30 Day Self-Care Challenge (+ Printable PDF)
Join me in this 30-day self-care challenge so you and I can commit to looking after ourselves all month long.
Here’s the thing with self-care. It’s a lot more than just bubble baths and massages – don’t get me wrong, those are great too.
However, to truly practice self-care, it’s important to look after all aspects of your life.
Therefore, this self-care challenge will include a variety of types of self-care to look after your mental health, physical and social wellbeing, as well as intellectual and spiritual self-care.
To Get Started: Download The Printable Self-Care Challenge
Before we get started, don’t forget to download the accompanying free printable for this self-care challenge so you can get started right away.
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30-Day Self-Care Challenge Ideas
Day 1. Practice Gratitude with Simple Pleasures
One of the best ways to practice self-care is by experiencing gratitude. Why? Because gratitude fills you up and helps you appreciate what you have around you.
On this day you will write a list of the simple pleasures and positive things in your life. This list of things is everything you can think of that you truly appreciate. It can be big or little things like this post I wrote about simple pleasures using your 5 senses.
Day 2. Get Fresh Air on Your Lunch break Today
Whether you work from home or go to work, today is all about getting outside at lunchtime. Just breathing in the fresh air and allowing yourself to be in the moment is so good for you.
You can go for a walk or simply sit outside and take in whatever is around you.
Day 3. Track Your Mood
By tracking your mood today, you’ll be able to be mindful of your daily mood to help you do more of what you love while limiting activities that lower your mood.
To get started: Download this free printable mood tracker
Day 4. Relax and Drink a Cup of Tea
Taking time out of your day to sit still and enjoy a perfectly brewed cup of tea can be quite special. Do this with no distractions and taste every sip.
Of course, you can also have a cup of coffee, for you coffee lovers out there.
The key here is to make it a relaxing ritual that you can enjoy.
Day 5. Call A Good Friend
Social self-care is just as important as other types of self-care, so pick up the phone and call a good friend. Try calling someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and have a good catch-up with them.
Day 6. Do A Hobby You Love
Today will will allocate at least 30 minutes to a hobby or activity you love doing. It might be crocheting, journaling, gardening or a number of other enjoyable hobbies.
If you do not currently have a hobby or want to try a new hobby, make sure to check out this big list of hobbies you could try.
Day 7. Go For A Long Walk
You can do this on your own or with a friend. You can also listen to your favorite podcast, listen to an audio book or try this gratitude walk where you’ll take in your surroundings.
Day 8. Write A Love Letter To Yourself
The point of this letter is to share al of the things you love about yourself. You can write this in a journal, or even use post-it-notes to write little love notes to yourself.
Not only will you feel good after writing this letter, but you can keep your love letter to read when you need to boost your mood.
Day 9. Visit a Family Member or Good Friend
With the busy lives we have it can sometimes feel challenging to make time for family and friends. But guess what – your visit with (old friend, your mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, etc) is not only good for them but good for you too.
Day 10. Write Some Affirmations
Affirmations are a great way to support you when you need it most. You can use them to boost confidence, provide motivation, and support your emotional well-being.
Here are some affirmation articles to give you an idea of what you can write…
Day 11. Meditate
On this day take some time for meditation. To get you started I have a fantastic 10-minute body scan meditation you can try below.
You can also try an app like Headspace or Calm.
Day 12. 30 Minutes of Exercise
If you don’t exercise much this is a perfect way to focus on your physical health today.
For those of you who do exercise regularly, try a new physical activity today.
Some ideas:
- Work out to a YouTube video. I like Grow with Jo
- Go for a run
- Lift weights
- Pilates
- Ride a bike
- Skip
- Dance in your kitchen
- Hula hoop
- Take a spin class
Related: 25 Physical Self-Care Activities to Boost Your Health
Day 13. Learn A New Skill
If you’re anything like me you love learning new things and you might already have an idea of a new skill (or multiple new skills) you’d like to learn.
However, if you are unsure of what skill to learn ask yourself these questions…
- What would be fun for me?
- What would make my life easier?
- What am I interested in?
- What have I always wanted to be able to do?
New skills can be anything from breadmaking, blogging, photography, sewing, graphic design, playing an instrument and so much more.
Once you have an idea of the new skill you’d like to learn, do some research on how you can get started.
Here are some resources to get you started:
- Try Skillshare. You can get 1 month free with my link
- Look at your local community programs
- Check out local community colleges
- Find a related YouTube video/tutorial (I leave learned so many things this way!)
Day 14. Make A New Recipe (or Your Favorite)
Use today to cook a new recipe or one of your favorites. If you don’t have a lot of time, the recipe can be something as simple as a new smoothie or golden milk tea. And if you do have time make some dinner.
Enjoy the process and make it as simple or complex as you want.
Day 15. Drink Enough Water Today
Today is all about hydration. Grab a big water bottle or jug and keep it by you all day. If you want to spruce things up add some sliced cucumber or lemon/lime to the water.
Typically health experts recommend 2 liters or 8 eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day, but of course, this depends on what you are doing and what the temperature is.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the exact quantity you’re drinking today, but just make sure to grab water instead of other drinks and see how it goes.
Day 16. Have The Perfect Bedtime Routine
What does this look like?
Here’s an example of a routine you could follow.
- Do some light stretching
- Have a warm bath or shower
- Light a candle or diffuse some essential oils (lavender is great for bedtime with its calming scent)
- Do some gratitude journaling
- Read a chapter from a book
- Fall asleep
Tips:
- Ditch electronics one hour before bed. The blue light from tech can disrupt your circadian rhythm, preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep
- Avoid late-night eating or if you are peckish just have a light snack like a piece of fruit
- Aim to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep
Day 17. Unplug from Social Media Today
Unless you need social media for work, you can easily cut out social media for one full day.
This will give you time to do other more important things and you won’t find yourself excessively scrolling through content that doesn’t matter.
Day 18. Get Something Small Off Your To-Do List
You know those little things that build up on our to-do lists that begin to weigh heavily on our minds? Pick one and take it off your list.
This might be doing your taxes, making a vet appointment, or sending out a resume.
Whatever it is either complete it – or if it’s a larger to-do, take the first step towards completing it.
Day 19. Meal Prep Day
As much as meal prep might not seem exciting in the moment, it sure does help you out all week long. Meal prep means you’ll have nutritious food you can turn to instead of grabbing unhealthy food or getting takeout because you have nothing to eat.
I like to meal prep the following:
- Wash and cut veggies so they are ready for snacks with hummus
- Make a one-pot meal like soup or stew that will last for leftovers during the week
- Cook your protein, grains and potatoes in advance so you can make easy bowls and salads
- Make a freezer meal or two that you can eat on a day when cooking seems impossible
Day 20. Unfollow Social Media Accounts That Don’t Bring You Joy
There is no need to have content in your feed that makes you sad or feel insecure/not good enough. Even more so, if the content doesn’t bring you joy, unfollow – especially if you don’t know the person.
Day 21. Stretch First Thing In The Morning
You can start this while in bed and then move it to the floor once you wake up more. Aim to stretch all areas of your body.
Day 22. Declutter A Drawer or Cupboard
Many of us need to declutter a lot more than one small space like a drawer or cupboard, but this can still feel really good. It also shows you that when you conquer one small space at a time it’s more achievable and less overwhelming.
Only keep what you use or love and donate or discard of the rest. You will feel like a weight has lifted when you finish!
Day 23. Go on a Date with Yourself
I am a big fan of the solo date. Choose something you love doing and go do it today. Here are a few ideas:
- Visit an art gallery
- Have a coffee and read your book at your local cafe
- Take a cooking class
- Go for a long walk and buy yourself flowers
For more ideas check out: The Art of Dating Yourself + 40 Self Date Ideas
Day 24. Eat Healthy All Day
Unhealthy food is not welcome today. Instead, eat the rainbow today.
This means…
- Eat as many different colored fruits and veggies as you can.
- Drink lots of water
- Eat whole grains and stay away from all processed food
Day 25. Journal
Start today with journaling. Here are a few journal methods you can try…
Worry Journaling
Grab a blank notebook and write down what’s worrying you.
For example, if I’m feeling stressed or worried about something I like to write all of my feelings on paper, along with why I might feel stressed. Then on the next page I write down people or things I’m grateful for. I find this really helps me move past my worry and it’s a great way to start the day.
Self Love Journal
Use these journal prompts or try out my self-love journal available on Amazon to get started.
The goal of these journal prompts is to build confidence, create a positive mindset and give yourself permission to grow in meaningful ways.
Sample journal prompts:
- Write about a time you were really proud of yourself
- List 5 qualities that make you unique
- I’m worthy of happiness because…
Day 26. Practice Saying No
If you are a people pleasure it can be next to impossible to say no. However, you must remember that when you say no to something you’re giving yourself permission to say yes to something else.
So today if someone approaches you with something you can’t manage or don’t want to do try saying no. You will feel uncomfortable at first, but doing this over time will feel more natural and you’ll begin to be extremely grateful for what this gives back to you.
Day 27. Read or Listen to a Podcast
If you don’t typically create time to read or listen to a podcast/audiobook today is the day.
Allocate at least 30 minutes to do this.
This can be done on your lunch break, instead of scrolling on social media, before bed or first thing in the morning.
Day 29. Listen to Some Feel-Good Music
Listen to your favorite playlist, an old album, or create your own playlist today. Try listening to as much feel-good music as you can all day long.
This is a simple thing that doesn’t require a lot of effort, and it will make you feel energized and happy.
Day 30. Write A List Of Things You Are Good At
Today, write down absolutely everything you are good at. This activity is a nice confidence booster and a great reminder of just how awesome you are.
To get started, think about all areas of your life… family, finances, career, health, personal growth, personalit,y and relationships.
✨ Don’t Forget To Download the Self-Care Challenge Worksheet!
Self-Care Challenge Reflection
Once you’ve reached the end of the challenge, take some time for reflection.
- What did you learn about yourself during the past 30 days?
- Did you find the challenge difficult or easy? If difficult, what can you do to create more time for self-care?
- Did this challenge change the way you feel on a daily basis?
- Think about your ideal self-care routine that could work in your daily life
- Decide on the healthy habits you’d like to add to your daily routine moving forward
How To Create Time for Self-Care
You might be thinking – I would love to do this, but how on earth do I make time for this with my busy schedule?
Don’t worry. I have some helpful tips so you can create time for this much-needed self-care.
- Wake up 30 minutes earlier to do something for yourself (i.e. this challenge)
- Book space in your calendar every day to allocate time for self-care
- Cut out social media this month and you’ll find you have loads of free time!
- Let your loved ones know how important this is to you and ask for help this month. Do this by allocating some of your daily tasks to another family member.
30-Day Self-Care Challenge: Final Thoughts
I hope you feel inspired and ready to take this 30-day challenge to look after yourself more!
Remember, we all need time for self-care. Self-care is absolutely not selfish – it’s essential to look after our energy levels, overall health – both mental and physical.
It might feel challenging at first, but note that many of these things don’t take a lot of time – but they do add a lot of value to your life.
Here’s to taking good care of you this month!
More 30-Day Challenges You Can Try:
- 70 Fun 30-Day Challenges To Improve Your Life
- 30-Days of Gratitude Challenge + Free Printable
- 30-Day Self-Love Challenge: The Ultimate Love Yourself List
Self-Care Resources You’ll Love:
- 50 Thoughtful Self-Care Package Ideas
- 100 Relaxing Activities To Destress
- 15 Printable Self-Care Worksheets (for adults & kids)
- 40 Self-Care Questions to Check In With Yourself
About Yolanda
Website Owner / Content Creator
I’m passionate about helping you live life to the fullest so you can choose to find happiness and purpose. Learn how to CREATE THE LIFE YOU LOVE with intentional living and discovery of the simple things life has to offer. Learn more!
I’m into gratitude journaling, decluttering, and spending time outdoors. 🙂 I’m also trying inner healing treatments, such as Reiki. Lately, I find it more relaxing to spend time alone, rather than going out and meeting people.
This is such a great list! I love the idea of breaking it down day by day for the month. It makes goals much more achievable that way!
Thanks so much Andrea! I hope you get to add a little more self-care to your life this month 🙂