Holistic Self-Care Practices to Support Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

1. Grounding Through Breath

Start or end your day with three deep, intentional breaths. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, hold for 4, and breathe out through your mouth for 6. Harvard Health Publishing notes that breath focus is a common feature of several techniques that bring on the body’s relaxation response, a state of deep rest that works against stress. A 2018 review of slow breathing techniques found effects on the nervous system and on psychological state in healthy adults. If you would like a guided version, try our breath awareness and grounding meditation.

2. Nourish With Intention

Choose one meal a day to enjoy without screens. Use all five senses, and bring a gentle awareness to what you are eating – perhaps incorporating a sense of gratitude for the people and resources that enabled the growth, harvest, transportation, and preparation of the food. Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health describe mindful eating as setting distractions aside, tuning in to your senses and thoughts, and eating slowly, and note that studies have linked it to benefits that include less anxiety and stress.

If food or eating is a source of stress for you, go gently with this one. Mindful eating is not a replacement for treatment, and our team, including our dietitians, can help. You can read more in our article on nutrition and mental health.

3. Take a Mindful Walk

Take a 10-minute walk today with no goal other than to be present and savor the sensory experience of moving in the space you are in. If you can, step outside to incorporate a bit of nature’s goodness into your time walking. Notice the rhythm of your steps, your feet meeting the ground, the temperature of the air, any smells in the environment, the way light comes through trees or buildings, and any birdsong, traffic, or wind. When you find yourself lost in a train of thought, see if you can gently bring your awareness back to your 5 senses experience.

UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center describes walking meditation as one of the basic ways to build mindfulness, and points to studies in which people reported lower negative emotion or fewer depressive symptoms afterward. These studies are still emerging, so we see a mindful walk as a simple, low-pressure habit rather than a treatment itself. For more, see our articles on time in nature and physical activity.

4. Write It Out

Journaling does not have to be lengthy, and you can adapt it in whatever way makes it “do-able” for your brain and your life. Take five minutes to write about what you are feeling, about what thoughts, questions, or events you find yourself wrestling with, or perhaps even what you are grateful for or wanting to cultivate in your life. Harvard Health Publishing reports that writing about thoughts and feelings may help some people cope with the effects of stress and may help them regulate their emotions. Research has also consistently linked gratitude with greater happiness.

5. Screen-Free Reset

Try one hour without screens before bedtime (you might have to put your phone physically in another room to resist the urge to “just quick look at something”). Light a candle, read, stretch, have a cup of herbal tea, connect with a loved one, or listen to calming music. The CDC’s sleep tips recommend a bedroom that is quiet, dark, and relaxing, and suggest keeping electronic devices such as TVs, computers, and smartphones out of the bedroom. This helps your brain disengage from activating (or distressing) content right before bed, and also helps limit blue light exposure that can impact sleep cycles.