78 Great Ways To Self Care (according to your Love Language!)

When life gets overwhelming and burnout is weighing you down, self care is the key.
By showing yourself some much needed attention and self love, you can restore a sense of balance into your life.
As you may have noticed, however, there are a lot of self care recommendations out there that simply don’t do the trick. This is where your personal self care checklist comes in to play.

Back to the self care checklist.

The reason you need one is the same reason you make a thousand ‘to-do’ lists every week. Because even though you have many important things to do, it is easy to forget about them!

Writing a self care checklist and putting it in your self care kit will remind you to maintain your mental and emotional health before you completely run out of fuel.
Also, by taking the time to write out a personalized checklist of self care activities that work for you, you won’t waste your time on ineffective actions.

So pick up a pen.
With the help of over 75 self care and self love ideas I’ve compiled for you, we’re going to make a checklist that looks like this one below.

All you have to do is go through each category and write down the ideas that you know will specifically renew your energy and motivation.

related : 50+ Ideas for the Best Self Care Sundays

78 Great Self Care Checklist Ideas

self care ideas
for those who value Quality Time

1. Plan (and take) a vacation on your bucket list
2. Call someone you love to talk to
3. Take a long drive, by yourself or with a loved one
4. Take yourself on a date
5. Meditate
6. Unplug and do nothing for once
7. Do something spontaneous
8. Revisit an old hobby you haven’t done in a long time
9. Pray
10. Listen to a podcast
11. Listen to an old, favorite music album
12. Have a girls / boys night in to spend one on one time with people that you truly enjoy
13. Watch a feel-good TV show
14. Take a day off of work and spend it however you like
15. Play a board game

ideas for those who value Gifts

1. Make yourself a vision board
2. Create a scrapbook that captures your treasured moments
3. Visit the Farmers Market for locally made and unique items
4. Try on expensive clothing at a store you’ve always wanted to shop
5. Take up crafting
6. Give to a charity of your choice
7. Gift yourself something (small or big) at regular intervals
   It can be per paycheck or every 3 months or whatever you can afford!
8. Celebrate your birthday & do it up for holidays!
9. Sign up for a product subscription service
10. Splurge on a dinner with multiple courses
11. Put together a photo album
12. Find a meaningful GoFundMe to donate to
13. Replace your worn out underwear with fresh, new sets
14. Have flowers sent to yourself
15. Create a Pinterest board full of things on your wishlist

ideas for those who value Acts of Service

1. Declutter a room (or two) in your home
2. Do a good deed for someone else in secret
3. Sign up to help out at church
4. Be of service to others by volunteering for a local nursing home, the Boys & Girls Club or Habitats for Humanity
5. Clean out your email inbox
6. Get your car washed and detailed
7. Hire a housekeeper
8. Get that hair cut you’ve been needing
9. Hire a virtual assistant 
10. Splurge on a few nights in a fancy hotel and order room service
11. Hire an in-home personal chef for an evening
12. Devote your undivided attention to fixing that one thing you’ve been putting off for a long time
13. Do something today that you will thank yourself for tomorrow Something that makes tomorrow easier. For example, if I clean my kitchen tonight instead of putting it off for the next day, I feel exponentially happier and accomplished when I wake up to a clean and organized space.
14. Organize your paper clutter
15. Splurge on a personal trainer
16. Hire a professional photographer to take your pictures

ideas for those who value Words of Affirmations

1. Practice positive self-talk

1. Make yourself an encouragement binder with cards, notes and other written things that motivate you
2. Memorize scriptures
3. Find inspirational stories that you can relate to and spend time reading them
4. Ask your friends and family to name 1-3 things they love about you
5. Take a break from the news or other sources of negativity
6. Speak affirmations over your life (e.g. Psalm 46:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17)
7. Attend a support group
8. Listen to motivational YouTube videos
9. Tell those around you how much you love and appreciate them. You will be encouraged by the positive words you sow into other people’s lives.
10. Start a gratitude journal
11. Every day within one week or month, find a new way to finish this sentence: “I love my life because ___________” 
12. Pen a kind letter to yourself and put it in a time capsule
    Set a reminder to open it in a year or on a special occasion.
13. Write down the best compliment you’ve ever received (the one that makes you smile every time) on a sticky note and stick it onto your bathroom mirror
14. Create a whole playlist of encouraging songs

ideas for those who value Physical Touch

1. Cuddle a loved one or pet
2. Volunteer as a hospital baby cuddler
3. Stretch
4. Invest in feel good fabrics that make you feel great when you wear them (like silk or fine spun cotton)
5. Set a goal to get a certain amount of hugs per day
   Make sure they are wanted! (lol)
6. Treat yourself to a massage
7. Try acupuncture
8. Try pilates
9. Engage your hands by trying adult-coloring
10. Walk barefoot in sand or grass
11. Try aromatherapy
12. Have a dance party
13. Join an exercise group
14. Sleep with a weighted blanket
15. Get a manicure / pedicure
16. Snuggle pets at your local shelter
17. Get a back scratcher and go to town!

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Remember that self care isn’t always about doing everything for yourself in isolation, it’s also about making meaningful connections and prioritizing the relationships that mean the most to you.

How does your self care checklist look now?

What was your favorite addition to your list?
Comment and share below!