Self care is very important, especially if you have a mood disorder. What kind of self care steps do you take?

I make sure that I have at least 1 hour of free time everyday to do whatever I want. It's "me" time. If I don't have my "me" time, then I'm usually stressed out.

I also like to make sure that I get some form of exercise. (Also good for de-stressing.) All I need is at least 15 minutes, but preferably 45 mins to 1 hour. I've found the easiest thing to do is get on my recumbent bike and watch a movie while I pedal. (If you don't have one of these bikes, you can get a set of pedals that you can put under your desk or in front of your feet... I think they're called "desk bikes". Quality ones cost about $100 and up.)

[boogiesmash]

What do you do during me time?

Originally Posted by boogiesmash

What do you do during me time?

Read email, play video games, buy things on Amazon, watch movies, keep up with Better Call Saul (because I Breaking Bad), hang out with my friend (if she's around and not busy w/ her husband), cook delicious sweets (like cake mmmmm), read random Wikipedia articles for the LOLs (although some of them are f***ing weird or insanely gross and make me completely regret hitting the "random article" button), browse & reply to things in Reddit, drive somewhere awesome, draw, read books, read news/gossip articles for the LOLs

[Tsukiko]

I meditate, drink tea or coffee (though I had to cut down on both and it's been depressing. lol), read blogs about self-improvement, meditation, and spirituality, write, do yoga, and watch films or television shows.

[raspberrytorte]

I write one to two hours a night. I don't get very much, if any, relaxation time. However, my husband and daughter are at a baseball game and I wasted two hours watching weird videos on youtube. Lol!

Avoiding nessessary stress is at the tip top of my list. Too much stress and I tip overboard every time.

I like to open the window and enjoy the fresh air and the birds, or go outside when i can. If not then i like to watch a movie on youtube. Otherwise i just love up the cat.

[SingDanceRunLife]

I'm still learning how to do self care because I've always been a people pleaser and I always have tried to make sure everyone has everything they want/need and it has left nothing for me...but I'm much better at it than I used to be. I generally will take a run if it's nice outside, walk around a nearby lake or watch TV. A few weeks ago I took myself out to the movies which was really nice.

[Wander]

I listen to lots of good music, go for bike rides, surf the net, make sure I eat well and take my meds properly and just generally take time to chill each day. I certainly fail to do proper self care at times and I often pay dearly for it. It is a work in progress.

For me self care starts with making the effort to get myself ready for the day.