50 self-care tips

Do you know Me Time? And do you already take them regularly? Otherwise: it’s a time you spend alone according to your tastes. Without anyone telling you the rules. No appointment calendar, no clients, no children.

In our daily lives there is often too little time to relax and feel like we can decide the course of the next hour. According to a study, especially housework, use of the Internet and social media prevent us from focusing on ourselves and our needs. Free time is essential for a balanced, productive and healthy life.

Why Me Time is so important to you

You need Me Time to explore yourself, to do things you’ve wanted to do for a long time. Or just something completely different! The main thing is that you are completely with yourself and recharge your batteries. Without this downtime, our productivity suffers: We feel drained and have trouble motivating ourselves to do our work if we never have time to relax and do nothing or do other things.

Stolen time is not my time – unfortunately!

But: free time is not the same as free time. This only works if you schedule it regularly (if possible). Think about it: How much do you relax if you put off important tasks during stated work hours because you can’t motivate yourself to do them? Instead, you call a friend and tell her about your (or her) love life. Or you can switch from Word to YouTube and enjoy cute kittens taking their first steps.

Please don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing wrong with that. Take a break if you get stuck at your job. But ideally plan it in advance (one hour of text writing, 15 minute break) or at least consciously decide to take a break here and now. To recharge the batteries. And consciously limit this time too. Then you can enjoy it and then start again.

Everything else is stolen time. Time when you distract yourself from your productive work. Because private phone calls and cute videos are nice, but they don’t even feel like productive work. Those who sit at the desk therefore do not necessarily contribute to their goals. And you feel it too!

To-dos and enjoyable activities put off during your most productive time don’t make you feel good. You know you actually had something else planned. And you ruin this time with guilt. Me Time is something else!

Really have fun with Me Time

Much better: you regularly take time to do something for yourself. You reserve a place every day. Your advantage: If you plan this time in advance, you will feel much better. Because it doesn’t compete with your working hours, but rather fits into your daily schedule. Well deserved free time to enjoy. And to recharge.

Me Time tips for you

I recently took a week off and put together a list of 50 fun things you and I can do in our me time.

1. take an old detective novel off the shelf and read it again
2. bathe extensively with candles and music
3. Visit a new bookstore and browse
4. Clean out your closet and enjoy your new space
5. Cook an interesting recipe or just look in the fridge and come up with a new one
6. Call a friend and make a dinner date
7. Go to the movies armed with a stack of tissues and/or popcorn
8. Put on your headphones and listen to Wagner’s Tannhäuser while sitting in a chair
9. Walk around the city without a shopping list and discover which places in your city you’ve always overlooked
10. Give your dog/cat lots of scratches
11. Clean your computer
12. Book the VHS course “jogging correctly” / “Excel for Insiders” / “Italian for beginners” / “Laughter Yoga” and REALLY go
13. Simply write to an interesting Facebook friend you don’t know much about
14. Read the newspaper carefully (real or virtual). You can also find specks of gold in the features section and local section.
15. dig out the old ice skates and venture back to the skating rink
16. they announce a family zoom on 3 continents
17. Buy flowers or potted plants and treat the ones you already have well in advance
18. Try this trendy yet somewhat crazy morning meditation
19. Spend an afternoon in bed with a book and lots of herbal teas
20. Run until you run out of breath. And enjoy the new view.
21. Look at the supermarket noticeboard: who is offering or looking for something that interests you?
22. knitting again (crafts, sewing, crochet, crafting… you know what you haven’t done for a long time)
23. Read Marie Kondo and give away everything that no longer fills you with joy
24. start a clothes swap party. It also works virtually
25. update your website. Safety first!
26. plan your next holiday
27. Drive to the recycling center and finally get rid of the old things
28. Buy a slice of sinful cake and eat it very slowly
29. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions
30. Go somewhere and then stand there and watch.
31. try a new hairstyle. Before the match or at the hairdresser
32. Book a wellness weekend where you can continue your Me Time in complete tranquility
33. Take a look at your year: what went well, what could have been better, what did you learn from it, and how will you do it better in the future?
34. update appointments for preventative care and vaccinations
35. Buy a gardening magazine and think about what you want to do next spring
36. When it’s cold, go out onto the bar terrace, well covered, and really celebrate.
37. Plan gifts: Christmas, birthday, whatever the season offers. Put yourself in your loved ones’ shoes and let your creativity work. Here’s how to find the right gift idea. Please don’t forget to give yourself a gift!
38. Organize your emails so you have everything in sight.
39. View family photos in peace. Albums and digital. What do you see here? Who haven’t you talked to in a long time?
40. Organize an alumni or class reunion yourself.
41. Drip your favorite aroma oil onto the aroma lamp and enjoy
42. Pause for a moment and ask yourself what you’re grateful for in your life right now (hint: your current Me Time!)
43. Ask yourself what often bothers you. And then realize that you’re bothering yourself here. No power to external influences!
44. Just turn off a social media network. You already know which one bothers you more than helps.
45. From now on, never do anything again (insert here which habit you do every day but which gives you more annoyance than happiness)…
46. Rearrange (paint, etc.) your office (bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc.)
47. Binge-watch your favorite series
48. Light a candle and talk to her about the meaning of life
49. Borrow the book you’ve wanted to read for a long time (buy it or maybe find it in your closet) and retreat from it for now
50. Think about who you can do something good for in the near future: your partner, your family, your friends or just anyone or your animal protection association. And then just do it.

I won’t tell you what I’ve already done this week 😉 Just one last tip: make a standing appointment with yourself so you can actually take some time for me. Otherwise it will simply be lost in daily operations. So take your time! And enjoy it without guilt.