Anxiety Self Care Checklist (+Free Printable Checklist)

Self-care is important for your overall well-being and to manage anxiety. But, self-care is not always an easy task. This anxiety self care checklist provides helpful strategies and techniques to incorporate into your daily routine to reduce anxiety and promote self-care.

Anxiety Self Care Checklist

Enjoy

• Watch a movie or a tv series.
• Plan a holiday.
• Go to the shops and just walk and wander. I love to go to the bookstore and just check out the books.
• Make yourself a hot chocolate (with marshmallows) or a tea. Try Italian hot chocolate, you’re welcome 🙂
• Try aromatherapy, by using essential oils, scented candles or burning some incense.
• Practice your hobby, or an activity that helps you to disconnect:
  • Crochet or knitting
  • Crosswords or sudoku
  • Puzzles
  • Gardening
  • Cooking or baking
  • Take photos
  • Do some DIY crafts
• Put some music you like and dance or sing.
• Do one random act of kindness.
• Meditate. You can try this meditation for intrusive thoughts.
• Print some of your favorite photos and frame them, or create a new photo album.
• Decorate your living space. You can buy a new house plant, or rearrange the furniture.
• Listen to a podcast.
• Walk your dog.
• Have a spa day.
• Color a color book or a mandala.
• Draw
• Take a nap outside in the sunlight.
• Go to the hairdresser.
• Read a new book, or re-read your favorite one. Nothing like crawling in a bunch of blankets with a good novel. You can also check out news books from the library.
• Call or text a friend or family member.
• Journal. Try out our journaling prompts for anxiety. You can also check out The Self-Care Journal, for inspiration, prompts, and tracking.
• Try some self-expression alternatives to journaling.
• Try to grow your own fruits and vegetables.
• Treat yourself to a takeout, go to a cafeteria or a restaurant.
• Get yourself on a solo date, such as to the movies or to a coffee shop.
• Attend a candle marking class.
• Take a day trip to somewhere nearby.
• Go to the farmers market. You can just walk around, or you can even buy some fresh produce.

Take care of your body

Taking care of your body is important, as the saying goes ‘the body keeps the score’.

• Take a hot (or cold) shower. Check out the benefits of a hot shower for anxiety.
• Drink a full glass of water. Stay hydrated! Check out our ultimate guide on how to drink more water.
• Schedule a therapy appointment.
• Make yourself a healthy snack. Some ideas: avocado toast, fruits, granola, etc.
• Make yourself a smoothie. It can be a great way to incorporate nutrients and some fiber.
• Do some stretching exercises.
• Wash and floss your teeth.
• Trim and clean your nails.
• Take a walk in nature, short or long.
• Do your skin care routine.
• Try some relaxation techniques, such as box breathing, or listening to relaxing music. Check out the world’s most relaxing song, according to science.
• Give yourself a self massage. There are many self-massages that you can do, such as a shoulder or foot massage.
• Practice a sport you like, such as running, doing some yoga, volleyball, etc.
• Get medical care that is needed.
• Get medical care for prevention.
• Book an appointment to the dentist.
• Wear comfortable clothes you like.
• Put some hydrating cream or lip balm for your dry lips.
• Say no to extra responsibilities.
• Meditate.
• Meal prep so you can eat healthy during the rest of the week.

Productive

• Tidy your room and vacuum the floor.
• In depth clean a room of your house.
• Do your dishes.
• Check out our guide “Tidy house Tidy mind”. You can also take a loot at this Planner to Declutter your Home.
• Alternatively, make your bed.
• Do a closet cleaning. Separate items in 3 categories:
  • Items you want to keep
  • Items you want to gift or donate
  • Items that need to be repaired
• Repair those items of clothes by sewing them.
• Do your laundry. Put your washing machine on, put the clothes on the drier, put the clothes away, fold them.
• Flip or rotate your mattress.
• Strip your bed and put new fresh bedsheets. Wash the old ones. You can even spray some perfume on them.
• Go grocery shopping and restock your fridge with healthy groceries.
• Do a social media declutter, delete or put a timer on any apps that you spend too much time on.
• Buy a new item of clothing that you have been needing but you have been putting off. Also it can always be nice to buy some nice quality underwear.
• Do an administrative task that needs to be done but you keep putting it off.
• Pay your bills (phone, rent, utilities, health care, credit card, etc).
• Cancel any subscriptions that you don’t need anymore.

Tips and Tricks

• If you have to do a task but it seems too hard, do it imperfectly. For example, if folding the clothes is too difficult, just do the laundry and throw unfolded clothes into your drawers.
• Sometimes taking care of yourself means doing mundane but necessary things with patience. Self-care is not only doing a spa day, sometimes it is just taking a bath and washing your dishes. Drink a glass of water instead of soda.

Printable Anxiety Self Care Checklist

Here you can download for free this printable version of the anxiety self care checklist.

Conclusion

I hope this Anxiety self-care check list is useful for you. Let me know in the comments if you have other self-care things you do that you think might be useful to add on this list.