While I enjoy discovering the latest fancy supplement to add to my lattes or trying a luxe face mask as much as the next wellness enthusiast, I’ve learned in all of my years of being a wellness writer that many of the best forms of self-care and self-healing cost nothing (or next to nothing). One of my core beliefs is that wellness should be for everyone—not just those who can afford exclusive fitness clubs or exotic ingredients, as exciting and fun as those things may be.
Further, as a mother, I’ve realized that the self-care activities you can do in a short amount of time, with little-to-no set-up or travel are the best. 99% of the time, those types of activities are the only kind I have access to. Lastly, I’ve learned that I have to take moments for self-care when I can get them—with my current schedule and responsibilities, I don’t always get to decide when I get “me time.” When a moment presents itself, I try to take it and pull from my arsenal of simple, no-fuss self-love activities and rituals.
If you’re looking for inspiration to that end, we’ve got just the thing! We’ve rounded up some of the ways our favorite celeb girl crushes choose to spend their spare time to recharge and reset. The big take away is that their go-to rituals are of the sort I discussed above: free, doable, intuitive, and effective. Let’s take a look!
Celebs’ Go-To Free & Easy Self-Care Rituals
Staying close to your loved ones can be more powerful than the best bath.
Tracee Ellis Ross explains, “along with meditation, baths, eating beautiful things that make me happy, being silent, and being with friends and family. Self-care is one of the active ways that I love myself. When you can and as you can, in ways that feel loving, make time and space for yourself.”
And for Lana del Rey, girlfriends are where it’s at! The singer says her main form of self-care is hanging out with her buddies. “I could sum it up in one word: girlfriends. I see my friends every day; I’m in coffee shops for hours talking to them. It’s just pretty simple—not isolating and planning little things. For me, because I’m a really sensitive person, surrounding myself with a gentle personality type—which is the rarer type—that’s my biggest form of self-care. And the rest kind of falls into place.” When was the last time you texted your BFF?
Sometimes it’s all about relaxing while you food prep!
Ballerina Misty Copeland says she loves to chop onions: “It’s a way to be creative and experimental without being extremely physical, which is what I’m used to. And it’s mentally relaxing. There’s nothing like zoning out and chopping onions.” You don’t have to take this one literally; is there a menial task that you find soothing? Folding laundry, weeding the garden? Allow yourself to get into the flow of the activity as a way to reset.
Remember to breathe.
It can be helpful to observe when your breath becomes too shallow. Gisele Bündchen shared, “After adding everyone’s schedule on the calendar, I make sure that every day I have some sacred time for myself, so I can recharge. I noticed every time I felt overwhelmed I would hold my breath. I had to learn to stop, relax and take long deep breaths and within seconds I would feel more clear and ready to deal with the situation in a more loving way. Meditation also has been a wonderful tool. I notice that when I don’t take the time to do it, I am not as centered, patient or clear.”
Serena Williams has also found breath work and meditation to be incredibly helpful—and it doesn’t take much time out of her day: “I just downloaded this meditation app. I was trying it because I felt like I needed to clear my mind. The guy talks to you for a second, then you just sit, clear your mind and think. I start it [and meditate for], like, three to five minutes, depending. I try to meditate more, because it helps me be better for my daughter and my family, and I think that’s really important.” (And yes, it’s totally okay to bring a little technology into the mix if you need a guided meditation!)
When necessary (and it often is!), be your own caretaker.
Writer Anne Lamott puts it beautifully: “I do for myself exactly what I would do for you—make a lovely cup of tea, or a hot bath, or go buy myself a fabulous pair of socks. I believe that you take the action, and THEN the insight follows—I do loving things for me, stroke my own shoulder, put myself down for a short nap, and the insight follows: that I am a wild precious woman, a human merely being, as e.e. Cummings put it, deserving of respect, tenderness, protection, delight, and solidarity.”
What are your favorite, easy forms of self-care?
Related: Ready For A Breakthrough? Let These Delightful Self-Care Workbooks Show You The Way
For The Wellness Goddess On A Budget, 5 Tips For Self-Care That Saves Major $$$
Going Through Major Transitions? Ground & Balance Yourself With These Self-Care Rituals
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Photo: Tracee Ellis Ross, Lana del Rey, Misty Copeland, Gisele Bündchen via Instagram
