77 Self-care Ideas for 5-Minute Breaks

Only have 5 minutes but stressed to your core? I’ve got you covered. Try one of these 77 self-care ideas for 5-minute breaks and feel like yourself!

We’ve all been there – when we’re stressed out but too darn busy to stop. Here is a list of self-care tips that you can try when you finally get 5 magic minutes to yourself.

On the other hand – TAKE 5 minutes now and make it YOUR TIME! Getting away from whatever is stressing you, even for a short time, can help you lower your blood pressure.

Here is a list of ideas to choose from. While not every tip is for every situation, I think you’ll find at least a couple things you can do in your current situation.

Afraid you won’t remember all of these? No worries, I made a printable copy and it’s available for you at the end of this post!

1. Deep breathe
2. Pray, eat chocolate, repeat!
3. Stretch your arms over your head
4. Meditate
5. Hug your children
6. Wash your face
7. Water your indoor plants
8. Bend down and touch your toes
9. Read Scripture
10. Do jumping jacks (if health appropriate)
11. Go outside and get fresh air
12. Give yourself a foot massage
13. Pet the dog or cat
14. Brush your teeth
15. Put your phone down (social media)

16. Snuggle with your spouse
17. Do some arm stretching
18. Listen to music
19. Sit alone in a quiet room (even the bathroom works!)
20. Call a friend
21. Give yourself a scalp massage
22. Go for a walk
23. Draw a picture
24. Count to 10 slowly, then keep counting for the fun of it
25. Sing (loudly)
26. Eat a healthy snack
27. Freshen up your make-up
28. Sugar-scrub your hands

Likewise, Additional Self-care Ideas for 5-Minute Breaks

29. Fix your hair or put it up
30. Sit under a weighted blanket
31. Smell the roses
32. Squeeze a stress ball
33. Color in a coloring book
34. Change your clothes
35. Make hot chocolate (with marshmallows)
36. Dance
37. Lie down & close your eyes
38. Write out your thoughts in a journal
39. Make a cup of herbal tea
40. Look at a magazine
41. Have a good cry

42. Listen to the birds
43. Smell fresh herbs
44. Chop up produce
45. Use the restroom (you probably need to go!)
46. Sit or stand up straight
47. Drink a glass of ice water
48. Eat a crunchy apple or carrot
49.Tighten and relax your muscles, one at a time, starting with your toes
50. Light your favorite candle
51. Set up a new tablescape
52. Twiddle your thumbs
53. Eat dark chocolate out of your stash
54. Menu plan
55. Read a few pages of a book

Finally, a Few More to Relieve Stress in 5-Minutes

56. Run as fast as you can out to the mailbox and back
57. Shrug your shoulders – rolling forwards and then backward
58. Massage your ear lobes
59. Fold towels into perfect squares
60. Read a blog post
61. Put on lipstick or lipgloss
62. Rearrange your counter 
63. Daydream
64. Open all of the windows
65. Ask family or friends to make funny faces and take their picture
66. Write a postcard 
67. Organize something
68. Do a quad/ham stretch
69. Organize your nail polish by color, bottle size, shape or brand
70. Pick flowers out of your garden
71. Pick out your clothes for the next day
72. Look at your favorite cookbook
73. Pick something pretty or yummy in the garden
74. Think happy thoughts
75. Use Calm App
76. Dig toes in the grass
77. Do a few yoga stretches

In conclusion, we all need to take time to take better care of ourselves – even if we only have 5 minutes!

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