The good news is you can practice self-care, learn how to rest, and feel good about it without feeling guilty.

Here are 7 forms of self-care you don’t have to feel guilty about

1. Have a moment of mindfulness

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This is about staying in the present. Being aware of your thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surroundings moment by moment.

This also means taking time out of your day for yourself to meditate. I recommend starting with 10 minutes. You can meditate in silence or do a body scan.

This doesn’t mean you’re doing nothing. You’re doing something for your mind by giving it rest.

2. Read a good book

Recreational reading is one of the most restful activities. If you have a hard time getting motivated to read, join a book club to help keep you on track. You can read anything. Just make time for it.

If you’re in a relationship, read a book with your partner. This will give you a lot to talk about. Or, you could read Audre Lorde and learn more about the origin of the radical self-care movement.

3. Listen to music

This is one of my favourite restful activities. In the middle of the day, I will stop and listen to some of my favourite songs. Sometimes, I sing along.

This is especially helpful when I am feeling overwhelmed and as though I can’t make it through the rest of the day. You can also listen to music in the morning or when you get home.

Instead of listening to the news in your car, turn on a song. You will feel better and more rested according to a meta-analysis published in Health Psychology Review.

4. Spend time in nature

Spend time connecting with the outdoors. Go for a hike on a nearby trail, spend time in the ocean, or go for a walk in the park. If you can’t do those things, spend time in your backyard. If you don’t have one, buy a plant for your house.

A systematic review of mental health benefits of nature-based recreation in Annals of Leisure Research helps demonstrate how connecting with nature is important for your mind. You need the sunshine and fresh air, as well.

Touch the sand or the trees. Don’t worry, you won’t get dirty. This will help you connect with nature.

5. Do nothing and spend time being alone

When was the last time you looked at your calendar and had nothing scheduled? This fast-paced world can be demanding. You may feel guilty if you aren’t doing something. If you believe that, your mind is telling you a lie.

You’re not a machine, and you’re not meant to go all the time. Go easy on yourself and put the brakes on. By doing this, you’re conditioning your brain to rest.

6. Spend time daydreaming

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Even if the dream may seem too high to reach, still spend time dreaming about it, as supported by a meta-analysis of daydreaming styles and their implications for well-being in the Journal Of Consciousness and Cognition. Come up with all the reasons why you can do it rather than why you can’t.

See what you come up with. The results may amaze you.

7. Light a candle

Even if you’re doing something, you can still light a candle. This will help create a relaxing environment. You will feel your mind and body relax.

Sometimes, when I’m writing in my journal, I light a candle. This always helps me relax. This is also a time when I turn off my cell phone. This is a great way to unplug.

You might be thinking this isn’t possible. If that is the case, then take a look at your mindset. When did rest stop being a priority in your life? Are you letting others define how you spend your time? Meaning your partner, co-workers, or supervisor?

A study in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology explores how it is important to rest, but it’s important to engage in restful activities. Sure, you may have the eight hours of sleep down.

What types of restful activities are you engaging in? You will know if they’re restful by how you feel.

Do you feel stressed out most of the time, or do you feel rested? Do you rely on caffeine and sugar to get through the day? If you answered yes, then it’s time to make some changes. Your mind and body will thank you. Your friends and family will also thank you.

When you’re stressed out, you’re more irritable. You’re also more prone to disease. Stress is a killer in America. You don’t have to end up being a statistic.

This is your life and you have a say in it, so make sure you learn how to stop feeling guilty for taking some time for yourself. Making time for rest and self-care needs to be a priority in your life. Start with one of these activities today.

How could someone make such drastic changes? What was the difference between them and you?

The people behind these success stories had experienced their line in the sand moment.

It is in that moment when they woke up and realised they had let their life pass them by. The moment they realised that they were going to die if they did not make a change.

For years I wondered how someone could find it in themselves to make such monumental changes in their lifestyle.

How people become a 5:00 AM riser and drink green juice every morning; It didn’t seem possible to do this until it happened to me.

At the age of 21, my blood pressure was high and I was pre-diabetic. I was miserable and I couldn’t figure out how things had gotten this bad. My parents had pretty good genes and I thought I worked out enough.

Many prescribed medications are for a good reason and people shouldn’t be ashamed of taking medicine. The doctors ended up prescribing me some medicines for a condition I knew I could avoid completely.

I was angry. How could this be happening to me? Why me?

I decided to look back at my daily actions which enabled me to have my line in the sand moment.

Every morning as I would get ready for the day, I would scroll through Instagram for about 45 minutes giving me just enough time to throw on my sweats from yesterday and get to class.

I sat in the back of the class and ate cold pizza wrapped in tin foil and drank a large coffee with enough sugar to make a whole cake. I went on with my day, not exercising, and drinking two more coffees.

As I observed my day, I realised what I had thought was the standard 2,000 calorie days filled with nutrients were actually 3,500 calorie days with very little to no nutritional value.

I’d work out maybe once a week and I did not push myself enough to be soaked in sweat. I drank about four glasses of water a day, which was canceled out by the fact that I had 3 coffees on top of cookies and chips.

While looking at myself in the mirror, I wondered how I had been so oblivious.

I wanted to live a long healthy life and I wanted to live past 50 and do a lot of things in life. I did not plan on being sick my whole life and I definitely did not envision myself being one of those yogis either.

It was my mission to find some sort of balance between the two.

As usual, my mind went straight to finding the next fad diet. How could I lose weight fast and be healthy?

I found myself frustrated and confused for a long time until I finally decided to look inward. What was stopping me from being this healthy person? Why couldn’t I break out of this cycle of diet and binge? What was stopping me from feeling good about myself?

I had no sense of progression or discipline. If I did not see results overnight I wanted to quit.

Giving up crossed my mind a lot. If that one killer workout did not give me abs, I would get upset. I obsessed over deadlifting Instagram models, but my lack of self-discipline prevented me from doing the same.

After years of unnecessary medication and poor health management, I finally received a desperately needed wake-up call.

I started looking for small ways to take my health back. Could I drink just two coffees a day and only put two spoons of sugar in each one? Did I really need a giant sugar cookie with every cup of coffee?

With each action, I suddenly questioned every automatic choice I made.

One day I found myself working out at 5:00 AM every day for three months straight. I could not believe how I had gotten to this point.

The girl who binge ate and couldn’t go four hours without sugar finally transformed into the girl who woke up at 5:00 in the morning to hit the gym.

I looked back and realised I had rid myself of all my prescriptions, lost 60 pounds and had more energy. I was starting to feel proud of myself.

For the first time in a long time, I actually cared about myself.

It took that one scare to get me to care about my health. I think about how each of my actions has affected my health ever since. Also, I learned to balance how to be able to let go and have fun every once in a while.

That wake-up call really saved my life and I am so glad I took it with full-stride.

Making drastic changes do not necessarily mean they are made overnight. What may seem like a big change could have been gradual changes over a year.

I did not quit coffee cold turkey. It took me 6 months to be able to wean myself off from that addiction. While I have been a morning person for a long time, I did not magically start enjoying 5:00 AM workout sessions.

It is possible for even the laziest person to change their life. All it takes is that wake-up call and a little effort!