements:
- A balanced diet and nutritious meals,
- Physical activity,
- Lower stress levels and lower blood pressure,
- Healthy heart rate and cholesterol levels to ward off heart disease,
- Reproductive health,
- Healthy immune system,
- Sufficient energy levels,
- Getting enough sleep.
- Mental health issues
Insufficient self-care can bring on or exacerbate poor mental health. On the other hand, taking better care of ourselves by prioritising anything that comes under the umbrella of self-care can help to alleviate or ward off problems such as:
- Depression,
- Bipolar disorder,
- Anxiety.
- Emotional health
Taking care of your emotional needs is another aspect of your life that falls under the bracket of self care, and can include things like:
- Sufficient contact with friends and family to facilitate better relationships,
- Access to a support group during times of stress,
- Self-compassion,
- Opportunities to de-stress.
- Spiritual health
Embracing spirituality is one of the best ways to experience life satisfaction.
Making time for exploring what spirituality means to you so you can find meaning and purpose in your life on a deeper level also has enormous health benefits.
Embracing spirituality, whatever that means for you, is one of the best ways to experience life satisfaction.
Each type of care outlined above plays an important role in holistic wellbeing.
Daily Routine Self Care Checklist
Self-care means shooting to minimise stress, relax, and find pockets of joy.
These self care daily checklist items are the bare minimum objectives we should be aiming to achieve for the benefit of our physical health:
- Enough quality sleep,
- Regular healthy meals,
- Exercise on a regular basis,
- Plenty of fresh air on a daily basis,
- Keeping in touch with loved ones,
- Drinking enough water,
- Time for a daily bath or shower.
But there’s so much more to a self-care routine than just this list of basic needs. We deserve more than that and we can do better by building our lives around the slow living philosophy.
In addition to these areas of your life, your self care practices should also be shooting for these goals: minimising stress, relaxing, and finding pockets of joy.
If it makes you feel good then you should make it a priority from time to time.
Taking good care of ourselves is essential to wellbeing and there are many ways to do so, each of which may focus on a different kind of need – the ones that we can live without if we must, but we shouldn’t have to.
If it makes you feel good then you should make it a priority from time to time.
It’s about being creative and snatching those moments where you can!
How to Create a Solid Self-Care Checklist
In order to live a fulfilled life, these are the different needs we should also be aiming to meet in addition to the basic needs outlined above:
- Relaxation
- Calm and inner peace
- Personal development
- Mindfulness and exercise
- Intimacy
- Connection
- Value and worth
- Sensuality
Try treating these as personal goals for the sake of your wellbeing.
You could use a self-care planner to create a vision board for each of these specific needs or a list of the different things you would like to add into your self-care routine.
To get you started on your self-care journey, I’ve listed out some suggestions for each category below.
Self Care Checklist Ideas and Inspiration
Being a mum to small children means it’s not always practical to indulge in self-care, but there are many ways of doing so – it’s about being creative and snatching those moments where you can!
Sometimes it takes a little more planning – or even a lot.
Not all of the following self care ideas will be possible for everyone, but some of the suggestions should be possible for everybody – and the others are ones to look forward to in the future, as your babies grow.
Self Care Ideas For Women Who Are Also Busy Mums
This checklist outlines the areas of our lives that require nurturing in order to ensure wellbeing, and inspiration to complement and meet those needs.
Most of the below suggestions will definitely not become part of daily life. But many of them are simple ways we probably could (should?) factor in occasionally. And a few could even become new healthy habits, perhaps as part of a weekly self care checklist.
Self-Care Need: Relaxation
As busy parents with busy schedules it’s so easy for our desires to end up at the bottom of the pile. But ignoring our need for a break from being used as a climbing frame and an emotional punchbag takes its toll.
Our personal needs matter.
Taking a little time to relax and unwind is vital to ensure we can continue being the possible parents.
Remedy: a bath, with a glass of wine and a great book
It’s a small thing – but it means the world.
Not everybody will be in the position to do this and there are times I could really use the break that it’s just not possible.
But on those occasions it does happen, there’s nothing I love better than running a warm bath, lighting a scented candle, and luxuriating in a peaceful bath with a good book. it’s soooo welcome and the hour of alone time really helps me to recharge.
It’s a small thing – but it means the world.
Self-Care Need: Calm and Inner peace
Remedy: declutter
I always find myself coming back to:
Tidy home, tidy mind.
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Or in my case, ‘tidy home, healthy mind’! Living in serene surroundings is absolutely vital for my mental health, and I’d wager that many other people respond in exactly the same way to cluttered visual stimuli.
The good news is that a little decluttering can be very cathartic.
One of the best things I ever did in our home was putting toy rotation in place. It’s beneficial for all of us, and has really helped to scale back the mess I was struggling with. You can check out exactly how to implement this in my post about how to rotate toys for a more peaceful home.
Self-Care Need: Personal Development
Remedy: journaling
Sometimes the only thing that can quiet my busy mind is to get everything down on paper, and mindful journaling helps me to do this. I often find myself in a state of flow, to the exclusion of the outside world. It helps me to clarify and organise my thoughts, work through difficult emotions, and make peace with them.
Using a journal, especially a gratitude journal, can be a very powerful tool for helping to notice, analyse, and process negative emotions. I see it as time invested in my mental health, and therefore it’s time well spent.
You may also like these journal prompts for personal growth.
Self-Care Need: Mindfulness and Exercise
Remedy: a peaceful walk or practicing some yoga
Going somewhere tranquil to get some fresh air and luxuriating in the solitude of a walk alone can be just as restorative as visiting a salon. I always feel better after immersing myself in nature, taking a moment to take some deep breaths, inhaling in the peacefulness and exhaling any tension.
Yoga is another activity I’ve discovered in the last couple of years, which is a wonderful way to feel in tune with your body and practice mindfulness by being fully in the present moment.
I also enjoy a swim by myself, during which I can retreat from the world for a little while and not think about anything beyond how many lengths I’ve achieved. Getting the blood pumping is one of the best things you can do for your state of mind.
Runner’s high is better than any drug!
Self-Care Need: Intimacy
Remedy: a romantic date
Dan and I have started making extra effort to make time for dates again.
It’s amazing how prioritising time for your relationship can lead to a greater sense of wellbeing permeating all aspects of life.
Spending quality time together, remembering the reasons we chose to live and start a family together, rediscovering our love and friendship, and – perhaps most importantly – our shared sense of humour, has re-cemented our family.
Instead of defaulting to stress and irritation when the girls act up, we’re better able to diffuse the tension with fun and laughter.
It doesn’t always work, but it’s true that feeling happy in my marriage unquestionably improves my mood and resilience in the face of small people who, on a bad day, are hellbent on breaking me.
Self-Care Need: Connection
Remedy: dinner with good friends
Sometimes, only good food and giggles with your girlfriends will suffice. I find wine or fizz can help too.
It’s taken a good two years to get to a point where I feel I can go out for an evening, but now Elfin will actually sleep when she goes to bed, I plan to start taking full advantage!
Reaffirming friendships (and making new ones) is also a great way of rediscovering myself after a long period of being Mummy, and little else.
Self-Care Need: Value and Worth
Remedy: a material item, just for you
Yes, it’s shallow. Yes, it goes against my new perspective on ‘stuff’, namely that it’s wasteful and bad for the planet.
And yes, a little bit of what you fancy, from time to time, is no bad thing.
Perhaps just once in a blue moon, it would be wonderful for your soul.
Particularly if you tend to go without, rarely spending money on yourself because your partner or children always come in front of you! Sound familiar?!
If there’s something you’ve been coveting and you’ve saved up to afford it then why not actually treat yourself, rather than seeing the pennies tot up – and then spending them (yet again) on the kids? They definitely don’t need more stuff (in our house at least!).
Perhaps just once in a blue moon, it would be wonderful for your soul.
I’ve long yearned for a pair of dazzling shades, and I was delighted to receive these gorgeous Chloe sunglasses to feature in a post last year. I lurve oversized sunnies, and because I’d never splurge on them for myself, I consider them a real treat which I’ll treasure!
I do, however, occasionally allow myself a new lippie or nail varnish to make myself feel fabulous.
Self-Care Need: Sensuality
This one may sound somewhat unnecessary, but it makes my self care checklist nonetheless because it’s a legitimate form of being good to yourself, just like any other.
I’m beginning to think that occasionally I should.
It may be slightly less critical, a little more indulgent – but you’re worth it! Especially if you have any aches and pains you’ve been ignoring because you don’t have the time to consider your own discomfort.
Remedy: a massage or other treatment
In the past couple of years, Dan and I have treated ourselves to a couple of spa weekends with a massage treatment.
It’s something I’d never think to do for myself, because I just can’t justify spending that money on such a personal frivolity – but I’m beginning to think that occasionally I should.
I get it, spa days may seem extravagant – but maintaining your wellbeing is not. So if you desperately need to unwind, you can comfortably afford it, and a massage would help you with that – then there’s really no reason not to.
More Self Care Checklist Activities and Ideas
Here are a few more suggestions for self-care activities to bring you joy:
- Get up early to watch the sunrise.
- Take yourself for a walk somewhere beautiful.
- Sign yourself up for a class you’ve always fancied.
- Visit the sea.
- Indulge in your favourite food.
- Meditate.
- Book yourself a night away in a gorgeous hotel.
- Go on a solo date.
- Pick up a book you’ve been meaning to read.
- Listen to an inspiring podcast.
- Go for a run.
- Treat yourself to new underwear.
- Do some mindful colouring.
- Cook your favourite meal from scratch.
- Take up a new hobby.
- Take yourself off to a coffee shop, just because, and treat yourself to an indulgent drink while you people watch.
- Learn a new language.
- Binge watch your favourite show.
- Write a gratitude list.
- See a physio about any niggling pains.
- Have a home spa with bubble bath, essential oils, and a face mask.
- Treat yourself to some beautiful new pyjamas or slippers.
- Watch your favourite chick flick. Again.
- Go on a solo holiday to a place you’d love to visit.
- Get a fabulous new haircut.
- Purchase some beautiful new stationery!
- Flick through a favourite magazine.
- Go for a swim (bonus points for a river, lake, or ocean dip!).
- Do some drawing, painting, or colouring in.
- Treat yourself to getting your brows done. (Check out this post for the best eyebrow tattoo aftercare instructions, according to science.)
- Take a nap.
- Treat yourself to that item you’ve been waiting to go in the sale.
- Indulge in cloud watching.
- Play with a child and allow yourself to get super silly.
- Do some gardening.
- Stretch; find a sequence for full body or a specific area and take your time.
- Do something cultural, just for you: visit a museum, gallery, or exhibition that interests you.
- Be bold and delete your social media! (Or just boycott it for a whole day/week.)
- Reduce (or even eliminate!) screen time for a whole day.
- Write a letter to someone special.
- Treat yourself to your favourite fresh flowers.
- Book a course in anything that interests you; you could learn to make luxurious chocolates, how to code, to create perfume, to become a trapeze artist – whatever you fancy!
- Lay out under a dark, clear sky and watch the stars.
- Listen to your favourite music and dance.
- Go somewhere beautiful and watch the sunset.
Self-Care Checklist Benefits
The benefits of self-care really cannot be overstated. In fact, not prioritising your wellbeing in this way is basically a false economy of time in my opinion, because as I’m fond of saying:
Mum sets the tone in the home.
In other words, taking care of yourself, takes care of the whole family.
By respecting and prioritising your own needs, you’re modelling an important lesson for your children.
It enables you to be in the best, most patient frame of mind for giving your children and partner what they need from you. After all, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
Plus you’re modelling an important lesson for your children: to respect and prioritise your own needs.
Printable Self-Care Checklist
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How do you prioritise your self-care?
This is really inspiring. I’m going to treat my mom for a massage. Thanks for sharing ♥️ ♥️ Let me know if you are interested in doing collabs! xx
Hello. I just found you, and I want to say, Thank You!!! You’re the first, in a looooong line of looking for the right self-help, to actually help me! You are helping me to get the core of it all, to actually become who I am to be. (At 49.)
That being said, I am a massage therapist, and a huge part of self care is getting regular massage. I can say so from experience. I feel my best when I get a massage a week. I know money and time plays into this, and I tell my clients, even the busy Moms, to do this at least once a month. Those who heed my words, feel better, inside and out. And I also have a list of important self care: take epsom salt baths regularly, drink plenty of water daily, buy and use a massage gun, etc. And get regular massage. I would love to offer more, but then Brand Names come up and I’m not sure how that works.
Thank you! Layla
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