Self-Care on a Budget: Affordable Gifts that Make You Feel Better
Self-Care on a Budget: Affordable Gifts that Make You Feel Better
Sometimes, you just need to focus on you.
For people with busy lives and lots of responsibility, it’s easy to get caught up in work and putting your own needs on the back burner. We all need to take time for ourselves to enjoy simple pleasures, but traditional American values, like self-sacrifice and hard work, are always looming in the background, ready to make us feel guilty. The truth is, a little selfishness is a good thing if it means you’re reducing stress and feeling good about your life, so don’t feel bad about treating yourself to a gift now and then that boosts your sense of well-being as well as your health without busting your budget.
Better meditation
Meditation is a calming discipline that helps you achieve inner peace and happiness without spending a bunch of money on costly exercise equipment, gym memberships or spa indulgences. Why not spring for an instructional book that helps you get the most from meditation? Find the technique that works best for you, whether it’s deep breathing, repeating a mantra, or focusing your thoughts on a single word or phrase. While you’re at it, go ahead and invest in a new yoga mat or cushion so you’re as comfortable as possible while meditating. Look online for the best options at the best price; for example, you can make good use of Amazon coupons or promo codes so you don’t end up overpaying.
Eating healthy
You truly have control over your health when you can make your own food. Whether it’s cooking from scratch all the time or creating a regular staple. For instance, a homemade yogurt maker helps you get the protein and digestive aid you need to stay healthy using ingredients that taste good. You can find a yogurt maker that makes yogurt in seven different flavors for about $30, a bargain for anyone looking to eat healthier this year and cut down on container waste.
Back support
If back pain and poor posture are affecting your life, it might be time to invest in a desk chair that does a better job of supporting your spine and keeping you sitting up straight. Try an adjustable balance ball chair that forces your body to use different muscle groups to stay seated in a comfortable position. It’s an ergonomically healthy chair that won’t cost an arm and a leg (it’s basically just a balance ball and a metal frame on rollers) for less than $75.
High-tech water bottle
Have you made hydration part of your New Year’s resolution? Tired of paying money for bottled water to drink during workouts? You’ll pay a lot less for water with a self-filtering water bottle (often for less than $10), which means all you need for healthy, replenishing water is a water fountain or faucet. Water is filtered as you drink it, so if you’re wary of drinking tap water, fill it up and don’t worry.
Your new ‘go-to’ gym bag
Have you allowed your gym membership to lapse because it’s just too much of a hassle to keep all your workout gear together? Pick yourself up an Everest Gym Bag with a wet pocket for under $25 and see if getting to the gym gets a little easier. It features a separate pocket for wet and sweaty items so your entire gym bag doesn’t end up smelling like, well, a gym.
You can find plenty of little gifts that lead to a healthier, happier you in 2019 without spending a pile of money. Do more with less this year with health-oriented, affordable items that help you stay trim and eat smarter. You’ll feel better physically and emotionally.
Author
***Written for Meridian Counseling by Gabriel Patel is a blogger with healthwellwise.com. When he isn’t writing, he manages a health food store and enjoys working in his garden and training for his first Ironman.