14 Self-Care Activities You Should Try in 2022
You may have heard the saying that "Self-love is a journey, not a destination". In order to support this journey, Black Girl Existing hosted a challenge called 14 Days of Self Love where we provided activity or journal prompts every day for 14 days so we could give you this inclusive list of 14 self-care activities you should try in 2022
1. Journal
Journaling is a great way to get out persistent or racing thoughts and your journal can become a really good tool for tracking how you’ve been doing in relation to your goals, moods, or life transitions. It’s great to be able to go back and see the days when you felt very unsure about what you wanted but by the end of the entry, you were able to work through the problem.
2. Spend time in nature
Spending time in nature allows you to not only get fresh air, but it helps to unplug, ground yourself, and be in a peaceful place undisturbed by other people. Nature reminds you to slow down and to just be. Schedule a day out to the park, for a hike, or even a picnic (depending on the weather, it's snowing here).
3. Say your affirmations in the mirror in the morning or at night
Affirmations provide our brains with new avenues of thinking. For example, if your someone who is very hard on yourself when you make mistakes you may personalize those mistakes and say things like: “I suck at this” “I can't get anything right” “I’m dumb/stupid” etc. The way you speak to yourself has an effect on your self-esteem. Use affirmations to give your mind new ways of seeing your reality. Instead of “I suck at this” your brain will offer you “My mistakes help me learn better ways of doing things” because you practiced those affirmations.
4. Spend time on your appearance
Have you ever heard the phrase “If you look good, you feel good”? While I think this phrase was hijacked by the beauty marketers, I think that when you spend intentional time figuring out what looks good on your body, how you like your hair done, and things like that you start to see a person in the mirror that you love. Invest time into the details of your routine too, don't skip lotioning your ankles just because no one will see them.
5. Utilize your planner
You’re way more likely to manage your time well if you write things down or put them in your calendar on your phone. Don’t rely on your memory, rely on your planner. Now, there are guidelines for how to be a good planner without having to schedule every minute of every day. Here’s one: Don’t plan out every minute of every day. Write down your priorities for the day and set reminders in your phone for things like drinking water, watering your plants, etc.
6. Engage in a hobby
A hobby is anything you find enjoyable that you do with and for yourself. Collect quarters, decorate your house, crochet, paint, go kayaking, rollerskating, bake, make a scrapbook about your life, make a song/dance, take a picture at all of the parks in your state. Hobbies help us remember to slow down, to be curious, to break out of the daily hustle.
7. Learn a new recipe
I realized very quickly in college that I knew how to cook 5-6 meals really well and nothing else. So in the middle of the night when most people were sleeping and I knew I’d have the kitchen to myself I would whip together meals based on what I was craving that day. Not only does learning a new recipe expand your sense of taste, but it can also be fun to be in your kitchen listening to music and cooking a dish for yourself.
8. Drink 2-4 liters of water daily
Now, this might seem like a lot and you will go to the bathroom frequently if you're not taking in the recommended amount currently. But your body is largely made of water and you need to stay hydrated in order to think clearly, keep your energy up, and naturally flush out your system.
9. Spend time with your loved ones
To be a bit more specific, spend time with loved ones who uplift you, inspire you, make you laugh, and allow you to be yourself. It's important to have a support system that embodies these qualities in addition to being a safe space for those loved ones as well. Having a solid support system is key to getting through life’s hardest times.
10. Develop a meditation practice
Meditation is a practice used to obtain a state of emotional peace and stability, as well as to connect with self or a higher power. Meditation can occur in many different forms, think about your goal. Ask: what do I want to get out of this meditation session? You may find that you have a lot of thoughts and you need to sort through them, so maybe you start off your meditation with journaling and then move into sitting in stillness and playing around with the environment you meditate in. Try music, frequencies, mantras, silence. See what forms of meditation suit you best.
11. Read books that spark your curiosity
The best way to get rid of a creative blockage is to seek out things that spark your curiosity, read (or re-read) a good book, learn about concepts you’ve known about but want to know more about. Read fiction books and get immersed in the plot and characters. Embrace the childlike curiosity of choosing a book by its nice cover (because I know we all do this).
12. Work consistently at a goal
Not just any goal. Choose a goal you have always wanted to accomplish but never made the time for, make time for it every week, and see how much progress you’ve made 6 months from now! Consistent may not mean every day, but decide how much time you’re willing to invest in your goal and commit to it.
13. Do something fun you haven't done in a while
I included this one because I haven't gone roller skating in so long and it use to be my favorite thing as a child. So this self-care activity is for both of us. I challenge you to go have fun the way your inner child has been asking you to. You can even combine this with the next activity!
14. Take yourself on a date
I KNOW, you don’t wanna be seen in some restaurant by yourself because it'll be awkward. Okay, that’s fine. Choose a different date, change your idea of what a date is to fit what you enjoy doing! Go get dressed up and have fun with yourself again!
I hope you enjoyed reading about the 14 self-care activities you should try in 2022, join our email list for updates on new articles about self-care!