Tell me if this sounds a little like a day you’ve had before…

You somehow accidentally hit the off button on your alarm, instead of the snooze, and end up waking up late for work. You throw on the first thing you grab in your closest, and take your morning cup of coffee to go. You forget your coffee is still piping hot and end up spilling your first few sips on the shirt you didn’t even want to wear, but had no choice to put on because you were rushing.

Because you leave your house a few minutes after your normal time, you get caught in bumper to bumper morning traffic. You show up late (and slightly disheveled from the coffee stain on your shirt) to your first meeting of the day full of all your most cut-throat colleagues, who would rather give their right arm, than give you notes on what you missed.

Throughout your work day you’re dodging call outs, angry customers, and sending never-ending follow up emails to your boss for answers you needed weeks ago. You’re so behind on your work that you skip lunch, and decide to grab another cup of coffee to help you power through the second half of your day.

Your boss finally emails you back with a nonchalant response about this being the first time he’s heard of these problems, and it takes every ounce of your professional being not to hit send on a whole set of email trails dating back weeks ago.

You work late to make up for coming in late, and as a result, get caught in even more traffic on the way home.

You walk in the door and the first thing you notice is the sink is full of dirty dishes, and your husband lying on the couch watching tv. Although he got off work hours ago, he turns to you and blankly asks, “what’s for dinner?”

And in that moment, it takes every piece of what little bit of energy you have left not to scream at the top of your lungs and walk right back out the door to the nearest bar for a strong drink, double please.

Instead, you take a deep breath, politely say you’ll make something as soon as you freshen up, and walk defeatedly back to your room where it all started. You literally do a face plant onto the bed, where you wonder if you have the strength to go through another day like this again.

If this sounds anything like a day you’ve had… you might be in need of a little self-care.

Why Bother with Self-Care?

Self-care is just a fancy way of saying you need to take a break.

Call it what you want, we all need to time to take care of ourselves. Self-care is just that friendly reminder that it’s time to put your needs first.

Especially for us women, who so often are taking care of everyone else, it’s hard to make time, or even remember that we also deserve our own time and attention. We are so use to taking care of others, that when we politely excuse ourselves to take care of ourselves, it almost feels like bad manners.

Self-care has come to symbolize a beautiful movement that we too need time for mental, emotional, and spiritual rest and rejuvenation.

If you constantly find yourself stressed, tired, and irritable, it may be time to take a much needed break.

Here is a list of 25 self-care activities to fit any lifestyle, so pick one of your liking and relax.

1. Watch your favorite movie (and go back and re-watch your favorite parts again for good measure, just to make sure you’re relaxing enough)
2. Go ahead and have that glass of wine (and pour it to the top)
3. Skip making dinner and order out from your favorite place
4. Call a friend who listens and vent about your day
5. Take a candlelit bath
6. Get a massage
7. Buy a beautiful and/or scented candle
8. Take an afternoon drive

9. Sit outside on your balcony for awhile
10. Skip getting dressed, stay in your pajamas all day and watch tv on the couch
11. Order that one thing you’ve been eyeing on Amazon
12. Be bad, have that afternoon cup of coffee or cappuccino
13. Create a playlist of your favorite songs and sing or rap out loud as you listen to them
14. Work on your favorite hobby (like building a computer or a DIY project)
15. Watch a season of your favorite series or sitcom again
16. Buy a few paint supplies from the dollar store and paint a picture

17. Spend time in nature like going to a lake or walking on a local nature trail
18. Exercise (it’s a great way to relieve stress)
19. If you have the time, take a personal/mental health day from work and enjoy being home on a weekday
20. Go to your favorite coffee shop, order your favorite drink, and actually sit there and drink it
21. If you have a local bakery, go in an order two of your favorite cupcakes or sweet treats (one to enjoy now and one for later)
22. Get a pedicure or manicure (or both)
23. Catch up on a few chapters of your favorite book

24. Get your hair done (by a professional)
25. Stay in for the weekend and politely say no to anyone who asks you to do something for them (no matter how small the favor)

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As long as there is stress in your life, there will always be a need for self-care. So, give yourself permission to take a much needed, and well-deserved break.