Self-care often seems like a foreign word, especially for those who care for everyone while ignoring their own needs. But it’s essential to fill your cup and choose yourself. Yet whether you are a busy mom, student, or entrepreneur who doesn’t have a lot of free time, you can still make self-care a priority. All it takes is a few 30-minute self-care ideas for women to relax and pump the brakes to feel better mentally and physically.
What Is Self-Care?
Self-care is the practice of caring for yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And when you prioritize tending to your own needs, you promote your wellbeing, enhance your health, and reduce your stress.
Why Is Self-Care Important?
Unfortunately, the importance of self-care is often misunderstood as a selfish act or a luxurious trip to the spa. When in fact, it’s a daily necessity that we all benefit from. For example, intentionally reserving time to care for yourself allows you to process your emotions, recover from obstacles, increase your energy and as a bonus, you learn how to be a more patient person. Yet when we neglect our basic physical and mental needs, we become more vulnerable to a host of problems, including poor relationships, poor health, burnout, depression, and anxiety, to name a few. So discovering how to remind yourself that you’re important and your needs are valid helps you live a healthier and happier life.
How to Find Time for Regular Self-Care
Making time for self-care may sound impossible, but it’s an achievable goal for anyone, no matter how overwhelming your schedule is. And here are a few tips to help you be successful in your self-care journey…
- Start small. There is no need to spend hours on yourself. While it would be great if we could do that, it’s not realistic. So, start small and squeeze in what you can. For example, read a few pages of your favorite book before bed, take a few mindful breaths while waiting for your coffee, take a walk after dinner, eat a protein enriched breakfast to kickstart your day, etc.
- Prioritize it. Self-care is just as important as your other daily responsibilities, so make time for it. You may even need to wake up 15 minutes earlier to stretch, journal, and give yourself “me time”, but it’s worth it.
- Check in with yourself. How often do you take a moment to ask yourself how you feel? Asking yourself this one simple question can help you balance your energy more effectively, process your emotions, and reduce burnout. Increasing your self-awareness and emotional resilience is also a form of self-care.
- Ask for help. A part of prioritizing self-care means admitting that sometimes you need support, and that’s okay! So, instead of pushing yourself past your limits, delegate a project to a coworker, learn how to set healthy boundaries, ask a loved one to assist with childcare, or take a mental health day to recalibrate.
11 30 Minute Self-Care Ideas for Women
1. Take a hot girl shower
This ritual gained significant popularity in social media, and it’s simple to incorporate into your life. It involves taking a shower where you do everything to feel great; dry brush, exfoliate, deep condition your hair, apply a face mask (or create DIY face masks for busy moms), shave, and moisturize. You’ll emerge refreshed, glowy, and unstoppable.
2. Join Reese Witherspoon’s book club
Reading is always a great way to sneak in a bit of self-care. And following Reese’s Witherspoon book club and subsequent movie/television series franchise allows you to read the books and watch them: two fun pleasures to relax and decompress. Books and movies like “The Wild”, a woman’s journey of healing and self-exploration, or “From Scratch”, a sentimental love story about connection and grief, will certainly tug on your heartstrings. Even if you only have 30-minutes to spare, start with one of her recommended books.
3. Make a fun drink with a friend
What better way to invest in self-care than to call a friend over and catch up over a fun drink? While venting life’s frustrations and laughing (another form of self-care), pull up one of your saved low-carb cocktails or non-alcoholic drinks recipes from Pinterest and have fun!
4. Cry it out
You might be surprised to see crying on this list, but it’s a form of self-care. In fact, it provides several benefits. It releases drops of serotonin (your happy hormones), improves emotional regulation, detoxifies the body, and allows big emotions to escape. So, take a moment and let everything bubbling up inside you…out. You’ll feel a lot lighter.
5. Buy yourself flowers
Remember the scene in Clueless when Cher gifts herself flowers and chocolate to attract her crush? Well, instead of trying to attract a partner, why not buy flowers for the sole purpose of loving and caring for yourself? You deserve to buy or pick a fresh bouquet of your favorite flowers and celebrate all the amazingness that you are!
6. Feed your inner child
What did you love as a child? Painting, dancing, swinging, writing, or playing with clay? Make a list of your favorite childhood activities and pick one to unleash and feed your inner child. A part of your self-care involves having fun, playing, and enjoying your life.
7. Walk barefoot outside
Planting your bare feet into the grass is one of the best yet simple 30-minute self-care ideas for women. Even science supports its benefits. For example, barefoot walking reduces stress, increases immunity, and improves sleep. It’s also a mindful practice that allows you to breathe and connect with the world around you.
8. Track your moon cycle
Our monthly moon cycle has a profound effect on our physical and mental health. And tracking yours helps you create a stronger connection between your body and mind while understanding how your fluctuating hormones and different phases impact your life. So, check out the best period tracking apps, or write the dates, how you felt, and the changes you noticed in a journal.
9. Dance naked or in sexy lingerie
10. Indulge in a 12-step skincare routine
Your morning and night skincare routine offers the perfect opportunity to mindfully connect with yourself, take care of your body’s largest organ, and feel good. And a 12-step skincare routine (modeled after Korean women with beautiful skin) will allow you to indulge even more. Here are the steps;
- Wash your face
- Double cleanse
- Exfoliate
- Toner
- Essence
- Ampoule
- Serum
- Eye cream
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
You can add a lip or face mask for steps 11 and 12. But even if you only have time for 6 or 8 of these steps, your updated skincare routine will leave your skin looking healthy and beautiful.
11. Breathe with Wim Hoff
Wim Hoff is a pioneer of self-care. His breathing and cold water routine will surely boost your spirits and help you decompress. And the best part, it’s simple to incorporate into your every day. All it takes is 10 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of following his breathing technique, and a two-minute cold water shower. You’ll leave feeling relaxed, reenergized, and ready to take on the day.
Remember, this list of 30 minute self-care ideas for women is a guide to offer inspiration and encourage you to choose yourself. Its purpose isn’t to overwhelm. Instead, we believe it’s best to start small, prioritize what you love, and always give yourself a moment to connect to who you are and what matters most to you.
This post contains affiliate links.
If you found this list of 30 minute self-care ideas for women helpful, please share it on Pinterest!
And if you’re looking for more self-care tips, please follow our All Things Women board!
