Hello Friends! Welcome back to the blog today.
I hope you’re doing well, getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, eating clean, focusing on your mental health, and giving yourself grace.
Today I’m featuring more good things from The Good Trade. I speak and repost several articles from this source, one … because I want to share the love, and two … because I find them helpful for day-to-day use. So what is “The Good Trade?”
The Good Trade is an independent, Los Angeles–based media brand dedicated to sustainability, self-care, and a slower lifestyle. With over 100 million readers and a growing community of 250,000 daily subscribers, we offer heartfelt essays, honest product reviews, and community-sourced resources—all in the voice of a trusted friend.
Featured in Forbes, Fast Company, and New York Magazine as a beloved women’s media brand, we believe that caring for the earth and your community begins with caring for yourself.
Created by women, for women, to help you cultivate balance and joy in your life.
Through storytelling and curated content, we aim to inspire inward growth and outward impact—fostering community, sustainability, and radical care along the way. Drawing from diverse backgrounds, our writers and experts craft deeply researched and honest work, approaching complex topics with vulnerability, curiosity, and care. (Source: The Good Trade)
30 Self-Care Ideas To Add To Your Routine
HOME + HOBBIES + BODY + MIND
[1.] Clear off every surface in your home, and wipe it down. Consider this a practice in clearing away mental clutter.
[2.] Reorganize your closet with this goal: I want to feel joy when I open this door. This isn’t a chore that needs to be begrudgingly crossed off your list; it’s about engaging your creativity to enjoy your daily routines more thoroughly.
[3.] Allow yourself to indulge in a daydream while you’re walking, listening to music, cleaning the house. When a strange idea or memory comes to mind, don’t push it away. Follow the story.
[4.] List the tasks that have been weighing on you and get them done, one by one. You. Can. Do. It.
[5.] Recycle your old newspapers, junk mail, and magazines.
[6.] Add a bouquet to your home—you can purchase marked-down blooms at your supermarket, or forage one from flora already on the ground or from a few mindfully selected flowers.
[7.] Create some art for your walls. Use what you have on hand, tack up some old photos, and decorate your space with what inspires you.
[8.] Practice generosity by donating or volunteering. Whatever it is, do it quietly and intentionally for a cause that is meaningful to you.
[9.] Borrow an audiobook from your local library and listen to it while you’re cooking, cleaning, crafting, or exercising.
[11.] Make a Spotify playlist of all your favorite songs. Disappear into it, and allow the memories associated with each song to wash over you.
[12.] Borrow an audiobook from your local library and listen to it while you’re cooking, cleaning, crafting, or exercising.
[13.] Plan an intentional movie night in advance, instead of just winging it. Pick out what you will watch, when, and with whom. Prep your snacks and your cozy blankets.
[14.] Attend a concert by yourself or bring a friend and make a date of it. You can even watch virtually—search “full concert” on YouTube, or watch a Tiny Desk Concert.
[15.] Whip up your favorite meal. Set the table with full silverware, put out a bottle of wine, sparkling water, and crystal-clean glasses. Light a candle. Focus on presentation and remind yourself that you are worthy of beautiful, nourishing, and delicious food.
[16.] Lay out a blanket and stargaze or cloudgaze. There is no goal other than stretching your eyes and succumbing to your imagination.
[17.] Snuggle your pets. Seriously, it releases dopamine and relaxes a stressed brain.
[18.] Try our favorite DIY matcha face mask. (It’s not a self-care list without a face mask, is it?)
[19.] If you drink, try intentionally skipping the booze on Friday night. Face any confronting feelings that may arise, embrace them, recognize them, then sleep soundly knowing that you won’t have a headache tomorrow.
[21.] Stand up and fold forward to get your head below your heart. Cradle your elbows into one another and let your head dangle for a few moments. Or, scooch your bum to a wall, and rest your legs vertically on the wall while you breathe deeply.
[22.] Give yourself a breast exam. Familiarize yourself with what’s normal and what isn’t normal for your body, checking for lumps, inconsistencies, and points of pain.
[23.] Create a Pinterest mood board full of things that move you and inspire you.
[24.] Do something physically exerting: break down cardboard boxes for recycling, sprint to the end of the block, jump rope in your driveway. Imagine your stress exhausting itself and leaving your body.
[25.] Remind yourself of who you are, beyond what you are in relation to others. Maybe you’re a parent or a child—but who are you outside of that label?
[26.] Schedule the appointments that support your wellbeing—you can do them all at once, or slowly add to your list throughout the coming weeks. Even if making calls is stressful, give that time as a gift to your future self.
[27.] Take the medicine, the vitamins, the supplements that serve you. Start new medicines, or connect with your healthcare team about tapering off the medication when you’re ready.
[28.] Go outside. Just put on your shoes and get outside; let your body decide on the rest. Maybe you only get so far as standing in the sunlight. That’s enough.
[29.] Swap coffee for tea, and lots of it. Tea is hydrating and nourishing, and can be easier on our stomachs (especially if you opt for herbal).
Friends, this is only a drop in the bucket as to some of the things you can do to level yourself out, inspire joy, and get into some healthy routines. This list is not the gospel; it’s not going to change your life. However, little by little, bit by bit, you may notice a change in your attitude towards how you think and process things on a daily basis. Just one thing from this list may be all you need.
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As always, I hope I’ve given you something today that you can take with you. Although the general idea is not my own, it is meant to be shared by all.
Thanks for hanging with me today — Peace.