If you are anything like me, the pandemic has brought out the inner homebody that I didn’t know existed. Or maybe you have always been more comfortable in the comfort of your own home and you just prefer it that way. Some of you may have some barriers in your life that make that getting out a challenge. Whatever your reason for being at home, you don’t have to sacrifice your physical self care. There are many physical self care activities you can do at home to take good care of yourself.

Ideas for physical self care activities you can do at home

Physical self care activities go beyond just diet and exercise. Any way that you are attending to your physical health is considered physical self care. Ever thought of it that way? Basic hygiene, skin care, taking medications, going to the doctor, even sleeping. These are all elements of physical self care. So the first thing to do is to adjust your thinking. You probably already to do a lot to take care of your physical health without even thinking about it. That deserves some credit.

If you want to build or enhance your already existing physical self care, here are some ideas for some physical self care activities you can do at home.

Online Fitness Videos

The best thing about online workouts is that you can choose the one that works the best for you. It’s nice to find something that fits your specific physical needs and works at your own pace. Plus you can press pause if needed. Game changer! It may take some time and research to find exactly what you want, but more than likely, its out there.

Virtual Groups For Specific Physical Needs

A lot of my clients with specific health concerns have found a lot of value in connecting with others who are similar to them. It may be difficult to find people in your community who are experiencing some of the same symptoms and issues. But when your community is the world wide web, the pool opens up quite a bit. This may not be a fit for everyone and you certainly must lean on your own intuition and discretion, but for many people it has been a very helpful and validating physical self care activity. You are able to connect with others, sharing their challenges, needs, journey, and success.

Going For A Walk

It sounds simple, I know. But when we are spending a lot of time at home, cabin fever can start to set in. Its important for our mental health to change things up from time to time. The act of simply getting outside and taking a short walk can reboot your brain and trick you into thinking that you have been away for a while. One of my favorite counseling stories comes from a man who was feeling burnt out during the whole work from home thing. He decided that every morning he would leave his house from the front door, take a short walk around the block, and enter his house from the back door. This worked wonders for his mental health and he started to feel better about his physical self care as well.

Gardening is a great physical self care activity

I added this one because I totally bought in to the whole gardening thing this year, and guess what? Turns out it really is therapeutic! It’s funny how many things I know are good for our mental health but it doesn’t really set in until I try it. Evidence based research + genuine successful experience always equals a win. What Ive found most interesting is that you can literally start a garden anywhere. Whether you have a big piece of land or a small apartment patio, there are so many awesome ideas for gardening out there. And the physical self care benefits of this activity are plenty. Not only are you getting outside of the house with a little healthy exposure to the sun, you are also growing nutritious food that will energize you to intuititively incorporate more healthy elements into your daily meals.

Putting It All Together

Whatever physical self care activities you choose to do from home, just know that it counts. And it matters. Don’t let the pressure of having to go somewhere, take some class, or commit to some gym get in the way of doing small things around your home. Remember, any and everything you do to nurture your physical health is self care, no matter the setting or location.

a few of my favorite things…