Letter #48: Self Care in the New Year

Some habits and general niceties

Dear reader,

With it being so cold right now where I live, I feel like my body is constantly wanting to go into hibernation mode (just eat and sleep and nothing else), so it feels like some time for self care when I can do so. Below I have a list of some general niceties that help me boost my mood in a relatively low cost or free way (from my own experience).

I have found that the following self-care rituals have helped me in times of stress and low energy. Some are good on a daily basis, while some are just on an occasional basis. Take what you like and leave what you don’t!

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1. Listen to music.

Finding music and playlists online, like on YouTube is a good way to do this for free. I also use Spotify (which does have a free option with pretty annoying ads or paid subscription options). I know people who use sites like Bandcamp and Soundcloud as alternate options, though I can’t speak to those myself.

I’m also a fan of having physical media, so if you’re looking for physical albums, you can sometimes find CDs and vinyls at:

• The thrift store

• In the bargain bins at department stores

• At yard sales, flea markets, or estate sales

In recent times, I tend to listen online to:

• Jazz or swing music, usually from the 1920s-1940s

• Instrumental soundtracks

• Instrumental lo-fi

• Some 1990s rap

2. Make a hot drink like coffee, tea, or hot cocoa.

I. Here’s my recipe for hot cocoa from scratch:

• 2 TBS sugar

• 1 TBS cocoa powder

• pinch of salt

• enough milk to fill a mug (about 8 oz.)

• splash of vanilla extract (optional, if you have it!)

1. Combine sugar, cocoa powder, and salt in a mug.

2. Option A: Add enough milk to fill mug and microwave until hot, about 1-2 minutes. Stir to combine and break up any clumps of coca powder. Option B: Heat your milk separately over the stove and add to the mug directly. Stir to combine and break up any clumps of cocoa powder. Option C: Make powdered milk by following package directions, typically 1/4 cup dry milk and 1 cup boiling water. Stir to combine and break up any clumps of cocoa powder.

3. Add vanilla, stir, and taste. Add more of any ingredient if you feel necessary.

4. Enjoy as-is or add any desired toppings. **You may also want to stir after every few sips to prevent the cocoa powder mix from clumping at the bottom of the mug.

**Warning: If you don’t stir the hot cocoa in the mug after a bit of drinking it, sometimes some of the cocoa powder mix will sink to the bottom, making the last sip thicker and a little clumpy at times. Just to be aware of as you get to the bottom of the mug so you don’t get a surprise on your last sip! I’m not sure of a good way to avoid this other than stirring it occasionally after every few sips.

II. Hot Cocoa Variation Ideas:

• Substitute mint extract instead of vanilla, or omit any extracts.

• Not exactly a cheap option, but a good way to reuse ingredients: Infuse your milk with real mint leaves by throwing in a spring of mint leaves and heating your milk over the stove. (This is a good way to use up extra mint leaves if you happen to have them or if you don’t have mint extract.)

• Not exactly a cheap option, but a good way to reuse ingredients: Make an infused vanilla sugar instead of using a flavored extract.

  • If you happen to have vanilla bean pods on-hand for another recipe, don't throw out the spent bean pods after you've scooped out the vanilla bean seeds from the insides! Add the spent pods to a container of sugar and infuse your sugar ahead of time. The beans will impart some of their flavor into the sugar after a little while and make your sugar container smell delightful!

  • Tip: Remove the spent vanilla bean pods from your sugar after the pods start to harden and throw out or compost the bean pods. If the bean pods have begun to harden, it means that the pods have dried up and there is no more residual vanilla oil left in them, so they will not add any more flavor at that point.

3. Color a coloring page.

• You can download and print some cute ones from Etsy shops or there are free printables if you Google ‘em. (Just be careful what you download! Use good internet safety so you don’t accidentally download a virus using a free printable from a random site.)

• You can also draw your own coloring pages with a pencil and trace over your lines with a permanent marker, then color in your own designs.

• There are plenty of cheap coloring books you can also buy at many grocery, craft, or department stores.

• I’ve found plenty of coloring books at thrift stores in the assorted home goods/craft sections as well.

• I wouldn’t be surprised if you find them at yard sales, estate sales, or flea markets!

4. Look at pictures of nature or listen to nature sounds if you can’t go outside.

Even if weather or other factors mean that you can’t really go outside or don’t have a good place to view nature, it can still be nice to just look at pictures of nature or listen to sounds of birdcalls or crickets chirping.

You can search for pictures of nature online, check out nature or travel books from the library, or even view nature books on some sites with your library card (like OverDrive/Libby) if your library subscribes to them. Check your local public library’s website to see if they include this service. (There are typically similar services for music and movies via library cards too.)

5. Go outside for a walk.

This is allergies, health, weather, etc. allowing. The act of walking, especially in nature, is supposed to be quite good for you, but I find that it’s most helpful for thinking or just taking a break. The problem is that it’s often pretty difficult to actually make time to take a walk and have a place to do so, so this isn’t as common in my life as I’d like.

6. Read, or even read outside.

There are so many ways to get things to read!

• Check out books from the public library. Read books at the library. Check your local public library’s website to see if they subscribe to ebook sites like OverDrive/Libby, as mentioned above. Even if you don’t have a library card to check a book out, you can also see if you can just read there at the library instead of taking books with you.

• Find books at the thrift store or at yard sales, flea markets, or estate sales.

• Read or reread what you already might have at home.

• Trade books with friends and family. It might even be fun to start a book club this way!

• Audiobooks count too! I don’t have as much familiarity with current audiobooks (I think the last one I got when I was a kid was on a series of cassette tapes!), but I know Spotify offers audiobooks now. Public libraries also tend to have a great selection of audiobooks on OverDrive/Libby from what I’ve seen.

• Maybe you have a porch or balcony where you can sit and read. Maybe there’s a public park or even a bench somewhere near you. Maybe you have a yard. Just be safe and mindful of other factors around you while you read, whatever you’re doing!

7. Yoga.

This is a big one for me, as someone who needs to be limber for climbing and has chronic pain. Stretching throughout the day is huge help to loosen up my body so I can do normal human functioning and any kind of exercise.

If you’re looking to get into yoga, make sure you start slowly and carefully.

• There are plenty of guided tutorials online for free. (I started with YouTube.)

• You can also find books on yoga for beginners at the public library or in book stores, department stores, thrift stores, and even grocery stores sometimes.

• I’ve even been eyeing yoga decks at my local indie bookstores! (Yoga decks are decks of cards that show a yoga pose for you to try so you can mix up your routine.)

8. Bake.

Stress baking is so real.

The number of times I’ve gotten into a funk or had a long day just to come home and go “I need to bake right now.”

This usually has me turning to a basic chocolate chip cookie or brownie recipe, either from a recipe online or one of the many cookbooks I hoard. If you’re looking for cheaper recipes, my go-to in general is usually Budget Bytes. They price out all of their recipes and usually don’t use too many ingredients to be budget-friendly. (I’m not affiliated or sponsored; I just really like their recipes!)

9. Make a vision board.

I talked about vision boards early on here in this post. (Yikes, that was a while ago! I have not taken this board from my desk area down at any point. It is now dusty, but its messages still stand and it still fills me with motivation.)

The act of making can be therapeutic and looking at your handiwork later can give you a little boost of motivation and pride.

I collect all kinds of random things, so I tend to have assorted items that I can craft with all the time. However, if you don’t do that and are wondering where the heck you can find magazines and newspapers to make clippings from, here are some ideas:

• Yard sales, estate sales, or flea markets

• Maybe thrift stores? (I’d think in the books area, but I haven’t seen any personally.)

• Reuse magazines or catalogs that come in the mail instead of recycling or throwing them out (one of the ways I’ve gotten most of mine)

• Ask your family or friends for old magazines or catalogs if they’re getting rid of them (one of the ways I’ve gotten mine; thank you to those who’ve given me assorted things!)

10. Lights!

I tend to feel cozier when I have some sort of soft lighting, like if I light a candle or turn on some string lights.

• **Warning: If you’re lighting a candle or tea light, make sure to practice good fire safety and always monitor your candle. It’s an open flame, after all! Don’t leave a candle still burning unattended or near paper/fuzzy things/or anything hanging near it, since those are all fire safety risks! The bottoms of candles usually have safety warnings, so be sure to check any warnings if the candle came with them.

• You can find string lights, tea light candles, and scented candles at most stores, sometimes even at grocery stores or craft stores.

• I tend to steer away from getting lighting secondhand at thrift stores because I’m a little worried about how the electrical components might work, but that’s my own preference. (I’m not sure if that’s an actual risk or if it’s just me being risk-averse, so use your best judgement on buying thrift store lighting for yourself.)

11. Have a crafting day or afternoon.

Designated crafting time!

• I find that this is really good if you’re already staying in at home, like if you’re snowed in. (We got snowed in today and I spent nearly the entire day on sewing and jewelry projects.)

• It’s also fun to have a friend over to talk and do crafts together, like make collages, paint, or make candles. I’ve even seen people online have candle wax painting parties in which they melt colorful candles down to use to paint decorations onto pillar candles. (Again, see above about fire safety!)

• This is a pricier option, but you could also go out with friends to a local pottery studio to do a class or paint pottery together. I’ve gone out with friends to paint colorful glazes onto premade pottery that the studio then fires (bakes in a special oven called a kiln, essentially) after you leave and lets you pick up your finished pieces a few days to weeks later. (I painted a tea bag rest, but you can also choose from bowls, plates, butter dishes, cups, ornaments, and more.)

12. Make a little cozy corner of your home.

If you can, make a designated space that makes you feel happy, calmer, more relaxed, or more refreshed. It doesn’t have to be big or grand at all. Just something like a favorite blanket or pillow, a comfy chair, or anything that makes you feel cozy or happy.

For example, my desk is a crow’s nest in the corner of the room where I just hoard items that bring me joy. I have a banner of candles I drew and strung up on the wall above my computer screen. I have assorted art from local artist markets and past conventions that I love. I have items that friends and family have given me, like a box from my grandma and novelty pins from my aunt. I have buttons I’ve found, craft store flowers in my nana’s vase, and a temporary tattoo from my favorite local coffee shop that I don’t want to use because then it’ll be gone.

Your cozy space can even be mobile! Wrap up a little bundle of your favorite things in a scarf or bandana. (Even a paper towel, but that might not be the most long-lasting method.) Then you can tuck the little bundle away on a shelf, drawer, or in a shoe box under your bed to pull out when you need some joy. (I’ve done this kind of thing since I was a kid, just collecting pebbles, buttons, and random things that I liked in a box.)

13. Call, text, or message a friend you haven’t heard from in a while.

Kind of cheesy, I know, but it’s still nice to check in with a friend to see how they’re doing or if they want to hang out. Maybe they don’t answer, but maybe they do and you start up a conversation again.

I’ve found that this tends to become more of a thing in adulthood when everyone starts to grow apart as they live their separate lives, especially when people move far away if you previously lived near each other. Being an adult is stressful and busy, so it becomes a lot harder to actually make time to keep up with friends and see them on a regular basis. It’s nice when my old friends and I actually get to catch up after months of not talking because our lives are so full of other responsibilities and activities.

Thanks for reading and sticking around, as always!

Any other ideas? Feel free to let me know if there’s anything else you think I should try that you do instead!

Happy reading and have a lovely day!

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