Your world and the world at-large are better off when you are at your best. When you’re joyful, well-rested, energetic, living in abundance, feeling in charge of your life, and functioning at your best, you bring the best version of yourself to every interaction and every task. You’re happy living your life and you welcome its challenges. You’re able to help others and contribute to the world at your full potential. This is why self-care is crucial. You must take care of yourself in order to live well and meaningfully.

Self-care is not selfish. It’s a fundamental need and activity, like breathing, eating, or sleeping. There’s no need to feel guilty about practicing self-care. It’s feeding your soul, analogous to feeding your body. Your body needs nutritious food every few hours in order to function at its best. When you’re hungry, the best thing you can do for your body and for others is to eat. If you ignore your hunger, and instead continue to work to meet a deadline, or run around to events and meetings, or run errands to live up to others’ expectations, you will become irritable. You won’t be mentally present. You’ll rush and do things haphazardly. You’ll make more mistakes than usual. You’ll forget important details. You’ll feel bitter and resentful and can’t wait to finish going through the motions so you can eat. Feeding your body is not selfish; it’s necessary. Self-care works the same way.

Consider at what’s at stake when you don’t practice self-care. You give, you keep going, draining your energy without replenishing it at the same rate. Inevitably, your body and soul will respond negatively whether or not you want them to.  You start to take energy from others and situations subconsciously, reflexively. Emotionally, you build up resentment, hurt, bitterness, irritability, and have a bad attitude that comes out in your thoughts and words. Mentally, you have a hard time maintaining focus, forget things, make mistakes, lose clarity. Physically, you’re low-energy, irritable, sleepy, fatigued. In short, you burn out. Then you stop caring because you can’t keep it up. Inevitably you quit. You leave the job, the project, the relationship. It just doesn’t work to go through life without practicing self-care.

That said, here are some simple, easy ways to show self-care. Make sure you do at least 2 everyday, especially if you’re going through a stressful time. This is not an exhaustive list. Some things work better for introverts, other things for extroverts. Do what makes you feel good.

1. Take deep, slow breaths. Throughout the day, notice your breath. When you do, focus on inhaling and exhaling deeply, all the way down to your tummy. Envision taking in the energy of the world when you breathe life into your body. On an exhale, imagine ridding your body of toxins and any emotional burden you may be carrying. Celebrate that you are alive.
2. Release tension in your body. Slow down or pause to notice tense spots in your body and relax those spots. We hold past trauma (our own and what’s inherited) and unexpressed emotions in our bodies. We subconsciously tense our muscles. Tension is commonly held in the muscles around your mouth, your jaw, your neck and shoulders, your back, your limbs. As you release and relax, thank your body for supporting you. It’s a miraculous machine that deserves to be free from the weight of tension. If you’re able to, do a quick stretch or move your body, which brings us to the next point.
3. Move your body. Physical movement gets your blood flowing and delivers more oxygen to your brain and muscles. Sustained movement during active exercise produces good-feeling chemicals. Stretch for 5 minutes. Take a walk during lunch, even a short one for 15 minutes makes a difference. Dance to your favorite song or music that resonates with you right now in your life.
4. Drink lots of water. Not pop, not coffee, not wine, not juice. Keep your body hydrated with water. It helps all your organs function optimally, including your brain. Treat it as a ritual to flush toxins out of your life. View it as energy moving through you. Moving water over stagnation.
5. Eat healthful foods that nourish your body. Start small. Substitute a bag of chips for an apple as a snack. Eat nuts instead of a candy bar.  Eat like your Vietnamese grandma did back home. She’d get a live, organic, free-range chicken from her yard or the local market. Some days it may be fish that’s still alive and moving. Other days it may be freshly butchered beef or pork, all chemical-free and locally raised. She’d pluck herbs and vegetables organically grown near her house or by a local market vendor. In other words, eat more unprocessed food like the ones grandma used in her home-cooked meals.
6. Listen to music that resonates with how you feel right now. Dance, sing along, invent your own lyrics. Express yourself and feel freer and lighter. Remind yourself that your feelings matter. They are worth acknowledging and expressing. Don’t judge, ignore or suppress them. Just feel them. Let them move through you. Don’t hold them in.
7. Fill your living and working space with fresh air, light, flowers, and things that give you energy. Add happiness to your immediate environment. Open the curtains and windows to let in light and air. Put your favorite fresh flowers in a vase. Display photos or images of your favorite people, places, or quotes. Wear your favorite clothing and/or accessory pieces, something that make you feel beautiful and confident. Bake cookies or make coffee or spray a scent – fill your space with a smell that brings you comfort and optimism.
8. Spend time outdoors. Spend at least five minutes outside every day. Soak up the sun and reward your body with vitamin D. Take a walk on a beach, around a lake, by a body of water. Tend to a garden. Walk in the grass or sand barefoot. Sit outside and people watch during lunch. Accept mother nature’s gift of flowing air and natural light.
9. Do something kind for others. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Small acts of kindness are magical. They make you feel better. They remind you that you’re part of something bigger, a wonderful network and ecosystem. Write a thank you note to a client, customer, colleague, friend, family member. Get in touch with your favorite person via a text, email, phone call. Hold the door open for the person behind you. Help someone pick up something they dropped. Donate to your favorite cause. Help someone who is more disadvantaged than you. The caveat here is to give only what you have, do not give something that you’re short of, otherwise it would drain you further, which leads to my next point.
10. Say no to something that drains you. Cancel that coffee meeting with an acquaintance that feels like an obligation weighing you down. Decline an invitation from that judgmental relative next weekend. Decline an opportunity that doesn’t excite you and will require more time than you can offer. Clear your calendar and take time off to rest if you’re tired, reclaiming even half-day for yourself makes a difference. If you feel the weight and guilt of procrastinating on a task, see my next point.
11. Automate or outsource tasks that you don’t like to do, don’t have time or energy to do. This is why dishwashers and laundry washer and dryers became household items. Pay someone to mow your lawn or watch your kids so you can get a break. If you feel overwhelmed at work, delegate out tasks if possible. Draft template email messages that you can insert instead of typing it out each time. Order food for delivery or take-out if cooking doesn’t excite you today – it’s not a waste of money if it buys you relief and joy.
12. Expose yourself to art that reminds you that you’re not alone in feeling and experiencing what you’re going through. So many humans around the world over history have been through the same thing and have made beautiful art out of it. Remember that despite everything, beauty is abundant in the world. Read a work of fiction. Watch a movie. Attend a play. Go to a museum.
13. Look up at the sky and feel how vast the universe is and how many possibilities are out there for you. Remember that your existence is a miracle in the grand scheme of the history of the universe. You are loved and supported in countless ways in order to be alive. Soak in the sunlight. Feel the gentle breeze on your skin. Gaze at the stars. Get in touch with the Universe’s higher power.
14. Reflect on how you’ve grown over the past year, the past 5 years, the past 20 years. Appreciate how far you’ve come, how many obstacles you’ve overcome, how you’ve healed from blunders and hurts. Learn from your mistakes. If you notice a pattern that you haven’t been able to break, make a point to get to the root of it. Awareness and appreciation of your journey empowers you to move forward with intention and self-love.
15. Practice mindfulness. Notice what’s going on inside of you throughout the day. Be present and self-aware of how you’re feeling, sensations in your body, your needs and wants, all without judgment or censor. There’s no “I’m supposed to” or “I should”, just self-love and acceptance.
16. Boost your energy level. Do it in your unique way. You know what you love. It could be take a shower. Dress up. Buy a new outfit you love. Listen to your favorite song or read your favorite book passage. Hang out with your favorite people.
17. Slow down. Don’t rush through one thing or move quickly from one thing to another. Take time for yourself. Stay in the shower for another 10 minutes if it relaxes you. Linger a little longer during lunch if you’re enjoying the break. Chew slowly and really taste the different flavors in your mouth. Take a timeout and do something you enjoy, like eat your favorite snack, listen to a good song on repeat that “gets” you.
18. Try at least one new way of relating every day that honors your innate value, power, intelligence, worthiness. For example, don’t apologize for sending an email or asking a question. Ask for what you want. Say how you really feel. Decline an offer that doesn’t serve you. Don’t yield or buy into someone’s attempt to use you.
19. Express your emotions. It’s important to let out, rather than hold in, your feelings. Write in your journal. Talk to a close, trusted friend who understands you. Write a poem. Play music. Let it out physically through exercise or dance. Express it in a form of art such as drawing, painting, pottery making, writing, music, theater, etc.  Our society deems only positive emotions are appropriate to express publicly. The truth is all emotions are valid. They’re not “good”/”positive” or “bad”/”negative”. How you feel is valid and needs to be released rather than bottled up inside. You can express your emotions privately if that’s what you need. Your journal, your songs, your workout can be just for you to know and see. Let yourself express the full spectrum of how you feel without judgment, censor, avoidance or denial.
20. Try something new in a small way. Research shows that doing something new makes you happy. It wakes your brain from familiar patterns, forming new neural pathways that could help you think differently, which in turn help you see a new perspective or think of a creative solution to your problem. It could be as simple as taking a new route to work. Go to a new restaurant for lunch. Wear new clothes, try a new color or style that you normally don’t wear. Read a book in a genre that you normally don’t. It could be something more committed like taking a community class on a new subject, learn a new language, take a trip to a part of the world you’ve never been, join a new club or go to an event that you usually wouldn’t.
21. Increase your daily casual interactions. Short, happy exchanges with other humans that nourish “weak relationships” in your network have been shown to boost your happiness and strengthen a sense of connection. Say hi or chat with your mailman. Wave to your neighbor. Hold the door open for a coworker behind you. Thank your bus driver. Make small talk with your cashier or bank teller. Strike up a conversation with a stranger. Feel connected to your immediate community.
22. Join a social club around a topic/cause you like. It could be a book club, a parent support group, a motorcycle club, a conversation circle to practice a foreign language. Pursue your passion, new or old, and in the process connect with like-minded people.
23. Care for a living being. Give love to something and it will love you back. Get a plant and care for it. Tend to your garden, or start one. If you’re up for a bigger commitment and bigger reward, adopt a pet. Visit or interact with your elders more regularly. Spend more time having fun with your kids. Nourishing a caring relationship will infuse love and connection in your life.
24. Spend time with your favorite person. A confidant who’s wise and supportive who helps you gain a better perspective. This is especially necessary when you’re going through a hard time or experiencing loss. Now, if your favorite person is currently the source of your pain (former lover of a recent breakup, or loved one who recently passed away), spend time with someone who can give you support. This could be a great friend, a mentor, or a paid therapist or coach. This is someone to whom can speak the truth without fear of keeping up appearances, who doesn’t judge or criticize you or expect anything of you.
25. Declutter your living space. Get rid of objects that don’t bring you joy, and especially ones that you dislike. Keep only things that bring you joy. This clears room in your house and your life for new possibilities. Decluttering your space also declutters your mind. The fresh cleanliness gives you more clarity and creativity. Marie Kondo made a career out of guiding people how to do this. For a short summary of her guidance on how to do this efficiently and effectively, see this article. This is especially good to do if you’re going through a hard transition, like a breakup or a death, to discard or donate objects to help you grieve and get closure.
26. Take steps to live out your lifelong dream. If you’ve always wanted to be a traveling food critic, book a flight to somewhere you want to go and eat your heart out. If you’ve always wanted to act on stage, take an acting class. If you’ve dreamed of being a comedian, take a stand-up comedy class or an improv class. If you want to write a book, devote a block of time each day to write.
27. Take a trip to reset. Get away from your daily routine. Ideally for at least 2 weeks, but a weekend break is beneficial as well. Expose yourself to a different world. Being in nature is regenerative, like visit a state or national park, go to a body of water, or hike a mountain. You can also immerse yourself in another culture. Explore a new country’s food, art, architecture, natural beauty, people, language, way of living. This allows your mind and soul to rest, reset, and come back with a new perspective. Bonus if you take the trip solo and listen to your thoughts without judgment. Have a conversation with yourself. You can go all out and take a multi-month sabbatical. It could be a meditation retreat. It could be a career break to find your next calling.

Self-care is an active verb. It takes intention. It’s something you do. Like food for your body, don’t wait until you’re starving to eat. Schedule time to practice self-care every day. Don’t treat it as an afterthought or an emergency response. Cheers to nourishing yourself and living at your best!