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Self-Care is the buzzword these days and the misconception of its intended purpose has put marketers in a frenzy! Don’t get me wrong, I love a bath bomb just as much as a Lush employee, but the reality is, self-care is about the tough stuff that doesn’t require much, if any money at all. To expand on this idea, we’ve compiled our top self-care musts.

Say “No”

It’s difficult. We don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings, it feels easier to cancel last minute, we would rather avoid than confront, and the list goes on. An inability to say no can lead to immeasurable consequences in the result of lost time, money, and stress.

We can all think back to occasions where we complained about a situation that could have been avoided had we just said “no”. Do you want to go to a wedding for a friend you haven’t spoken to in years? “No.” Do you want to have an overpriced brunch with friends when you’ve been rocking your low-carb diet and been saving tons of money by not going out? “No.” Do you want to take your Business Analytics mid-term? “No.” …. Okay… it doesn’t always work out perfectly, but the point is, there are so many things in this world that we don’t have control of and cannot say “no” to, that you might as well exercise your right to say “no” when you can. And remember, “no” is a complete sentence.

Drop the Habit

Self-care is supposed to be fun right? Well, in theory, but the reality is a bit more complicated. It is very likely you have one bad habit that creates a lingering discussion in your head over and over. Sometimes it’s the morning coffee run, or consistently missing your workout, or the all too frequent drinks with friends when you’ve been trying to reduce your eating out budget.

For me, it is my morning bagel and diet coke stop. I’ve been going to this same location since I was 16 and besides a few years away at college, it has been a very consistent stop for me. But the reality is, it isn’t on the way, it isn’t cheap, and it certainly isn’t nearly as healthy as the many other breakfast choices I can make at home (and actually love). Almost every day I briefly review the reasons in my head as to why I should have my two egg scramble and water instead of stopping. And every day, I ignore that review and stop anyway. I think giving in to this habit when I know I shouldn’t – or at least shouldn’t so consistently, causes a spiral of other choices that I give in to, just because I’m used to giving in. Giving in creates a habit of giving in.

In order to have any hope of breaking this habit, I chose to dissect what I really love about it. In the end, it wasn’t the bagel, but the quiet drive that let me decompress from the hectic mornings I have after dropping three kids (all under 6) off at school. Before scurrying off to work, the 15 minute extra drive listening to music instead of moans about lost mittens is absolutely needed and what I enjoy most of the entire experience. To combat this loss, I have started bringing earbuds to work and made a playlist that reminds me of everything I love most to listen to for the first few minutes of the day.

Whatever your bad habit is, it is likely you will need to understand why you do it and be honest with yourself if you really want to change it. If you aren’t ready to commit to banning such an action, challenging yourself to give it up for even a day can be really inspiring.

Take Care of Yourself

This is a lot to take in, but you know the drill. Actually drink water, bring a salad for lunch, create a budget and be mindful of those you choose to have around you. This isn’t the fun part of being an adult but there are a lot of ways to make it fun.

If there are things you should be adding into your life, like a workout, get a habit tracker and some stickers and get to it! If you hate bringing a lunch to work – why is that? Do you always make a sandwich with bread you hate? Go crazy and get the white bread you used to have as a kid and take the crust off! I personally hate the taste of water in a plastic container so I invested in a few metal water bottles and cups that make all the difference to me.

Regardless of how amazing, or not-so-amazing of a support system you have around you, your actions are your responsibility. If your finances are stressing you, sit down and create a budget, pushing it off will do you no good and figuring it out will have you giddy!