Simple Ways to Take Better Care of Yourself | A Simple and Contented Life

Wish you could take better care of yourself but don’t know where to start? In this post – part three of my 7 Days to Better Self-Care series, you’ll find 3 surprisingly easy ways to take better care of yourself that you can try right away! Let’s dive in!

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Published November 2019. Updated December 2022.

A simple way to have more time for you…

In parts one and two of this 7 Days to Better Self-Care series, I talked about how to add a self-care routine to your day and find a few ways to treat yourself. I shared how creating self-care habits and adding self-care activities to your calendar can help increase your chances of making your new self-care routine stick.

But creating self-care habits and having a self-care routine aren’t the only ways to make your wellbeing a priority and take better care of yourself. Another way to do it and to keep things interesting too is to do things you’ve always wanted to do.

Things that you know would be nice and would make you feel good but you never really get around to doing. Simple things that don’t require much effort on your part but would help to improve your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.

New ways to take better care of yourself…

We all have a mental list of things we’d like to do. And if you’re anything like me, you probably have a list written in your planner that you add to any time you think of something new too! Those lists are full of things that would make us feel pampered and things that we know would nourish our mind, body and soul. But for some reason, no matter how much we promise ourselves, we never get around to doing them.

Which is crazy!

Because we all know that if we did do them, if we made the effort to the things that are on our list once a month, once a week or even once a day, we would feel SO much better.

Adding new and novel experiences to your self-care routine is like giving yourself a little gift every day. And there’s nothing quite like getting a treat every now and then, am I right?! Plus, when you have something special and different to look forward to, sticking to your self-care routine becomes a whole lot easier. It’s a great way to stay motivated and keep the momentum going!

But what new things should you do?

Well, that’s what this post is all about! By the time you’ve finished reading this, you’re going to know exactly how to start taking better care of yourself right away!

And getting started is a whole lot easier than you might think. You see, your experiences don’t have to be anything extravagant or complicated. Which is great news. In fact, there are three super simple ways to take better care of yourself that you can try today and I’m going to share with you what they are.

If you’re wanting to start taking better care of yourself but aren’t sure where to start, keep reading because you’re about to find out! Here are three simple things you can do to crank things up a notch and start taking better care of your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing right away.

#1. | Pamper yourself

The first of my favourite ways to take better care of yourself is to pamper yourself. Because who doesn’t like to feel pampered, right?! We all do. But if you’re reading this, I’m betting it’s been a while since you did anything to make yourself feel pampered. Especially if you’re a busy mum trying to juggle it all and can’t remember the last time you had a proper haircut – never mind a manicure or pedicure.

If that’s the case, don’t worry. Because things are about to change!

What does pampering mean to you?

When you think about pampering yourself, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? What can you add to your self-care routine that would make you feel pampered and special? What have you never done before – or that you’ve not done for a while – that feels indulgent and makes you feel like you’re truly taking care of yourself?

It doesn’t have to be extravagant or expensive remember. A simple act of indulgence can have just as much of an effect on your wellbeing as an extravagant one. You don’t need to book a day off work or hire a babysitter either – unless you want to of course! Not sure how to pamper yourself? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Treat yourself to a hot chocolate – with cream and marshmallows!
Put on a face mask during your little one’s afternoon nap.
Light some candles, burn some incense and just lay quietly on your bed listening to relaxing music.
Take a long, hot bath with some really nice bubble bath or bath salts.
Buy a nice new nail polish and do your nails at home.
Have an at-home spa day.
Get your eyebrows waxed and tinted.
Go to a meditation class.
Visit a make-up counter and get a complimentary makeover.

And if you want to splash out a little, you could:

Book a manicure or pedicure.
Get a massage or facial.
Have your hair cut in a totally different style – or even try a new colour.
Make an appointment with a personal shopper and try out different styles of clothes.
Book yourself into a spa for the afternoon with a friend.
Go for a spa weekend with your husband.

Get it in the diary…

Now you’ve decided how you’re going to pamper yourself, it’s time to make sure you do it! Get out your diary and make an appointment with yourself some time over the next couple of weeks. Don’t just do it the once though, if you can, try to make it a regular occurrence – at least once a month would be ideal.

Don’t forget to keep thinking of new ways to pamper yourself too. Any time you come up with something add it to your list. Just be sure to tick it off too. It’s no good being on your list if you never actually do it!

#2. | Celebrate today

I have absolutely no problem buying treats for my boys and husband. I never give it a second thought. And sometimes, if I’m out and see something nice that I know my mum or best friend would like, I’ll buy it for them just because I know it’ll make them smile too. But rarely do I buy treats for myself.

Sure, if I need something, I get it. But it’s not very often that I buy something just because. That I buy something to celebrate an accomplishment or to acknowledge the fact that I’ve worked hard for something. Maybe it’s the same for you too.

When was the last time you treated yourself to something nice? When was the last time you celebrated something you’ve achieved that you’re proud of? Or did something that was just for you and no one else? If it’s been a while, it’s time to add celebrating your accomplishments to your list of ways to take better care of yourself!

Be sure to celebrate your wins too…

Another great way to take better care of yourself by celebrating is to celebrate your wins. It’s all too easy to complete one task and move straight onto the next without ever stopping to acknowledge and celebrate your efforts. But you should. We all should. We should all be stopping to take a moment to acknowledge what we’ve accomplished. To give ourselves credit for all our hard work and effort and give ourselves a giant pat on the back before moving onto the next thing on our list.

Why?

Because celebrating our efforts increases our self-worth! It gives us permission to recognise and acknowledge what we are capable of. And it shows us that we’re far more capable than we might think. Which in turn gives our self-confidence a little boost.

If you’re not one for buying yourself presents very often or celebrating your wins, maybe now is the time to start. Think of something within your budget (this isn’t an excuse to splurge remember!) that you’ve been wanting for a while now. Then give yourself permission to buy it.

Go buy that thing!

Maybe it’s that nice handbag you keep seeing but don’t feel like you deserve. Or that book that’s been on your wish-list forever but you’ve never gotten around to buying. Whatever it is, buy it! Treat yourself to it and see how much better you feel!

Every time you start working on a big important task, ask yourself how you’re going to celebrate your win when you’ve completed it. Write it down next to the task. Use it as motivation to keep you going and then, when you’ve accomplished your goal be sure to do the very thing you wrote down to celebrate. Because you deserve it!

Keep a record of each time you celebrate and buy yourself something nice too. Add a little star or a smiley face to that day in your diary. Check back through your diary every couple of months and if it’s been a while since you added that star or smiley, it’s time to do something about it!

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#3. | Enjoy the little things

Self-care doesn’t have to be on a grand scale. Sometimes, the tiniest of gestures can be the most meaningful. And so, my final way to take better care of yourself is to enjoy the little things. Indulging in the smaller free or low-cost treats means you’re able to spoil yourself more often. Which is a good enough reason to do it if you ask me!

What small gestures have you never done for yourself that you can start adding to your life today? What little things do you do for your friends and family that you’d secretly quite like to experience for yourself?

For example, every year around Christmas time I always buy my mother and mother-in-law a Poinsettia. It’s a tradition that I’ve been doing for about ten years or so now. As much as I love doing it, there’s always been part of me that’s secretly wished someone would buy me a Poinsettia too. But no one ever has. And so, last year when I bought their Poinsettias, I bought one for me too. And do you know what? It was the best feeling ever! Every time I walked past it sitting on my dining room table, it made me smile. It was such a small and simple gesture but it brought me so much joy that I’ll be doing the same again this year.

How will you spoil yourself?

If you’ve never done it before, buying yourself flowers is a great place to start when it comes to enjoying the little things. But don’t stop there. What else could you do? Maybe you could recreate your favourite dish from your favourite restaurant at home. Or buy some nice-smelling luxury bath oil for your next bath. Or treat yourself to a bar of chocolate from your favourite chocolate shop. Break off a square each day and slowly enjoy it melting in your mouth whilst you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. Yum!

Super simple ways to take better care of yourself…

There you have it – three super simple ways to take better care of yourself that you can try today! Not only does adding new experiences to your self-care routine expand your world, it enriches your life too. By making the effort to take care of yourself better, you’re showing yourself that you are worthy. With very little effort and minimal outlay, each of these are guaranteed to make you feel special and well looked after. And they’re fun too!

Why not give one of them a try today. My only question is, which will you pick first?! Here they are again:

Pamper yourself.
Celebrate today.
Enjoy the little things.

That’s it for this post! How will you take better care of yourself starting today? Go do it now!

Until next time…

Like this post? Be sure to check out the rest of the posts in this 7 Days to Better Self-Care series:

About the Author

Hey there! In case we haven’t met, I’m Sarah. Certified master life coach, goal success coach and the founder of A Simple and Contented Life. The online coaching practice that helps mompreneurs take back their time, home, biz and selves so they can THRIVE both at home and in their online biz WITHOUT feeling like they have to choose between the two.

I’m also a mum, stepmum, wife, breast cancer survivor and fur mama to two French Bulldog pups and when I’m not helping my coaching clients and Cafe Thrive members create the lives they want for themselves and their family, you’ll find me in my office designing new products for my Printables Store, hanging out with my youngest in Starbucks or attempting to walk my somewhat lazy four-legged hounds!

I’m absolutely thrilled you’re here…you deserve to THRIVE in EVERY area of your life mama and together, we can make it happen! 💛