Are you ready to refresh your mind and body this spring? These spring self care ideas have something for everyone.
Whether you feel like getting outside, practicing mindfulness, or decluttering your home this spring season is a great time to renew your commitment to self-care. Maybe you want to prioritize sleep given daylight savings time or try to engage in hobbies that revive your energy after the long winter.
There are many ways you can improve your well-being and this new season gives you a blank slate to begin again. Because after all, your odds of succeeding at taking better care of yourself this spring increase every time you try to make self-care a priority.
What is Self-Care Exactly?
In case you are new here, self-care is any deliberate action taken to maintain or improve physical, mental, and emotional health. It’s about taking the time to prioritize your own needs and well-being, and actively seeking out activities or practices that promote relaxation, rejuvenation, and personal growth.
How Important is Self Care?
Self-care is important because it helps us maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves. By taking the time to care for ourselves, we can better manage stress, improve our mood, and boost our overall well-being.
Self care can also help us maintain better relationships with others, by teaching us to set boundaries and prioritize our own needs. If we neglect self-care, it can lead to burnout, stress, and poor mental and physical health.
Not focusing on taking care of our needs can also impact our relationships and our ability to function effectively in our personal and professional lives. By making self-care a priority, we can better manage stress and improve our overall quality of life.
So now you know what self-care is and why it is important. Here is how you can take better care of yourself in the spring specifically.
Self Care Ideas for Spring
Spend More Time Outside
The benefits of spending time in nature are well established. Being able to get fresh air after having been inside for the winter months can make you feel better almost instantly.
The sunshine and (vitamin D) you can get from being outside as you make the most of hours of daylight are wonderful for you in so many ways.
So make sure to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days by spending time outside. Whether it’s going for a daily walk, having a picnic, or reading a book in a park, spending time in nature can have a positive impact on your mental and physical health.
Try some of these spring self-care ideas for outdoor activities:
Practice Mindfulness this Spring
Spring is a time of renewal and growth, and mindfulness can help you connect with the present moment and cultivate a sense of gratitude. Consider trying meditation, yoga, or simply taking a few moments each day to focus on your breath.
How to add some mindfulness to your day:
- Practice meditation with an app like Calm or Headspace (see a full review in “Calm vs. Headspace App Review”)
- See if you can learn about self-compassion meditations to be kinder to yourself (we could all use this)
- Try some yoga poses (outside even if the weather will cooperate!). If you are a beginner, you can learn more in this article on “How to Begin a Simple and Easy Yoga Practice for Stress Relief”.
- Deep breathing – always a good idea to focus on your breath and take some deep breaths to stop the shallow breathing we tend to do when we are stressed or in a hurry. Learn how to use the 4-7-8 breathwork in “Breathwork for Beginners”.
Spring Cleaning is the Ultimate Refresh for Your Home
Having a clean and organized space can have a big impact on your mood and productivity. Consider decluttering your home, deep-cleaning, and reorganizing your space to create a fresh start for the season.
While no one really loves the act of spring cleaning, the end result is usually worth it. A clean and decluttered home can be a joy to be in. If nothing else, put on some lighter weight spring or summer sheets for your bed.
Decluttering and Reorganizing Your Home
Spending some time getting rid of things that you don’t need or want can be very freeing. If you need some help in area, I recommend checking out the website “Home Storage Solutions”. She has a “Get Started with Decluttering” series and you can sign up to receive emails weekly focusing on a new area of your house each week. It is very helpful.
And if you find you have a hard time getting rid of sentimental items, you aren’t alone. I struggle with that as well. Here is a great book to read if you struggle with getting rid of things. It is called “Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life” by Julie Morgenstern.
Deep Cleaning
If you need to do a deep clean and haven’t been keeping up on it for a while, this first time is going to be a bit painful. Here are some links to help you get started and then keep your house manageable to come.
“Easy Ways of Household Management Systems”
“Mom Tips and Tricks – How Systems Can Be a Huge Time Saver”
Prioritize Sleep and Taking Care of Your Body
As the days get longer, it’s important to make sure you’re still getting enough sleep. Establish a bedtime routine and create a relaxing environment to help you wind down at night. You can read more about sleep – here in “How to Sleep Well and Why it Matters”.
And as always, take care of your body. Spring is a great time to hit reset on those new year’s resolutions to eat healthier. As the weather gets nice, you may feel like eating more fruits and vegetables and less of the heavy comfort foods of winter.
Time to Try a New Hobby or Revive an Old Hobby
Something about Spring can make you feel like you have more energy. You an use that energy to take on a new hobby or spending time revisiting your old ones.
Here are some ideas of new hobbies to try this Spring Season:
- Painting
- Playing an instrument
- Writing
- Hiking
- Reading
- Photography
- Scrapbooking
- Try some new recipes for lighter dishes
- So many more ideas for self-care activities here
Whatever you do, engaging in activities that bring you joy can have a positive impact on your mental health and overall well-being. And learning something new is a good way to help protect your cognitive abilities as you get older too. Find out more in “Bored? How to Find Your Next Great Hobby”.
Connecting with Loved Ones
Spring is a perfect time to connect with loved ones. As Spring is a time for renewal and growth, it is a great time to also rekindle those connections with loved ones that may have not been possible over the winter.
Try to make plans with friends and family, or consider joining a new community group or club to meet new people if you would some fresh starts.
Ideas for Spending Time with Friends and Family:
- Organize an outing to play Miniature Golf
- Outdoor festivals start to begin again as the weather is nice, see if you can attend one together
- Go see a concert
- Go to a baseball game
- Visit an aquarium or zoo
Self Care Tips for Spring
There is no time like the present to focus on spring self-care while you have the energy and optimism that usually accompanies nicer weather. You can get outside and soak up the sun and maximize the benefits of spending time in nature. Or you can stay inside, declutter your space and enjoy your nice clean home.
Spring is a great time to take stock of what you want in your life for this season. Maybe you want to renew your mind and body by any or all of these self-care practices for spring.
What you do isn’t as important as the fact that you do something that prioritizes self-care for you this spring. Just think of it as excellent preventive medicine to take care of your mental health in the future.
So make sure to treat yourself and incorporate some of these ideas into your care routine. By investing in yourself now, you are helping” future you” to be healthier and happier. Spring is the time of new beginnings, so make the most of it!
What are you most excited to try this spring? What are you planning on adding as part of your new self-care routine? Leave a message in the comments below.
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If you would like self-care ideas for all seasons, here are season specific ideas.
While you are here, make sure you grab your copy of the "Self-Care Mini-Guide" to help you figure out how to add self-care to your daily life. Just click the link Loveselfcare Self-Care Mini-Guide to download your guide!