Summer Self-Care for Busy People

Hey, sparkles! How is everyone? Welcome back to Sketch Scribble Scribe’s Summer Series! Try saying that 10 times fast. 😂 Today’s post is for busy people, lazy people, and tired people alike. As we end summer and enter a new school year, everyone has a different amount of time and energy. If you don’t have the time or energy to spend hours on an at-home spa day, there are still some ways to take care of yourself and unwind a little bit! I sorted them by how long they take. Let’s dive in!

1 hour

Take a bath with a bath bomb. This is a really nice way to relax and take care of your skin.
Take a nap. I know this might seem like a waste of time to some people or obvious to others, but it seriously is good for you to have a short break to restore energy every now and then. Still, too much rest can make you feel tired too.
Read a book. You can take your book all over and get little snippets in all day or you can set aside a time for yourself to fill your cup with inspiration every day.
Do a huge brain dump. Just get out a piece of paper and list out everything you have to do (and by when) as well as everything you want to do. And then make a plan to accomplish it. It might not seem like your typical method of self care, but your brain and body both will appreciate it if you work smarter, not harder. Having a plan that takes effort now will mean less work figuring out what to do when you have a million things to do later and it can save a ton of time!
Do a combination of shorter activities listed below between other things you need to get done.

20-30 min

Do a face mask. It feels good on your skin and it’s really relaxing! It’s a pretty common way to relax, but I’ve gotten stuff done while wearing one before and it was actually super relaxing even while I was productive.
Take a shower! It’s ok to take a nice hot one every now and then, but make sure you end it with cool water. Besides, your skin will be happier if it’s lukewarm.
Turn on relaxing music, turn down the lights, and casually tidy your room. This doesn’t have to take forever if you keep your room fairly clean, and it helps release your stress. You can make this mental by imagining objects you put away are goals and anxieties. Just put them away for later.
Read the Bible! It may seem like a long time or very little time, but when you eat a meal you don’t want to overstuff yourself or starve yourself. Setting a timer to read the Bible for an amount of time is super relaxing.
Listen to an interesting podcast! Learning new information is good for your brain, but don’t choose something heavy or your brain will be overwhelmed. Some of my favorites are She Reads Truth, History This Week, The Food That Built America, and Ted Talks Daily. If you like comedy, you might choose an informative comedy podcast like Teachers Off Duty, or a random podcast that’s somewhat rant-like, such as Daigle Bites. I will warn you, though: even podcasts that are normally clean occasionally have bad words because it’s casual conversation in a microphone and people use explicit language in every day speech these days, unfortunately.

15 min

Do yoga! This one’s pretty popular and also more active. However, a little simple yoga is a great way to exercise in a relaxing way.
Make tea and rest as you drink it. Unlike coffee (which I like, don’t get me wrong), tea can be both relaxing and energizing. Depending on what tea you choose, a warm cup of tea can do wonders. It’s an amazing way to give yourself a break. You could also make a fruity smoothie full of vitamins and minerals.
Play your instrument casually. Guitar and ukulele always relax me so much, and I love them! Hymns especially are great to play to relax.
Draw something simple. Allowing yourself to appreciate the simple lines of a flower and just look at things in black and white and gentle colors. Water color painting and coloring also don’t have to take a long time, but they’re very relaxing.
Journal about your day. Write what you want to do, what you have done, a word or quote that inspires you, the things that have gone right, what could have gone better, and your favorite thing from the day. I journal in the morning and evening and sometimes in the middle of the day.

5 min

Take a moment alone and listen to music. Just pausing to breathe and listen to some encouragement is great!
Wash your face. If you aren’t wearing makeup or don’t need your makeup any more, washing your face is soothing and very good for your skin.
Take a step outside and photograph the sky, flowers, birds, and anything beautiful or interesting.
Brush your teeth. I’m always amazed at how good it feels when my teeth are minty clean and how distracted I am when they aren’t. Surprisingly, this is a big tip that’s good for your health. Just don’t brush too hard too much. That isn’t good either.
Put on comfortable clothing that also isn’t too warm or hot. Being cold helps you work better. Being cold also helps you sleep better, interestingly enough.
Take a dance break! A dance break always helps me loosen up and it feels good. Speaking of which… I posted a dance playlist recently! Here’s the post (with links!).

I hope you enjoyed that post! What’s your favorite self-care activity? How long does it take? Let me know in the comments!