Looking after yourself is often framed as selfish, but the reality is the opposite. When you’re constantly running on empty, it’s almost impossible to show up as the parent, partner, friend, or worker you want to be.
The problem? Life is busy. Between work, family, responsibilities, and endless to-do lists, finding an hour for self-care can feel unrealistic — and that’s where 5-minute self-care comes in.
You don’t need a silent house, a full spa day, or a perfectly calm mindset for self-care to count. Sometimes all you have is five minutes between meetings, before school pickup, or while the kettle boils — and that’s enough to make a difference.
Quick self-care can look like:
- Stepping away to reset your mind
- Organising one small area of your life
- Supporting your physical and mental wellbeing
- Doing something playful or enjoyable
- Giving your nervous system a moment to slow down
Below are 30 easy 5-minute self-care ideas you can do anywhere, anytime. If your energy is low and your glass feels empty, don’t wait for “more time” — start with the five minutes you already have.
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5-Minute Self-Care Ideas
Quick Mind Reset Ideas
These ideas help quiet mental noise and bring you back to the present, even when your thoughts feel busy or overwhelming.
Close Your Eyes & Breath
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, close your eyes and take in a big, deep breath through your mouth, then exhale through your nose. Repeat this at least three times.
This is particularly good for anxiety, which is often heightened with short breaths.
Meditate
A great 5-minute self-care activity for mental peace and clarity is meditation. If you’re new to meditation or find that you can’t easily switch off, find a guided meditation on YouTube.
Close your eyes and take three slow, deep breaths. Imagine a column of light coming down from the heavens, going through your body and down into the core of the Earth. Imagine that light filling your entire body, from head to toe.
Still the mind and focus on your breathing.
When you’re ready, come back to your physical body and relax for a minute of two before heading back into your day.
Gratitude List
Another nice 5-minute self-care activity is to sit down with a notebook and pen and write a list of all the things you’re incredibly grateful for.
It could be the comforts of your home, your family and friends, your work, or your access to clean water and plenty of food.
Once you get going, you’ll be surprised at just how many blessings and how much abundance are all around you.
Journal
Sometimes we just need to get the thoughts that keep rumbling around inside our heads down onto paper. If you don’t already have a journal, dedicate a notebook to being your private space to write whatever the hell you want.
This is a place where you don’t need to explain yourself or tone yourself down. Let loose and express whatever it is that you’re feeling without apologies.
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Let It All Out and Cry
Sometimes, we just need to cry. One of the most healing 5-minute self-care things you can do for yourself is to sit with your emotions and completely let them out. Most people feel a sense of relief after a good cry.
Move Your Body (Without a Full Workout)
Gentle movement can release tension and boost your mood without needing exercise clothes, equipment, or motivation.
Stretch Your Body
Stretching your body is really good for your physical well-being, especially if you sit down for most of the day at work. Stretch your arms up over your head, twist your body, bend down and touch your toes and move your head forward, backwards and side-to-side.
Do Some Yoga Stretches
Stepping away from life to do some yoga stretches is a great 5-minute self-care practice. If you don’t know any yoga stretches, there are plenty of beginner videos on YouTube that can walk you through some basics.
Go For a Walk
Walking has been scientifically proven to have many benefits for our mind, body, and soul. Stretching your legs and moving will give you a moment to take stock, breathe deeply and step away for a few minutes.
You can go for a walk down the street, do laps around your yard or find a park.
Step Outside into Nature
The easiest way to recharge yourself is to connect with the Earth. Step outside into nature and kick your shoes off if you can. Feeling the grass, sand, or soil beneath your toes is so healing.
If you can’t get out into a garden or down to the beach, even standing outside, feeling the wind across your face and looking at a tree can do wonders for your soul in just a few minutes.
Simple Comfort & Calm
When your nervous system needs soothing, these small comforts can help you feel grounded and safe again in just a few minutes.
Listen to music
When you need to recharge, switch on your favourite tunes. Whether it’s chillstep, pop, or metal – the music that speaks to your soul will instantly calm and ground you.
You can use headphones if you’re not in your own space, but if you’re at home, turn it up and sing your lungs out!
Light a Candle or Incense
Create a beautiful, relaxing zone for yourself by lighting a candle and some incense. Open a window so that the scent can drift through the room without being overbearing, and put the candle somewhere where you can see and appreciate it.
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How Water Bottle/ Wheat Bag
If it’s cold or you have some tension in your body, heat up a hot water bottle or wheat bag and rest it on your body. Direct heat on your lower back, neck or feet can be so comforting in cold weather.
Eat Some Chocolate
Yep, eating some chocolate is most definitely an easy and enjoyable 5-minute self-care activity everyone can get into. Now, I’m not suggesting you down a whole big block in one sitting, but grab a small portion and enjoy being flooded with the chemical feelings of love that chocolate brings!
Have a Tea or Coffee
There is always something so soothing about holding a hot beverage in your hands and just sitting and sipping away. Make yourself a tea or coffee and step away from the riff raff of life for five minutes and savour it till the very end.
Nurturing & Connection
Connection doesn’t have to be deep or time-consuming — even small moments of closeness can refill your emotional cup.
Cuddle Your Kids, Partner or Pets
Cuddling someone that you love gets all of those happy endorphins flowing around your body. The longer the hug, the better! Not only is this 5-minute self-care practice good for you, but it’s good for them as well.
Chat With a Friend
What better way to take care of yourself than connecting with a friend? You can pick up the phone and have a chat or do a video call.
Even if messaging is the most accessible way for both of you, it’s still super important to stay connected to your network.
Read a Book
It’s always handy to have a good book on the go. That way, when you need a 5-minute self-care break, you can kick back and open up your book for a read. Whether you’re into fantasy, self-help, finance, romance, sci-fi or whatever else, as long as you’re able to tap out and relax for a little while.
Creative & Feel-Good Breaks
Creative and feel-good activities give your brain a break from productivity and help you reconnect with joy.
Do something creative
Creativity is food for the soul. Do some colouring-in, drawing, painting, writing or play an instrument. Whatever your favourite creative language is, do that. Being ‘good’ at it matters not; it’s all about joy and satisfaction.
Do Your Nails
Trim your nails and put a few coats of nail polish on. Your hands will feel so nice with a bit of pampering and a fresh pop of colour.
Put Together a Nice Outfit
Head to your wardrobe and spend some time putting together a nice outfit. Maybe you’re going out later in the week or just need some inspiration for the season.
Try on lots of different combos in front of the mirror to see which ones look the best on you. Take a photo of each outfit that you love and create an album in your phone for future inspo.
Freshen Up the Décor
Give your bedroom or lounge room a freshen up by changing around the pillows, throws, tablecloths, plants, ornaments, etc. You don’t need to go out and buy new items; just mixing up what you’ve already got will add a spark of fresh energy.
“A change is as good as a holiday!”
Quick Life Admin (Low-Energy Friendly)
These tiny admin tasks help reduce background stress without draining the little energy you have left.
Declutter a Space
The act of organising and decluttering a space moves around the energy, clearing out any stagnancy. Whether it’s a drawer in the kitchen, your wardrobe, your desk, or a full room, you’ll feel so much lighter and more energised after a quick declutter.
Organise Your Finances
Okay, so this may not sound like a self-care activity, but trust me, it is. Keeping your money in order is the make-or-break between a life of freedom and one of stress.
Create buckets (dedicated accounts) for all of the different categories that you need, and make sure to allocate the right amount to each bucket as you get paid. This way you will always have the money that you need and won’t have to stress.
Set up as many bills as you can to be paid via direct debit out of a dedicated ‘Bills’ account, so that they’re “set and forget.”
Have a browse of your spendings and make sure you’re not blowing money on junk you don’t need. There are many benefits to having a budget, but most of all is financial freedom.
Create a Meal Plan
Along with organising your money, organise your food.
Write up a list of meals for the week based on the ingredients you’ve already got. Then you just add the extra ingredients to your running shopping list on the fridge/bench.
With a meal plan, you’ll eat healthier, have one less thing to think about at the end of the day, plus save money on sporadic groceries and eating out.
Body Care & Reset
Caring for your body in small ways can shift how you feel emotionally, especially on long or exhausting days.
Moisturise & Massage Your Body
Give your body a bit of TLC. Grab a nice moisturiser or oil that you like and massage your feet, legs, arms, neck, and hands. This is a simple way to relieve some tension and focus on yourself for a few minutes.
Make Yourself a Healthy Snack
Speaking of feeding the soul, nourishing your body with some healthy food is also an act of simple self-care.
It could be a snack, a drink, or an entire meal. Whatever you’re feeling, put the time into what your body is truly craving in the way of nutrition.
Take a Shower
Jump into a nice hot or cold shower (depending on your climate) and let that water wash over your body.
Wash your hair, exfoliate, and shave for some extra bodily TLC.
Did you know that Earth is still using the same water that it’s been using since the beginning of time? It’s always being recycled through the waterways and rain clouds, then used all over again!
Water is one of the most cleansing and healing elements.
Take a Power Nap
Curl up under a blanket, close your eyes and just let your mind drift away. You might slip off into a micro-sleep and wake up feeling refreshed, or you may just doze, allowing your mind and body to fully relax.
💡 Tip: You might need to set an alarm for this one.
Step Away & Unplug
Stepping away from screens and stimulation can instantly reduce mental clutter and help you reset.
Get out into the garden
If you have a green thumb, take a 5-minute break and get out into the garden. Pull some weeds, water the plants and get your hands into the soil. This is a fantastic method for grounding and connecting with the Earth.
Step away from technology
And lastly, but most importantly for self-care in this day and age… step away from all of the technology. Turn your phone to silent, close the laptop, switch off the TV and just be in the world.
Technology is a constant drain on our energy. It’s constantly pulling at us, wanting us to consume and engage more and more information.
The ultimate self-care tip for the 21st century is to turn it all off and relearn how to be present in the physical reality around us.
You don’t need to wait for more time to look after yourself — start with the five minutes you already have. Small moments of self-care add up, especially on the days you need them most.
Want more ideas – here are 100 self-care things to try!
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