Do you find yourself with little to no time for self-care in your life? Treat yourself to a self-care quickie… it doesn’t have to be time consuming to be worthwhile. Going from full-time finance worker in the corporate world to becoming disabled by an energy-limiting illness, I have mastered the art of the self-care quickie. Read on for my top 5 tips.

1 – Meditate

This word can scare people at first, honestly I used to be adamant meditation wasn’t for me as I was a very logical person and not spiritual at all. Although I am still not the most spiritual person in the world, I meditate daily and it is AMAZING (just hear me out on this one).

Don’t worry, despite its origins, the practice doesn’t have to be religious or involve any form of chanting. Quite simply, to meditate is just to focus our attention on something, such as the breath, for a period of time. It gets easier the more you practice too. The best part is the benefits it brings: reduced stress, a deep sense of relaxation, and improved mental wellbeing over time, to name a few. After I have meditated I feel as relaxed as I would after a spa day, but I’ve only spent a fraction of the time and money. I would especially recommend meditating before bed because it can help us drift off into quality sleep.

There is a whole host of apps and resources out there that can help guide the practice of meditation and mindfulness. If you want a free app/site, Insight Timer is great! My personal go-to is the Headspace app because it is easy to use and not intimidating at all. Most apps have themed meditations geared towards certain feelings and situations such as anger, or the fear of failure.

Time – 10 minutes +

Cost – £0 +

2 – Eat some good food

Food is fuel, but it is also to be enjoyed. Diet culture has done us a great disservice by labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but worry not, diet culture is not promoted in this blog, it is a safe space. What I mean by ‘good’ food, is eat something good for your wellbeing, whether that is something nutrition-dense like strawberries, or something less nutrition-dense like chocolate. Or go wild and have chocolate covered strawberries. These are just some examples, but you get the idea.

You can go one step further to really appreciate and enjoy your food by eating mindfully. Try and eat slower than usual, focussing fully on your food rather than multitasking – think about all the senses you can access, and how it makes you feel. Eating can be a really enjoyable experience and a social experience if you fancy it. Head over to my recipe section or BBC Good Food for some inspo.

Time – 20 minutes +

Cost – £3 +

3 – Have a nice drink

I would recommend anything other than alcohol… as great as it can be, it doesn’t really lend itself to a self-care article. I recently made an iced chocolate drink which is great in the heat and can easily made allergen-safe, you can check it out here. As a typical Yorkshire lass, you can’t beat a good cuppa tea. Again, the important thing is taking the time and space to really enjoy and appreciate it as it makes it more of a self-care event. Make it a big deal, have something special for the occasion.

Time – 10 minutes +

Cost – £0.03 +

4 – Hand massage

This is such a quick, low-energy act of self-care. It doesn’t have to be your hands and if you’re struggling yourself then why not ask someone for some help? Grab some of your favourite hand cream or moisturiser and massage away. If no one in your house has any, then you can get some from Superdrug for as little as £1.49. My absolute favourite is Handy Gurugu from Lush because I get very dry hands and this cream works a treat. This is a nice way to relax and take time out for ourselves on busy days, especially during winter months when our skin dries out easier. If you don’t know where to start then you can watch my little tutorial below (I am manifesting Autumn in this video, using The Body Shop’s Vanilla Pumpkin body butter). Disclaimer: I’m not a professional masseuse, I researched some techniques and did what felt best…

Time – 10 minutes +

Cost – £0 +

5 – Read

Reading can be for everyone, you don’t have to be a certain type of person or be amazing at it or be able-bodied. Alongside M.E., I have dyslexia so I read pretty slowly and often have to re-read sections, but I love it! Reading is escapism, it is learning, it can help reduce stress and even relax us before bed. Many of us now spend a lot of time looking at screens, so I find a book (I’m talking an actual physical book) is a welcome rest from the blue light. However, online reading and audio books can often be more accessible.

Taking even 10 minutes out of our day to read can do us a world of good. You can read just about anything nowadays, but if you’re not sure where to start, then I would recommend the Goodreads website for books or just Googling topics you are interested in for articles etc. I would highly recommend reading books from authors that are from marginalised communities, there are some suggestions here and here.

Time – 10 minutes +

Cost – £0 +

So there you go, five super speedy, self-care quickies that won’t cost you the world. The real key when we’re pushed for time is being mindful during our self-care! Make a big deal, give yourself your undivided attention. Trust me, taking 10-30 mindful minutes for yourself each day is much more beneficial than a whole day of mindless self-care.