Last week, I kicked off an experiment called the Self Care Project. It is a simple idea: give 50 Detroit-based activists $500 each for self care. No strings attached.
Even though there was only a 5-day application window, 347 local activists, organizers, and change-makers applied for the award and they proposed a wide range of self-care practices.
In addition to the applications, a number of people said to us directly (and indirectly via social media) that they were too busy, overwhelmed, or exhausted to consider self-care. Specifically, we heard:
“I don’t know where to start.”
“I really need this, but I have no idea what I would do” and
“I’m too busy to even think about self-care.”
Needless to say, the more we heard these sentiments, the more we realized how important it is to create a resource list of self-care ideas so that anyone who needs it, has a place to start.
Once my project team got into the applications, we realized that they were a ready-made treasure trove of self-care ideas. And a list of specific and concrete self care activities is a great starting point for those who are feeling too spent to come up with fresh and original ideas.
So if you’re looking for ways to practice wellness, here are the Top 100 list of ideas submitted to the Self Care Project:
- Acupuncture
- Aromatherapy
- Art therapy
- Assistant (hiring one)
- Being still
- Bed & Breakfast/hotel getaway
- Bed and/or bedding replacement (for deep sleep at home)
- Bonding time with friends and family
- Books/reading
- Childcare
- Chiropractic services
- Classes (hobbies, new skills, interests)
- Clothes
- Coaching (life coaching, leadership coaching, wellness coaching)
- Colonic
- Conferences (personal or professional development)
- Cooking (healthy, at home, take classes)
- Cranial sacral therapy
- Cross fit
- Crying
- Cupping
- Dancing (spontaneous, take classes, studio membership)
- Date night
- Day off (with no plans or responsibilities)
- Décor (for home)
- Detox (from food, toxic people, environmental stressors)
- Dinner at a new/favorite restaurant
- Doula (hire one, learn to be one)
- Eldercare
- Essential oils
- Exercise (classes, equipment, gym membership)
- Facial
- Flotation therapy
- Furniture (for relaxation, socializing, gathering at home)
- Gardening
- Goal setting
- Group therapy
- Hair services
- Headphones
- Healer (see one, learn to become one)
- Healing circle
- Hobby equipment
- Hobbies (learning a new one, taking classes related to one, enjoying an existing one without guilt)
- Hosting a gathering
- Housecleaner (hiring one)
- Journaling
- Juicer/juicing
- Leadership development (course, workshop, online class, or reading)
- Laughing
- Learning (new skill or deepen an existing one)
- Library Card
- Makeover
- Manicure/pedicure
- Massage
- Meditation
- Meditation app
- Mental Health Gym
- Mentor (find one, call one, take one to lunch)
- Movies
- Museum
- Music (play some, acquire equipment, attend a concert)
- Nature (get into it)
- Pajama party/sleepover with friends
- Passion Planner
- Personal trainer
- Reiki
- Retreat
- Sabbath day
- Sacred space (creating meditation, yoga, reflection space at home)
- Savings/emergency fund (start or add to one)
- Self-defense classes
- Self-development (conference, class, reading, group)
- Set boundaries
- Sex toys
- Shoes
- Silent retreat
- Siting with an elder
- Sleeping, resting, and napping
- Social media/technology fast
- Somatics
- Spa day
- Spiritual healing
- Sports (play or watch live)
- Staycation
- Tai chi
- Tea
- The Alcohol Experiment
- Theater
- Therapy
- Travel to new places
- Vacation (relaxation only)
- Visit family, friends, comrades
- Vision board (make one, host a party)
- Vitamins and supplements
- Water (be near, in, or on it)
- Weed
- Wine
- Winter gear
- Writing
- Yoga (Bikram, Hatha, Kundalini, Trap yoga…)
If you’re curious about the outcome of Self Care Project, stay tuned. We’re notifying the award winners on October 15th!
Until then, I hope this list will help you get started, expand, re-evaluate or re-think your self-care practice.
Warmly,
Kerry Ann