Modern life is busy, and many women ask a lot of themselves, trying to be a career woman, a mother, a good partner, a good friend, and to take care of themselves too. To balance all those demands, it’s important to find time for self-care. Self-care just means doing something only for you. It can be taking some time to relax in the bath with a book, taking a yoga class or booking a massage. However, these standard self-care acts can get dull. What if your self-care needs a shake-up, beyond caring for your health? 

1. Write permission slips. If you’re always busy, it can be hard to allow yourself to relax enough to do something ‘unproductive’. If this sounds like you, physically give yourself permission. Write a permission slip for your night off. Writing it down can help change your mindset so you can actually enjoy your self-care time and not just worry about the state of your inbox while you’re away from it. 
2. Care for plants. Plants, whether succulents indoors or plants in the garden, can be very satisfying to care for. Caring for something and watching it grow is very rewarding, plus dealing with plants forces you to get some air and some sunshine, as it’s good for your green friends. 
3. Try a free psychic reading. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, then a session with a psychic might be able to help you identify what’s blocking you and what path you should take instead. This approach isn’t for everyone but can be a good tool for finding some self-care inspiration. 
4. Use a rewards system. Treat yourself like a small child and bribe yourself to do the boring parts of self-care. Keeping your home clean is an important self-care task, but few people enjoy it. Tell yourself that if you get that load of laundry done or clean the bathroom, that you can do something fun, like watching an episode of that TV show you’re hooked on, or go out for a posh coffee. Buying new things for a room can help with this too. 
5. Redecorate. New surroundings can make you feel refreshed. Most of us can’t afford to jet off on holiday or buy a new house every time we feel a bit flat, unfortunately, but we can change up our surroundings. Give the house a new coat of paint, or make a small change like buying some new bedding or a new blanket for the sofa. If you’re on a budget, try a free way to change things, like trying your furniture in a new layout, or having a clearout of your wardrobe. 
6. Appreciate others. Doing something nice for somebody else can make you feel fantastic. Little notes are a lovely way to do this. Leave a note for anyone in your life to let them know you appreciate them. This could be leaving a cute note for your husband to find when he’s getting ready for work, or a note to thank your housemate for always making you a good cup of coffee in the morning. You could leave notes for friends or colleagues, or anyone you want to make feel noticed and appreciated. 
7. Watch ASMR videos. ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is a feeling of well-being combined with a tingling sensation in the scalp and the back of the back. People report ASMR being triggered by a specific gentle stimulus, like tapping noises, having their hair brushed, whispering voices or a scalp massage. There are hours of ASMR videos on YouTube, ranging from basic ‘book-tapping’ to complex roleplay style videos. Try a few and see if you get the tingle. 
8. Stay overnight at a nearby hotel. If you’re feeling a bit stuck, and in need of change, but you can’t afford a vacation, book a night at a nice hotel in your town. This gives you a change of scene and will encourage you to behave as you might if you were on vacation. When we’re on vacation, we’re more likely to indulge in self-care activities like giving ourselves time to enjoy a book, a nap, a long soak in the bath, or an extravagant order on room service. It can also encourage you to play tourist in your own town. If you’re away for the night, you could try something new in your neighborhood, like visiting a local art gallery or museum, taking yourself out for dinner, or something else that you would usually only do on vacation.