SELF-CARE 2026: boundaries as self-respect
In 2026, my boundaries will become non-negotiable. Not because Iām being rude, but because Iāve finally realized self-respect isnāt optional. If something drains me, Iāll step back. If someone crosses a line, Iāll say so. If my body says ārest,ā Iāll listen. Iām no longer contorting myself to keep the peaceāmy peace matters just as much as anyone elseās. This year, Iām treating myself with the same loyalty, compassion, and commitment Iāve always given away too freely. More details forthcoming...
Science Backed Benefits of Self-Care
Science-backed benefits of self-care include stress reduction, improved mental and physical health, and enhanced relationships. By consistently practicing self-care, you can lower stress hormones like cortisol, which helps combat anxiety and depression, improve sleep quality, and even boost your immune system. It also builds resilience, increases self-esteem, and can help manage chronic conditions.
Mental and Emotional Benefits
1. Reduces stress and anxiety: Self-care practices like meditation, deep breathing, or even a short walk can lower cortisol levels, a stress hormone linked to various health problems.
2. Boosts brain health and resilience: Regular self-care can strengthen neural pathways related to emotional regulation and resilience through practices like mindfulness.
3. Increases self-esteem and self-worth: By prioritizing your own needs, you build self-esteem, which can make you more resilient to setbacks and improve your overall outlook.
4. Improves overall well-being: Consistently practicing self-care can lead to a greater sense of well-being and may help manage or prevent mental health issues.
Physical Benefits
1. Improves sleep quality: Relaxation techniques like yoga, reading, or taking a warm bath can help you fall asleep faster and experience more restorative sleep.
2. Boosts the immune system: Lowering stress and improving sleep can positively impact your immune function.
3. Helps manage chronic conditions: Self-care strategies can be a crucial component in managing chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and depression.
4. Reduces the risk of disease: Regular self-care, which includes habits like exercise and a healthy diet, can help reduce the future risk of conditions such as heart attack and obesity.
Social and Professional Benefits
1. Leads to healthier relationships: Taking care of your own needs increases self-esteem and gives you more emotional capacity to invest in and maintain healthier relationships with others.
2. Increases job satisfaction: Studies have found that intentional self-care practices can increase job satisfaction and reduce burnout, especially in demanding professions.
Where to begin?
The secret to starting a self-care routine is realizing you donāt need to transform into a green-juice-sipping wellness guru overnight. Start tinyāmicro-tiny. Like ādrink one glass of water that isnāt coffeeā tiny. Pick one small thing that doesnāt exhaust you just thinking about it: a two-minute stretch, washing your face before bed, or actually taking your vitamins instead of staring at them with suspicion. Small steps add up, and before you know it, youāll be out there feeling balanced and intentional while everyone else wonders how you suddenly got your life together. Spoiler: you didnātāyou just started small and are sticking with it.Ā
Some of My Favorite Things
(more to come)
Embrace the Tub
I am not what I would consider a 'bath girl', however when I do take a bath, I wonder why I don't do this EVERY day. Thereās something hilariously dramatic about declaring, āIām going to take a bath,ā as if youāre about to travel to Fiji instead of just sit in a vat of hot water. You light a candle, pour in Epsom salts and bubbles and suddenly youāre a queen. Still, the ritual is sacred: the door is locked, the world is banished, and for twenty glorious minutes you pretend adulthood canāt find you. Honestly? Itās the closest thing most of us get to a spiritual awakeningāand it smells like lavender.
Eat Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is one of lifeās greatest plot twists: itās good for you and it tastes like something mildly sinful. Itās packed with antioxidants, boosts your mood, improves blood flow, and might even help your brain functionābasically the closest thing we have to edible therapy. And the best part? You can loudly announce, āIām eating it for my health,ā while savoring it like a decadent little pixie who knows theyāre getting away with something. Honestly, if all wellness tasted this good, weād all be glowing geniuses by now.Ā
In all seriousness, dark chocolate can benefit women by boosting heart health, improving brain function, and providing stress relief due to its high antioxidant and flavanol content. It also contains minerals like magnesium and can positively impact mood, skin health, and gut bacteria.
Buy a Plant (or two)
Loving plants is its own form of soft, leafy therapyābecause nothing says āIām prioritizing my well-beingā like doting on a creature that only asks for sunlight and the occasional sip of water. You start with one cute little pothos ājust to brighten the place up,ā and suddenly youāre rearranging furniture so your green babies can have better lighting. You celebrate new leaves like theyāre tiny botanical miracles, talk to them like they understand, and swear you can feel your nervous system exhale every time you look at them. Caring for plants isnāt just self-care; itās a gentle reminder that growth takes time, love, and a slightly obsessive amount of misting.Ā I just love 'em.
Small Steps
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Physical
- take a 20 minute walk (without your phone!)
- just stretch and breath in a quiet spot
- take a nap!
- schedule a doctor or dentist appointment youāve been postponing
- drink a huge glass of water when you wake up (add lemon for bonus points)
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Mental & Emotional
- journal for 10 minutes (anything you want *goals, thoughts, angry diatribe, etc.)
- visit your local animal shelter (and try not to want to adopt them all)
- clean out your purse/bag, organize your 'junk' drawer, or pick 10 things out of your closet to donate
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Creative & Relaxing
- paint for 30 minutes (paint-by-number canvas prints are inexpensive & fun and when finished, no one will know you aren't Picasso)
- read (an actual book - not online or via kindle) or better yet spend some time at the library (it's soothing)
When in Doubt, Go For a Walk
Walking is your body's way of resetting your nervous system, your cortisol levels, and in the process it slows down racing thoughts. Don't make a decision before you walk on it.
For me, the beauty of living in a walkable city is that when you feel sad, you can just walk and walk and walk until you stumble upon a place that makes you feel better.
Just go for a walk for an hour and come back and see how you feel. Some say there is nothing a long walk can't fix.
WALK. ALWAYS WALK. WALK WITH NO GOAL. NO DESTINATION. NO TIMELINE. WALK WITH FRIENDS. WALK ALONE. WALK WITH MUSIC. WALK WITH SILENCE. WALK THE LONG WAY. WALK WITHOUT YOUR PHONE. WALK WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT. BECAUSE SOMEHOW, WALKING SHOWS YOU EXACTLY WHERE TO GO.
Deeper Dive
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DOPAMINE BOOSTERS
meditation, sauna/hot yoga, warm bath, crisp morning walk, increased protein intake, warm & grounding meals (e.g. a salmon and avocado bowl, a breakfast of eggs and spinach, or a chicken breast burrito bowl). cinnamon on everything, gut healthy cacao or tea, slow & cozy evenings, morning light, hydration
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GROUNDING (winter mode)
light a scented candle, make hot cocoa, snuggle under a weighted blanket, put on fluffy socks, drink some peppermint tea, make cinnamon toast, put on hand cream, journal with coffee, bake ready made cookie dough
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MEDITATION
Choose a length of time that suits you, schedule a time for daily practice, create a meditation corner, wear comfortable clothes (a must), find a comfortable seating position, breath normally, sit quietly, close your eyes, breath in/breath out, try repeating affirmations to yourself, play music specific to meditation, BE PATIENT then end with a deep breath and slowly open your eyes
PUT YOUR OWN OXYGEN MASK ON FIRST
Take that bath. That day off. That long pause. Buy the outfit that makes you feel good. The oils for your skin. The lipstick someone told you was too bold for your lips. Allow yourself to feel beautiful. To feel wanted. To feel loved. Disconnect from your expectations. Turn off autopilot. Remove the bandages. Let your wounds heal in the sun. Learn the meaning of silence. Take notice. Take care. Take walks. Break out the good wine. The dark chocolate. The art that sits half-done. Sit in the cool air of an early morning. In the healing salt of the ocean. In the quiet of a moment you finally took for yourself.
Cry when you need to. Scream if it helps you.
Close your eyes. Exhale.
Succumb.
- L.E. Bowman, Poet