Self-Care Practices for Your Body, Mind, and Soul

Love is the best motivation. It’s the greatest reason for anything. When you love someone, you’ll move mountains. You’ll drive five hours in the worst snowstorm of the season to celebrate your friend’s 40th birthday (thanks, Gretchen). You’ll mail a toaster oven to Colombia (thanks, Nick).

When you truly love yourself, you’ll be motivated to take care of yourself.

Just like self-love, self-care is a practice. And one of the most loving things you can do for yourself is take care of yourself.

Self-Care for the Body (Physical Health)

1// Eat nutritious food.

In so many ways, it all starts here. Yes, vegetables, protein, and healthy fats are good for your body, but they also do wonders for your mental and emotional health, too. In my experience, this is the single most important thing you can do for yourself. 

Unfortunately, it’s also one of the hardest. (Hello, yummy delicious processed food and homemade sweets.) But YOU. Are. Worth. It.

Nutrition is a broad and deep topic, and there are many excellent resources out there. To get you started, James Clear is a thorough researcher, and he wrote a comprehensive article about healthy eating.

2// Move your body.

Flow through yoga poses with Travis Elliott. Burn calories in Beachbody’s Morning Meltdown. Learn hip-hop dance with Steezy. These are some of my favorite ways to move. Also, long walks and playing with a dog (I really need to get one of my own). The possibilities are endless; find what feels good for you.

Ben Greenfield goes waaaaaay deep into fitness and offers tons of thorough research and advice. He recommends incorporating six key components into your fitness routine.

3// Get enough sleep.

Sleep is a magic bullet. Getting a good night’s sleep makes everything better. I know I’m less cranky, less prone to cravings, more creative, and more vibrant when I’m sleeping well. (After healthy eating I would say it’s the second most important thing for your overall wellbeing.)

Kris Carr is a wellness activist, and she shares ten tips for healthy, restorative sleep.

4// Lower your stress.

Stress is the anti-magic bullet. Stress raises your cortisol levels, and that negatively impacts your physical, emotional, and mental health.

Brendan Burchard is passionate about personal growth and achievement, and he has a video (or podcast) about why you’re so stressed and what you can do about it.

5// Choose to feel happy.

Our emotions are a result of our focus. If we focus our attention on sad things, we feel sad. If we focus on happy things, we feel happy. While feeling the entire spectrum of emotions is necessary for our wellbeing (repressed emotions are no bueno), staying stuck in negative emotions is not.

I love using Gabby Bernstein’s Choose Again method for moving into better-feeling emotions.

(This sounds like emotional self-care, which it is, but it also boosts your immune system and protects your (literal) heart. Many of these practices actually positively impact many areas of your health— yay for efficient self-care!)

Self-Care for the Mind (Mental and Emotional Health)

6// Travel somewhere new.

Getting away from home (a.k.a taking a vacation) is much more than a good time. It resets and rejuvenates. It refreshes your focus and sparks creativity.

(Travel is so incredibly awesome and rewarding, I even included it in my list of 30 best practices for living a joyful and fulfilling life.)

7// Choose healthy coping mechanisms.

To help us get through difficult moments, we’ve all developed coping mechanisms. Unfortunately, many of our coping mechanisms aren’t the healthiest— food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. (Not that any of these are inherently bad; it’s a matter of indulging in them to escape rather than enjoy.) 

When I binge on sweets to numb the sadness, I’m left feeling lethargic and groggy, disappointed and disgusted with myself, and no better than before— and I often have a stomach ache to boot.

You can discover your coping mechanisms and learn healthier alternatives in the 10-Day Inner Journey Challenge (it’s free).

8// Form meaningful connections.

Meaningful connections are those where you feel safe, supported, and accepted— and that comes with a multitude of health benefits. Brené Brown is my favorite teacher for all things connection, and I will never stop recommending her book, Daring Greatly. 

9// Get comfortable with uncertainty.

Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except for death and taxes.” That leaves everything else as uncertain. In other words, no matter how much we plan or how much we try to control, we’re always going to be surrounded by uncertainty.

So for peace of mind (and your sanity), it’s best to get comfortable with it. Learn five tips for dealing with uncertainty.

10// Develop emotional intelligence.

Most people can only recognize three emotions— but we experience twenty-seven. That’s a big gap in our understanding and awareness. 

There’s a difference between sadness and disappointment, between anger and resentment. The finer nuances of the emotions helps us understand what’s really going on and our next best action.

Mark Manson writes science-based life advice, and he wrote an entertaining article about five skills to develop emotional intelligence (warning: contains cussing, if you’re sensitive to that).

Self-Care for the Soul (Spiritual Health)

Nurturing your spirit involves anything that helps you develop a deeper sense of meaning, understanding, or connection with the universe. Notice that there’s no religious requirement or even a belief in a higher power— it’s about seeing yourself as part of something bigger. (That said, I do believe in a higher power, and some of my practices reflect this belief.)

11// Read inspiring material.

Inspiring material is intended to fill you with awe, gratitude, courage, and faith (at least that’s what I get from them). In acknowledging your part in something bigger, it also does a lot to combat loneliness. 

A few of my favorite books:

• The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein
• A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
• The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

If you aren’t into reading, podcasts are also a good place for inspiration. I enjoy Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations.

12// Attend spiritual events.

Spiritual events leave you feeling warm from the inside out, filled with love, appreciation, and inspiration. Definitely good for the soul. (Not all spiritual events are equal; find the ones that resonate with you.)

Michael Beckwith is a spiritual teacher, and he offers live streams of his Sunday services at Agape International Spiritual Center (as well as archives of past sermons).

13// Meditate.

To me, meditation is really about stepping back from the thoughts that continuously pour into your mind and letting them flow through, instead of attaching yourself to them. 

Mindvalley is a great resource for meditation (and spiritual growth). They have a comprehensive article on how to meditate, and one of my favorite meditations is Vishen Lakhiani’s guided 6-phase meditation.

14// Spend time outside. 

Being in nature brings you closer to the universe. It takes away the walls blocking nature’s energy: the fresh air, sunshine, and an explosion of life from ants to oak trees. 

Being in nature is awe-inspiring. Awe is deep reverence filled with wonder, and nothing compares to the sense of awe found in nature, from the intricate petals of a flower to the dazzling colors of a sunset.

Try some Japanese shinrin-yoku (“forest-bathing”). Since I’m not always near a forest, I like to do something I call lay-in-the-grass-and-stare-at-the-sky. It’s essentially the same thing (but maybe not according to the Japanese).

15// Practice mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a fancy way of saying being present. Be in the here and now, where everything exists, and where life feels fuller and richer. When you pull yourself out of the present moment, you pull yourself away from your connection to the universe.

In Andy Puddicombe’s Ted Talk, he describes the power of ten mindful minutes.

You are worthy of love and deserve your care and attention. You are a miracle and a blessing, and you matter. Please take care of yourself so that you’re able to show up and share your one-and-only self with the world. You have a gift that only you can give, and you can’t give from an empty cup. (Or laying in bed with a bag of chips and Netflix.) Take care of yourself so that you can be the best version of yourself and create a joyful, fulfilling, fascinating life.