There is nothing more recharging than a self-care day. But the truth is, we don’t all have the free time to take a full day off for self-care during a weekday. Honestly, not even during the weekend.
For most of us, Sunday is usually the day where we prepare already for the week ahead. So that leaves us with… Saturdays.
This is where this quick-and-easy self-care-Saturday guide comes in handy. We will provide for you a full arsenal of things you can do to have some self-love time that you can adapt to your own needs and schedule.
Wanna take the entire day off? Amazing. Only have a few minutes at night? No problem.
Let’s dive in!
First Things First – Why Self-Care?
Self-care is simply the act of caring for yourself. The definition doesn’t get any longer than that because self-care is a very personal thing. Whatever self-care means for you, it is necessary for your body and mental health (1).
For some, taking care of themselves means enjoying a hot meal while watching TV. For others it means spa-mode ON, writing in a journal, or practicing gratitude. Maybe it means taking care of all of your baby indoor plants (hi, that’s me).
Either way, dedicating some time for yourself is the highest priority. I always say that our bodies and our minds allow us to go to work, take care of our families, and pay our bills. They definitely deserve some pampering and love. And a great way to start doing so is with a self-care Saturday!
So… How Much Do I Have to Spend?
This is the best part: you choose. The activities in the following sections are organized by price (ranging from free to very fancy schmancy). Free as in “just going for a walk” to “I spent 5 hours at the local spa today”.
Dedicating some time for self-care is meant to replenish you, not deplete you (or your wallet).
What Are Some Self-Care Activities?
As mentioned before, the activities below are organized by alone-time or social time. Under those, there are two sections: free and paid. This way, you can choose what works best for you.
Also, you can make the activities as short or as long as you need. For instance, if you love taking care of plants as much as I do, you could simply dedicate 10 minutes to water your plants or go on a full gardening spree and spend 3 hours propagating new ones. It is up to you.
Self-Care Saturday – Solo Ideas
Free Self-Care – No Wallets Harmed
- No-phone time. I think this is the most important one out of this list. This can be hard to do, mainly because we do need our phones for emergencies. An idea is to just put your phone in “do not disturb” mode for 5-10 minutes while you do any of these activities!
- Meditate. There are many free resources online where you can find guided meditations, especially on Youtube. If it feels overwhelming, you can choose meditations that are a few minutes long to get started.
- Read a new book. Maybe you bought a book a long time ago but you never had the chance to read it. You could also exchange books with a friend or family member.
- Take care of your existing plants. That cactus on your shelf is begging for some care too. You can trim some of your plant’s dead parts, or clean up their leaves so they are shiny.
- Read a biography of someone that inspires you. Personally, this is one of my most inspiring self-care activities. It feels refreshing to learn about someone else’s achievements, hardships, and lessons they have learned throughout their lives.
- Listen to your favorite podcast. Most podcasts are free and cover all the topics imaginable. Select a podcast that makes you happy and relax (even though I know some of you feel relaxed listening to true crime podcasts. How?).
- Declutter. Decluttering an area that has been bothering you for a while can be so soothing. The trick is not to go overboard and try to declutter your entire house all at once. You can start small, like with your workspace or a vanity table.
- Workout. You can either workout by yourself or follow a video tutorial. There are many guided videos on social media or Youtube, and you can choose what makes you happy: you can find a yoga class, bodyweight routines, zumba classes, and more.
- Go for a walk. I swear the hardest part is getting dressed, especially if you live in colder weather. You can either go on a walk and enjoy the sounds or you can listen to your favorite podcast.
- Get dressed up. Even if you are staying home, take a hot shower, put on some fresh clothes, and do your skin/hair routine as if you were going out. You will feel ready to conquer the world!
Paid Self-Care
- Take yourself out for a meal. Eating out alone may seem weird at first, but it can feel really good to eat at your own pace and enjoy your meal without distractions. Treat yourself with your favorite food.
- Spa time at home. It doesn’t have to be crazy expensive. You can buy some bath salts and a face mask, prepare a bubble bath, play some relaxing music, light your favorite candle, and enjoy some hot tea (or some wine. No judgment here).
- Do something artsy. You can either use supplies you already have or buy new ones. If your creative juices are depleted, you can always look for a tutorial or use a photo for reference to inspire you. You can also purchase a coloring book!
- Get a new personal growth book or audiobook. There are so many books about self-development! Choose whatever topic interests you, such as improving sleep, productivity, compassion, leading others, etc.
Self-Care Saturday – Social Ideas
Free Activities
- Call someone you miss. Either through phone call or video-call, talking for a few minutes with someone you miss can recharge you for the day and week ahead. Remind them how important they are to you.
- Invite someone over. You can make some tea or coffee, and you can sit down with your guest(s) and have some relaxing and fun chit-chat time.
Paid Activities
- Coffee time. If inviting people over is not your thing, then go out to your nearest coffee shop and hang out with a friend.
- Go on a date. Either with a new fling or your life partner, going out to a new place and trying new food feels refreshing.
- Partner workout. This can be free or paid, you choose! You can either go for a jog, sign-up for a gym class, or stay at home and follow a video routine.
- Cook a new recipe. You can do this with friends, family, or your significant other. Select a recipe everyone would enjoy and try to include everyone in the cooking process. It makes eating the meal even more rewarding!
- Self-care weekend getaway. This is a more complicated option for busy people. However, if you do have the free time, you could plan a trip nearby (30-minute drive) and select only a few activities (hiking, going out to a museum, or trying a new restaurant).
Mix-and-Match Ideas
The entire goal of this post is to make self-care work for you. I know that you may have a very busy schedule, so choose whatever activities resonate with you the most, and you can mix-and-match as many as you want.
For example:
- If you only have a few minutes off during your morning, you can dedicate 5 minutes without your phone and listen to a 5-minute guided meditation.
- After you run your morning errands and come back home, you can take 5 minutes to water your plants and check for any dead parts you could remove.
- In the afternoon, you could do a 20-minute workout at home either by yourself or with someone else.
- And finally, right before bed at night, you could read 20 pages of a book.
If you want an easy-access list of things you can mix-and-match for self-care, you can save our printable self-care guide below.
Summary
Self-care is not a one-size-fit all. Most of us do not have the time during the week for an in-depth self-care session, which is why self-care Saturday is a great option! Select the activities that you will actually enjoy and you could realistically add to your Saturday routine.
Leave a comment of what self-care activities you could include in your Saturday routine!
More Posts I Think You’ll Enjoy
10 Self-Love Journal Prompts: The Only Ones You’ll Need