Self-care really doesn’t have to be about spending money, there are so many ways you can look after your well-being at no cost to you at all. There are plenty of budget friendly self-care habits you can incorporate into your day to prioritise your well-being without spending a penny. Here are my top 5 self-care habits on a budget.
Journal
Top of my list and my absolute favourite self-care habit. Journaling can help you understand your thoughts and process them in a more positive way. Journaling is self-care, self-love and self-development all rolled into one. You can journal about absolutely anything. Your goals, your thoughts, your habits, a poem, a story or the pages of a book. Anyone can journal, anywhere, at any time. The benefits of journaling include, letting go of negative beliefs and affirming new ones. Reducing anxiety and releasing emotions. Promoting personal growth and finding your flow.
Create a new healthy habit
A habit can be defined as something you do regular and often in a repeated way. To break a bad habit it is wise to replace it with a good one. Start small and simple, begin with introducing one new habit such as journaling, commit to just five minutes a day. Add a new habit on to something you already do each day, for example, after I have written in my journal I will do five minutes of meditation. Be consistent, if you feel your new healthy habit start to slack, just be aware, and get it back on track again.
Meditate
Meditation is focussing ones awareness and attention on the present moment. It is believed meditation originated in India several thousand years ago. Meditation doesn’t need to be complicated and can be as simple as beginning with 3 minutes a day. There are many types of meditation, including, guided, walking, focused, open, loving-kindness, transcendental, visualisation, mantra and mindful. Guided meditations are great for beginners as they help build structure to your practice and keep you focussed in the early stages.
Do something your future self will thank you for
I love this one as there are so many possibilities. Your future self is who you want to be and who you can be. Again, keeping it simple this could be, doing the dishes and washings the night before, or preparing for the day or week ahead. Being present in the moment. Treat yourself; read a book, get out in nature, exercise. Your future self will thank you for looking after your body, mind and soul. Think healthy thoughts, use affirmations to help with this. Eat nutritious food and drink lots of water or herbal tea. Get your body moving. Be grateful. Forgive and let go. Journal.
Forgive and let go
Forgiveness is not for them, its for you. First of all you need to forgive yourself for anything you hold yourself accountable for. Then you need to forgive ALL who have done you harm. You do not do this for the person, you do this for yourself, forgiving shifts your perception and releases blockages in YOU. Let go of negative beliefs by first understanding what you are telling yourself, then understand you can tell yourself better and nicer things. Affirmations can help with this. Let go of things that are no longer serving you, a good declutter of the body mind and soul. It is also great to declutter physical things as well.
Top 5 self-care habits on a budget
There are so many self-care habits we can incorporate into our everyday life that do not have to cost us a penny. Self-care habits on a budget are the best. My favourite is journaling as there are just so many benefits and rewards. Meditation is a great way to relax, unwind and recharge on a budget. Other ideas include, getting out in nature, recording your dreams, reading, practicing gratitude, deep breathing, goal setting, creating healthy habits, and practicing forgiveness.
The purpose of this journal is to assist you in incorporating straightforward self-care habits into your daily life. The journal will seamlessly guide you through self-care and journaling in the easiest way possible. The journal includes informational pages, a daily journal page and a checklist.