Taking care of your physical and mental health has never been more important. And in times of economic uncertainty, your financial health is equally valuable. You may think that taking care of yourself in a time like this is a last resort or requires spending a lot of money. But that’s far from the truth. These simple quarantine self care ideas will bring balance to your day and life.
Basic Self Care
It’s easy to think about expensive self-care methods first when it comes to self-care. However, your local spa or even gym isn’t even open right now. However, it’s important to focus on the most basic of practices to help maintain your well being.
Proper sleep, hydration, nutrition, exercise, and hygiene influence our health on a typical day. Right now, those essentials matter even more. Consider these free ideas to help encourage basic self care.
- Set an alarm to encourage going to bed on time each evening.
- Fill a reusable water bottle to drink every day.
- Stock the fridge with fruits and veggies. Avoid junk foods that encourage stress eating.
- Go for a walk.
- Encourage community by chatting with someone on a regular scheduled basis.
Free Trial Pitfalls
There are more free trials right now than you or I could count. While some companies are attempting to provide free services for the greater good. Most know that this sort of promotion is the best marketing tool.
Maybe you’ll discover their company or app for the first time and begin to build the expense into your budget. Or maybe you’ll forget to cancel the trial and end up paying for it every month, forever impacting your finances.
I’m not saying that free trials aren’t fun and maybe even a good idea. I have a couple of them myself right now. However, you still have to be smart about how you approach things. If possible, avoid linking your account to your credit or debit card. If you’re forgetful when it comes to personal finance, skip it all together. Or, look for options where you can take advantage of a free platform, forgoing any premium options. But if you decide to go for it, then set a reminder in your phone or write down the date in your calendar for the deadline of when to cancel the subscription.
Free Meditation Apps
Mindfulness and meditation apps have surged in use and need lately. As discussed above, they all take different forms. A few you might choose to try out include:
- Calm (opt for the free options before you sign up for the 7 day trial).
- 10% Happier
- Stop, Breathe, and Think
- Pzizz
The majority of these platforms allow you to access plenty of free content to begin with. You could even skip around from app to app checking out any free content before signing up for a yearly subscription. It’s a good way to compare and contrast what really works for you.
Free Workout Apps & YouTube Channels
A good sweat can bring about both mental and physical health balance. Again, a number of gyms and apps are offering free opportunities for you to stay fit. Some come in the form of free YouTube channels. Others are again free trials on apps. Be smart about what you’ll use and what it would be smart to skip.
- Your Local Gym: If you have a membership, even to a small gym, you’ll likely find they’re offering some sort of services in the midst of this closure. From Zoom workouts to streaming on Facebook or fitness challenges, if you have a membership anywhere you need to reach out to see what might be available.
- Orange Theory Fitness: FREE daily workouts on YouTube, no purchase necessary.
- Peloton: 90 Day FREE Trial to access a wide variety of workouts. Cancel it before it dings your card, though.
- SiriusXM: Free trial through May 15th which includes great workout music channels. I love the 90s and 2000s workout music channels!
- FitnessBlender: One of my favorite free channels that’s so organized and has workouts for every imaginable style of fitness.
- Gymshark: Free for the foreseeable future, this conditioning app has plenty of planst to choose from.
Scheduling Time to Take Care of Yourself
Now more than ever, you need to set up a routine and schedule to ensure your well being. Each week, be sure to calendar time to connect with your community. It’s much too easy to scroll mindlessly or binge watch TV. Here are ideas to help you.
- Set screen limits so you don’t find yourself caught in a social media rabbit hole. Most phones allow you to easily set up daily parameters.
- Schedule a weekly Zoom or FaceTime with family members.
- When necessary, set up a teletherapy session with a counselor. Check to see if your insurance helps cover the expense.
- Put dates on a calendar or create a daily agenda to manage your time better.
Friends, take care of yourself. How you choose to do so is up to you. Take a nap or paint your nails or go for a long run. Don’t put it off, though.
Our new book Your Money, Your Marriage is now available! Be sure to check out videos on managing money together on Facebook.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out The Debt Free Devotional on Kindle.
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