Self-care is a word you see all over the place these days. And while yes, self-care can sometimes look like a bubble bath, self-care is so much more than a romanticized idea of “me time” or buying yourself something nice. Self-care is a practice that enhances both your physical and mental health. BUT HOW? By taking the steps to prioritize and understand how to care for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Need some ideas? Here are 14 self-care ideas you can play with and utilize any of the week.

1. Donate clothing that doesn’t fit you anymore

How long have those too small pants been sitting folded up in your drawer or hanging in your closet? Donate ‘em! Not only does holding onto clothing you aspire to fit into again harm your mental and emotional health, but it’s hogging up precious brain space you can devote to something that will actually bring you joy! Whether you sell your clothing on Poshmark, host a clothing swap with friends, donate them, or just put them out as street treasure, thank them for service and let them go. You deserve clothing that fits you. Let go of clothing that doesn’t fit you anymore. (The clothing is the problem, not you.)

2. Have an impromptu dance party - anywhere!

Not in the mood to move? Feeling tired? Need a boost? DANCE. DANCE ANYWHERE. Strolling through Target and hear ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ on the sound system? DANCE. Standing on a street corner and hear your favorite song? Tap those toes and dance it out! Standing in your living room or making dinner in the kitchen? Put on your favorite fun song and just dance it out for a few minutes! Release those feel-good hormones and close a stress cycle. DANCE!

3. Say no to something you don’t want to do

We loved Shonda Rhymes’ powerful book, ‘Year Of Yes’ but Gang, so no to the things you don’t want to do. That person who never shows up for you asking you to volunteer time you don’t have? Say no. A family member asking you to overextend yourself? Say no! Does going home for the holidays stress you out so much that you can’t enjoy yourself? Say no. Say no and find a different way to be with the people you love in a different way.

4. Try a face mask tonight

And don’t just try a face mask, turn on a 5-minute guided meditation and breath. (Don’t have a facemask? Sitting in your Cerave Cream Cleanser does the trick! You don’t need anything fancy.

5. Sleep in

If you’re on the BALG training team, you know how adamant I am about not pressing snooze. Not because I think everyone should be a morning person but I want everyone to value their time. Think about it, the second your alarm goes off, you are snapped out of deep, restorative sleep and you aren’t going back there. So if you take the next 30 minutes to sleep, you just robbed yourself of 30-minutes of deep sleep. SO, stop setting aspirational alarm clocks. SLEEP IN if you need sleep. Throw the guilt away. Your body needs sleep. TAKE IT. And whenever you can turn off your alarm clocks and wake-up when your body naturally wakes you up.

6. Take an extra rest day

Don’t feel bad. Just enjoy the extra rest! LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Or, if something fun comes up, go enjoy yourself. You are a human first. Enjoy time with your people. Taking time to invest in your relationships is self-care.

7. Call someone you care about to say hello

Family, friends — it’s always nice to call or Facetime instead of just texting.

8. Try meditating every day for a week

I dare you to spend 7-days meditating for 5-minutes a day. Apps like Headspace, Calm, and even YouTube all have great affordable (and often free) meditations. A mindfulness practice will truly enhance your life.

9. Make plans with a friend to grab coffee/tea and go for a walk

If you’re having trouble getting up to work out in the morning or having trouble finding the time to see your people make plans with a friend to go for a walk. Not only are you getting meaningful movement, but connection as well. TWO WINS.

10. Carve out time to read that book that has been sitting on your bedside table

A GREAT self-care practice is reading. An even better self-care practice is replacing the 30-minutes you normally spend on your phone or watching TV in bed with a book. Whether it’s first thing in the morning as you drink your coffee, 15-minutes at lunch, or as you unwind, reading is a great form of self-care.

11. List 3 things you’re grateful for

On your phone, on a piece of paper, just write ‘em down.

12. Make a list of 10 things you want to do before the year ends

What do you want to do before 2022 comes rollin’ around? Grab a piece of paper and write down 10 things you want to do. HELL even 3! Get purposeful with your time! You owe it to yourself to dream big and then see what you can make happen.

13. Go on a spur of the moment adventure

Whatever adventure means to you — exploring a new part of your town, visiting a restaurant you’ve been meaning to, doing a little hike… go do it!

14. Plan a girls night out

Spending time with friends often requires a lot of planning and work. But it’s worth it. Plan that GNO. Go eat a meal with your friends that aren’t just satisfying as all hell, but nourishing as well. Go dancing. Sit together and laugh. Just be together. Relationships are important.

ONE MORE because this is the Badass Lady Gang and we don’t care for rules. Look at your to-do list or just examine what you have going on and ask for help. Because asking for help is so damn hard but sometimes it’s exactly what we all need.

So there you go, gang! Self-care isn’t always bubble baths and face masks. It can be, but there’s so much you can do to take care of yourself body, mind and spirit.

Kick ass and take names,