8 self care activities for men

Self care is prioritising activities that bring you happiness and benefit your life. When balancing work, school, or relationships it can be easy at times to forget about taking care of yourself, but allowing time where you and your happiness are your primary focus can be beneficial to both your physical and mental health.

How much time you have available to give to self care will depend on your daily routine, but even on the days when you may feel too busy to do anything, setting aside a half an hour can make a big difference.

It is important to remember that you are worth giving time and attention to and just as you prioritise the wellbeing of those you care about, you should also prioritise your own personal wellbeing. Taking time out each day for yourself isn’t a luxury it is an investment in your mental and physical health. Prioritising yourself and your mental health on your good days, will make it easier to keep up that routine if you experience bad ones.

8 self care activities for men

Exercising

Exercising can be a great way of practicing self care, as it is time during which you can focus on yourself and your body. When you exercise your body releases chemicals called endorphins, which can make you feel happier. Taking time out to exercise can also give you alone time to process your thoughts and emotions. Running, jogging, walking, swimming and cycling are all great ways to get active that you can do alone. If you have not exercised recently, or are starting for the first time you can find lots of ideas about the types of fitness that might be right for you here.

Spending time with friends and family

Spending time with people who make you feel good about yourself is also a form of self care. It is important to be able to recognise the people who genuinely care about you and your wellbeing and who show you kindness and love. Reach out to those who you enjoy spending time with and organise to spend some time with them doing the things you enjoy.

Practicing Yoga and Meditation

Practicing yoga and meditation are great ways to focus on yourself, your mind and your body. Both of these activities you can do by yourself and at home, which means that it can be easier for you to fit in at a time that suits you. A number of studies have shown that practicing meditation regularly can physically impact our brains, actually decreasing our fear centres. If you are unsure of where to begin you can find lots of videos on YouTube that can guide you through your first practice or meditation.

Cooking

Cooking can be a wonderful way to practice self care. Regardless of what you like to make, cooking can be a way to enjoy your time alone or with friends and family, while trying new recipes and creating new dishes. Our Recipe section of the site is full of recipe ideas to help give you inspiration for your next meal or bake, visit our recipe section to find out more.

Playing/ listening to music

Music can have the ability to lift our mood if we are feeling down, or it can be something that we can relate to if we listen to a type of music that mirrors our mood. Learning how to play music or practicing an instrument can be a great way to spend some time by yourself. Giving yourself a goal of learning how to play a certain song can challenge your mind and be an enjoyable way to spend time alone.

Reading

Reading can be a good way to practice self care as it is a way of slowing down and taking time away from interacting with other people. Reading can allow our minds to travel to different places and take our focus away from worries we might have or pressures in our daily lives. If you want to take some time out to read it can be a good idea to put your phone away for a while so that it isn’t a distraction to you.

Taking a bath/ shower

Taking a bath can be a great way to relax and practice self care. If you want you could choose to use this time as space where you can spend some time offline and disconnect from your social media, reading the news, or checking your email. Having an allocated time, such as in the bath, where you can actively separate yourself from your online activity can be a great way to relax, shut out the rest of the world, and focus solely on yourself for a change. If you do not have a bath, taking a long shower can also be an enjoyable way to get some space and take some time to focus on yourself.

Organising your space

Cleaning and organising your personal space can be a great way to practice self care as the task can give you time to clear your head while also creating a space that you can enjoy being in. Whether it be tidying your room, organising your desk, or cleaning your car, these simple tasks can give your mind time to process what is going on in your life, and focuses your energy on doing something positive for yourself.

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