As honest conversations about mental health and burnout have become more and more mainstream, so have the concepts of wellness and self-care.
Driven by the pressures of toxic hustle culture and the lasting mental impacts of the pandemic, people are looking for ways to restore balance to their lives. While self-care suggestions—“Take a hot girl walk!” “Draw a bath!” “Journal!”—often sound like oversimplified, one-size-fits-all solutions for, well, everything, self-care does offer real benefits for your health and wellbeing.
Despite the awareness of the importance of self-care, many of us struggle to make wellness a daily priority. In fact, in a recent poll, only 35 percent of respondents from our audience said they take daily breaks for their mental, physical, emotional, or social wellbeing. For the majority, wellness practices are less frequent, with some admitting they rarely—or even never—carve out time for themselves.
We’ve all heard that 30 minutes of exercise a day can boost your mood—but did you know that just five minutes of self-care a day can significantly enhance your wellbeing over time? Fortunately, there are dozens of simple, effective ways to incorporate wellness into your routine, no matter how busy life gets. We polled our audience and are excited to share their favorite tips for prioritizing self-care on the go throughout the day.
Read more: How to Build More Mental Health Into Your Lifestyle
Which apps, devices, and activities do you recommend for practicing wellness while on the go?
Movement and physical wellness
1. “Breathing exercises, yoga poses, stretching, and walking (taking the stairs vs. the elevator).”
2. “I got a stationary bike (I work from home) and find I have to ride it when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Right now, five minutes does the trick, and I’m able to reprioritize.”
3. “Walking—especially in parks or wildlife areas.”
4. “Hiking is my go-to. In nature. Long trails alone. At work, I walk the stairs and up and down the parking garage.”
5. “Finding an exercise class that allows me to pick the day and time (rather than a set schedule).”
6. “Breaks for walking, especially outside during lunch or before or after work.”
7. “A step counter, a yoga workout app, and a foam roller.”
Our recommendations: A non-slip yoga mat and electrolyte drink mix.
Mindfulness, meditation, and tech-free time
8. “Balance is my go-to app for mental wellness, even if it is just to settle my mind and focus.”
9. “Insight Timer and Yoga with Adriene.”
10. “Commune (app).”
11. “A walking meditation; addressing negative emotions, lowering the volume of them, and trying to replace them with positive ones; desired emotion; practicing gratitude; positive and accepting self-talk—diminishing all bad thoughts about myself.”
12. “Headspace. Meditating or journaling while commuting or traveling.”
13. “Oura Ring for movement reminders, and Calm for mindfulness work.”
14. “Avoid devices and get out into nature! It’s the most healing thing we can do.”
15. “Quiet time with no devices and reading.”
16. “Spending time outside to get fresh air and sunshine.”
Our recommendations: 52 inspirational positive affirmation cards with a display stand and a lavender essential oil roll-on for aromatherapy.
Read more: 40 Creative Journaling Prompts for Finding Joy & Fulfillment at Work
Creative and leisure activities
17. “Reading, even electronically, painting, a long shower, and having a to-go fidget box.”
18. Audible and/or any podcast app. It's nice to escape for a few minutes by listening to a short podcast episode or chapter of an audiobook.”
19. “I really love The New York Times app with Wordle and other game-like activities. Helps me tune into myself for a minute. My favorite is Tiles.”
20. “Kindle for reading and white noise apps (rain, etc.).”
21. “Reading books (actual physical ones) relaxes me a lot.”
22. “Puzzle apps are a nice way to destress also and keep the mind sharp.”
Our recommendations: A light and compact Kindle, a white noise sound machine with 30 different soothing sounds and 12 colors, and a handheld fidget toy to relieve stress, anxiety, and tension.
Hydration, nutrition, and breaks for IRL or virtual connection
23. “Drinking more water and just taking a moment to breathe no matter what's going on in your life.”
24. “Carrying a water bottle—stay hydrated and drink less caffeine.”
25. “Sitting in a sauna.”
26. “Taking a bath.”
27. “Eating lunch without focusing on work.”
28. “Cooking; face-to-face talking; phone conversations.”
29. “Taking a deep breathing break, and walking slowly and deliberately.”
30. “Jamming to music in the car, a bubble bath, and cooking a healthy meal for yourself.”
31. “Texting a friend or family.”
32. “Face-to-face talking and phone conversations.”
33. “Combining mindfulness with pet care or errands.”
34. “Planning in advance something very manageable for each self-care bucket (movement, nutrition, social connection, creativity/personal development, comfort/relaxation, sleep/stress management, ease of living).”
35. “Setting alarms or timers to get up and walk around and stretch—make sure you take breaks.”
Our recommendations: A large water bottle with hydration time markers, moisturizing lavender and honey blossom bubble bath, and The New York Times’ Cooking No-Recipe Recipes cookbook.
Apps and tools for tracking wellness on the go
36. “Insight Timer, Duolingo, a Fitbit watch, or the steps counter on your phone.”
37. “My Fitbit is essential to keep track of how I'm balancing my day, so I can fit in wellness time.”
38. “Step apps are nice to track progress, drinking water, and tracking nutrition in something like MyFitnessPal.”
39. “Habitica for keeping track of my habits (including wellness goals) because it gamifies habits!”
40. “I really enjoy the Finch app, it's cute and fun.”
41. “Red light therapy, podcasts, and a skincare routine.”
42. “Finch, Focus Plant, having things to meet your needs on hand (like water or a protein bar) and a list of affirmations (I have a Pinterest board and my notes app).”
43. “The Wellbeing+ app through Reward Gateway—it tracks steps and lets you connect with coworkers and friends by commenting and chatting on activities and dashboards.”
Our recommendations: A Fitbit for stress management, workout intensity, and sleep tracking, a daily wellness journal for tracking goals and lifestyle habits, and a red light therapy face massager.
Read more: 20 Ways Busy Women Stay Focused
