Self care is one of those topics which has great value but is overused these days. I believe that self-care is an activity that every person has to define for themselves. The best way to go about self care is creating a ‘self care go to list’. This list contains all the practices that make you feel happy and relaxed from the core.

I love taking myself out for a fancy brunch, getting a hair spa done or even going for a delicious cheesecake. But let’s get real; it’s the month end and I am broke! Today, I want to share some self care practices that I do without spending a penny and feel as good as I do when I eat that cheese cake. Gosh, the blueberry cheesecake!!

Self Reflection

Nothing makes me feel more empowered than when I see all the good and bad parts of myself in true light. Self reflection will help you connect with yourself on a deeper level. The good things make me feel proud and the vulnerable things make me feel human. I always end up falling in love with myself after a self reflection practice. I try and do the self reflection practices at least once every month (usually month ends).

No Judgement Creativity

I am my biggest critic and that keeps me from doing many things that I wish to explore. I love reading poetry and wanted to get my hands on writing something for a long time. The only problem with that was my pre-action judgement. I would criticize myself and tell myself that I could never do it well.

I recently came across the concept of no judgement creative expression. It means you take any activity that you want to try and do it without judging yourself. You should measure your success not by the outcome but by the process.

This method has worked wonders in releasing stress and anxiety. I also feel eternally happy when I work on any piece. I am not looking to master poetry or painting but they give me nuggets of creative expression that is 100% my own!

Reconnect

Amidst the busy life, we tend to miss out on some important connections in our lives. Reconnecting with friends and family fills me with joy. On every self care Sunday I try to have heart warming conversations with at least one of my friends or family member. I may call my mom up and chat about all the stuff happening in the family or I will talk to an old friend, reminiscing the old days!

Connect with your loved ones and spend some quality time with them which can be even over a phone call. You don’t need to spend money to feel the connection, do you?

Guilt Free Binge Watching

I had this addiction recently, of watching back to back episodes. I got rid of that addiction with the atomic habit planner. I still sometimes crave binge watching my shows. I have therefore allowed myself to binge watch every other weekend. This way I am in control but I still do something just because I want to.

Full disclaimer – This practice needs to be done under control! You can watch reruns of your favorite movies or tv shows or web series, but under control.

Learning

Learning! If this sounds boring to you, then just hold on a bit. I am not talking about going and taking history lessons (which you can if that’s your thing). I am talking about learning something you love. One of my biggest values in life is continuous learning. I want to be a lifelong learner because that is what keeps our mind active and our soul alive. It is also a great source of self-confidence.

You can learn anything such as a new art form, a new language or a new skill. I am getting into bullet journaling and learning and implementing various techniques is keeps me excited.  You do not need fancy classes to start learning. YouTube is #1 way to learn anything for free.

These were my favorite self care activities that can be done for free. There are various other self care activities that can be done for free. I will list them here as they need no special explanation.

1. Journaling – Express your emotions on paper
2. Long walk in nature
3. Royal at home baths
4. Netflix and chill
5. Fill your planner
6. Meditate
7. Window shopping

If you are in a month end slump like me, don’t ditch your self care routine and do these activities to keep up!