30 Day Self-Care Challenge (Free Printable)

Download your free 30-day self-care challenge and challenge tracker below, plus get tips for how to approach each activity to best serve your total well-being: mind, body, and soul.

What Is Self-Care?

Self-care refers to the combination of practices you engage in to serve and support your physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being. When you stick to a sleep schedule, brush your teeth, schedule medical checkups, eat healthy foods, and take walks around your neighborhood, you’re practicing daily self-care.

But self-care also goes a little deeper. Self-care means making space in your life for silence. Connecting with the innermost you. Asking your soul what it needs. And then, giving yourself that thing.

And at an even deeper level, it means noticing the trending direction of your thoughts. Are you speaking to yourself with kindness? Do you constantly criticize yourself? Are your inner dialogues loving and compassionate or condescending and judgmental toward yourself?

And when you notice that you’re being hard on yourself, you then have the option to choose differently—to be a little gentler, a little kinder. A little more understanding. (This is directly tied to mindfulness.)

Self-care is a deeply personal practice. What looks and feels like self-care to you might not align with someone else’s definition of self-care. And that’s okay. What’s important is defining what self-care means to you—and then, prioritizing it not as an option but as an essential aspect of your health and well-being.

To help you with this, I’ve created a 30-day self-care challenge filled with practices that you can personalize to fit your own needs.

In many ways, this is also a self-love challenge. This challenge is designed to help cultivate a mindset of deep care, kindness, and compassion toward yourself. (Because if you’re anything like me, you’re likely your own harshest critic.)

As you begin your self-care challenge, I want you to remember that this is your challenge. So if there’s anything on this list that doesn’t resonate with what feels right to you, feel free to change it to something that feels better.

You’re also empowered to define what each activity means to you. Below, I provide you with suggestions for how to approach each self-care practice, but if you have different ideas, definitely go ahead and do what feels best to you.

Don’t worry so much about being perfect. Rather, focus on what feels good, right, and aligned.

30-Day Self-Care Challenge

Below, you’ll find some suggestions for how to approach each of the activities in this challenge. But remember, this is your self-care challenge. So if you have a different idea for how you want to proceed, or if you want to replace one of the challenge tasks altogether, go for it!

Start A Gratitude Journal

And don’t forget to download your free 30-day self-care challenge here. No newsletter signup is required to access this free printable, but I definitely encourage you to sign up for my newsletter, as I send a free printable affirmation calendar to my subscribers every month.

You can use a notebook, journal, or even your preferred notes app on your phone. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for. Then, for the rest of the challenge, keep writing 3 things you feel grateful for every day. If you need help, check out my list of 500 things to be grateful for today.

Write Down 10 Things You Love About Yourself

This one can also be done in a notebook, journal, or digital document. Pick 10 things you really love about yourself and write them down. These can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual qualities—anything you want. If you’d like, you can add a “why” statement to each list item, diving deeper into why each of these things make you so incredible and unique.

Recite 1 Positive Affirmation Every Hour

A positive affirmation is an uplifting statement designed to boost your confidence and self-belief. I have thousands of positive affirmations across this website if you need help. Recite at least one positive affirmation to yourself every hour today. If it helps, you can set phone reminders or write these affirmations on post-it notes.

Set Phone Reminders With Uplifting Words

Set phone notifications to go off throughout the day filled with words to uplift, inspire, and motivate you. You can be your own biggest cheerleader here, reminding yourself that you’ve got this, you’re worthy, you’re incredible, you’re more than enough—whatever you most need to hear throughout the day. Fill the screen with positive, loving words. You can also write affirmations or your favorite quotes here if you’d like.

Compliment Yourself & Others Throughout The Day

How often do you tell yourself what a good job you’re doing? How often do you spend time simply being proud of yourself? How often do you look in the mirror and smile into your own eyes? Compliment yourself throughout the day. Then, spread these good vibes and compliment the people you interact with. Make someone’s day today.

Journal & Reflect On The Past Year

In the busyness of daily life, we can often forget to spend time reflecting on how far we’ve come. Take some time today to reflect. Journal your thoughts and feelings. If you encountered difficult moments, make sure to honor your own resilience and strength. Acknowledge both the good and the bad. Be kind, honest, and compassionate.

• Related: 35 Journal Prompts For Unconditional Self-Love

Do Something That Makes You Happy

This one’s pretty broad. Simply do something that makes you happy.

Does buying yourself a special coffee make you happy? Does reading a good book or watching your favorite movie make you happy? Does time spent in nature make you happy?

You’re not limited to doing just one thing. If possible, you can do one thing that makes you happy in the morning, one things that makes you happy in the afternoon, and one thing that makes you happy in the evening.

Follow A Guided Meditation

If you already meditate, this one should be pretty straightforward. Don’t meditate? That’s okay! I personally use the Insight Timer app for guided meditations. There, you’ll find thousands of free meditations you can listen to. See if you can find one that appeals to you. You don’t have to sit in a special posture or try to clear your mind of thoughts. Just sit comfortably, close your eyes, and listen.

• You May Also Like: 9 Guided Meditations For Manifesting Your Desires

Express Your Creativity

Draw. Paint. Write. Play with chalk. Make paper snowflakes. Color in an adult coloring book. Or a children’s one. Whatever feels good to you.

Spend Time In Nature

This can be as simple as going out for a walk around your neighborhood. You might also go out on a hike or spend some time near a lake or the ocean. Whatever you do, turn off your phone and unplug for a bit. Notice the moment using all of your senses. Inhale peace. Exhale anything that doesn’t serve your mind, body, and soul.

Cook A Special Meal For Yourself

You can cook your favorite breakfast, lunch, or dinner. (Or all three.) You might also try cooking one of your favorite recipes from childhood. And if cooking sounds more like self-torture than self-care, order out from your favorite takeout spot.

Practice Yoga Or Do Some Light Stretching

If you don’t feel super comfortable with yoga but are willing to try, there are tons of great yoga routines for beginners on YouTube. You can also find a light stretching routine to try out!

Write A Letter To Your Younger Self

I’d definitely recommend doing this practice when you have some uninterrupted time to yourself. You can grab a notebook, lined paper, stationary, or open up a blank digital document. Visualize yourself at a certain age, whether it’s when you were 8, 11, 16—whatever feels right to you. What do you want to say to this version of you? Is there something you think they really needed to hear? Write these things down. There’s a good chance your present-day self needs to hear these things, too.

Read A Book You Genuinely Enjoy

Do you have a favorite feel-good fiction book? Is non-fiction more your thing? Is there a new book you’ve been dying to read? Make time for some reading today. I’d recommend reading at least for an hour, but this is completely up to you.

Spoil Yourself – You Choose How

What does spoiling yourself mean to you? For some, spoiling themselves means buying a special coffee or meal. For others, spoiling themselves looks like candles and bubble baths. Try to find at least one way to spoil yourself today. (But it’s completely okay to pick more than one thing—encouraged, even.)

Try An Artistic Endeavor

You don’t have to be a poet to write poetry, and you don’t have to be a painter to paint. Even if you’re a creative person already, see if you can try something you wouldn’t normally do. Don’t judge your work. Just have fun with it.

Make A Music Playlist Of Old & New Favorites

See if you can remember your favorite songs from childhood. Add in some of your current favorites. Fill your ears with sounds you love.

Write Down 10 Self-Promises

A self-promise is a commitment you’re willing to make to yourself about your life and your future. For help here, you can check out my article, 100 Wholehearted Promises To Make To Yourself Today.

Write Down & Release 1 Limiting Belief

A limiting belief is a deep-seated belief that holds you back from realizing your limitless potential and living the life that you know you’re truly meant to live. It’s the thing that’s preventing you from moving forward: your fears, your worries, your doubts about your own potential.

Take some time to identify what beliefs you carry that aren’t serving you. Write at least one down. Then, create a new, reframed belief. So if your limiting belief is that you don’t have what it takes to succeed in your chosen career path, you can create a new belief that you’re more than capable of succeeding and thriving.

For more guidance, I’ve created a digital workbook for releasing limiting beliefs to help you begin releasing your old, limiting beliefs (and creating new, empowering beliefs) today.

Unplug For At Least 2 Hours

What makes you feel good when you’re not on your phone or devices? Do that thing.

Brainstorm Ways You Can Destress Your Life

What are the biggest stressors in your life? Write them down. Then, write down some ways you can remove some of your daily stress.

Ideas include going to bed on a set schedule, meditating first thing in the morning, meal prepping at the beginning of the week, organizing your office, decluttering your email inbox, and anything else that might remove a little bit of the daily stress you often experience.

Write A Letter To Your Future Self

Choose a specific age in the future: one year from now, five years from now, ten years from now—whatever feels best to you. Sit down and write a letter to this version of you.

You can write about what’s happening in your life right now and share some funny or heartfelt stories that will make your future self smile. You can write about your hopes and dreams. You can write your favorite quotes and/or something you heard recently that’s especially meaningful to you.

When you’re done, place your letter in an envelope, address it to yourself with a date on the front, and stash it somewhere for safekeeping.

Write Down Your Goals For The Next Year

I’d recommend writing down five to ten big and small goals. Then, pick a goal and write an action plan for it. What’s the next step you need to take to achieve this goal? You can write next steps and action plans for as many goals as you’d like.

• Related: 33 Journal Prompts for Goal Setting & Future Planning

Treat Yourself – You Choose How

This one’s just like the spoil yourself day—you get to define what treating yourself means to you. Maybe it means a spa day. Maybe it means treating yourself to a couple hours of uninterrupted you time. Maybe it’s buying your favorite dessert from a bakery or going to the bookstore and picking out some books. Whatever it is, just make sure it feels special and good to you.

Make Space For Fun & Play

What’s fun to you? What feels like play to you? Engage in activities that make you feel good. Play video games. Have a crafting day. Build a blanket fort. Create your own Lego masterpiece. Go to the beach. Dance like no one’s watching. Connect with your inner child and let yourself come alive in pure, unadulterated joy.

Connect To The Earth & Nature

My favorite way to connect to the earth is to stand with my bare feet against the dirt and close my eyes. You can also do this while watching the night sky. Gardening is also a profound way to connect to the earth. What can you do today to connect to the trees, sun, stars, ocean, wind, and all parts of nature?

Compliment Yourself When You Look In The Mirror

Every time you look in the mirror, look yourself in the eyes and say either internally or aloud something really kind to yourself. Offer yourself sincere compliments. Speak with loving kindness.

Declutter Your Social Media Accounts

Go through your most-used social media accounts and unfollow/unfriend anyone who may cause you to feel negative energy within. Keep the ones that uplift your spirit, inspire your dreams, and/or make you laugh. If they feel like positive energy, keep them on your list. If they feel like negative energy, send them love and gently distance yourself from them.

Try 1 Thing You’ve Never Done Before

It’s easy to get in a rut in your daily life, so this is a chance to do something new. It doesn’t have to be a really big thing like skydiving or traveling to a new country. Maybe there’s a restaurant you’ve never tried or a dish you’ve never cooked. Maybe there’s a crafting activity that’s been hanging out on your Pinterest boards for a while that you’ve been meaning to get to. Maybe there’s a park you’ve never been to that you can go visit. This can be as big or as small of an activity as you want.

Repeat Your Favorite Activity From The Challenge

This is the equivalent of the free space in bingo. What activity did you really love doing over the past 30 days? Do it again! You can also repeat multiple activities if you want. For instance, you can recite positive affirmations once per hour throughout the day while also making time in the evening to read a good book.

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For more resources on spirituality, meditation, manifestation, and all things self-love, connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest, where I’m posting positive affirmations and empowering messages daily.

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