Though first popularized by the Black Panthers during the civil rights movement, famed poet and activist Audre Lorde introduced the world to self-care as “an act of political warfare” in A Burst of Light, her 1988 prose and essay collection. While the practices wrapped into self-care have always existed, Lorde put a label to what it means to nurture your body and soul — and outlined why it’s crucial for our collective liberation.
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation,” she writes. Lorde wrote that self-care was crucial and necessary, a revolutionary tool that would enable practitioners to have the energy to sustainably fight against oppressive systems. After being diagnosed with cancer for a second time, Lorde — a queer, Black woman who gave much of her life to the Civil Rights movement — reflected on how she utilized self-care to function in the face of adversity. It helped self-care to become a guiding framework of thought for anti-racist, feminist organizers.
While self-care has exploded in popularity in the years since, it’s also become commodified, a buzzword used to sell products and experiences rather than a tool for revolution. Herbal teas and essential oil candles are marketed as being perfect for “self-care,” becoming yet another way for corporations to profit off us and turning the concept into something that’s often too prohibitively expensive or time-intensive to be broadly accessible.
What does it mean to care for yourself outside capitalism? For Chastity Castro, a spirit-driven queer fitness coach, self-care means treating her body right by nurturing her mind and soul, “because your thoughts and feelings control your body,” she says. Sometimes, self-care can also be a broader philosophy for how you stay attuned to your body’s needs rather than specific actions. And Kristyl Rodriguez, a hairapist, travel barber, and mental health advocate, says treating her body right means listening to it.
“My body tells me what feels safe, what feels relaxing or rejuvenating, and it’s very clear about what it wants,” she says.
While self-care is often seen as requiring expensive treatments and products, it’s important to remember that it’s a practice, rather than a set of material items. In fact, self-care doesn’t have to involve opening your wallet at all. From walks in the sunlight to getting in touch with your five senses to getting more sleep, self-care can look like little acts of self-love rather than purchases. If you're looking for ways to care for your body and mind that don't require money, we've curated five tips below.
Maximize your rest and wakefulness
Sometimes, self-care can start before your day begins. Understanding when you have the most energy in your day and how much sleep you need to feel rested can help you plan your week. Think of your day-to-day schedule: Are you the most energized at dawn? Do you do your best work in the morning? Or do you prefer afternoons and evenings to get your work done?
Same thing goes for sleep: Do you get eight hours of rest at night? Or do you take power naps throughout the day instead? If you have the flexibility to choose, your body can help you make the right choice. Rodriguez says she practices self-care by listening to her body, getting a good night’s rest, and being active when she has the most energy.
“We spend a third of our days asleep, so we should invest in our rest just as much as we do our career or our free time,” she says. This is especially important considering consistent, quality sleep has been tied to better heart health and mental health outcomes.
The CDC recommends having a consistent sleep schedule — this means going to bed at the same time every night, including on the weekends. Having a soothing bedroom that’s dark and a cool temperature can also help you get restful sleep. Try to reserve your bed for sleep and sex rather than working from home, as this can help make it a more restful environment.
Use your senses to be present in your body
You can lean into your ability to see, hear, smell, taste, or ground yourself during hard times. A 2014 review of over 19,000 studies demonstrated that having a mindfulness practice — including one that grounds you in your five senses — can greatly soothe and reduce anxiety, depression, and even pain. These routines can include aromatherapy, eating a nourishing meal, and touching soft items.
Castro says she likes to ground herself in her body through her five senses in a bath. “Whether you prefer lo-fi vibes and a glass of wine or a deep meditation and candles, a good bath can foster the connection between your mind, body, and spirit,” she says.
While a soothing bath can include inserts like bath bombs and different herbs, they’re not essential. The important part about a bath is how it connects you with your body. If you want to skip spending any money at all, the sensation of hot water is often all you need to ground yourself, bubbly accouterments aside.
Castro’s perfect bath consists of crystals, epsom salt, eucalyptus and lavender soaps, holy water, and flower petals. If you want to include some bath inserts to help connect with your sense of smell and touch, these items don’t have to be expensive, as a bag of epsom salt is as little as $5.
Get some sun
“There’s a reason why we spend most of our waking day when the sun’s out,” Castro says. “Morning sunlight supports one’s mental and physical health. It increases cortisol, which will positively influence your immune system, metabolism, and ability to focus during the day.”
The sun has proven benefits for our minds and bodies, as light helps with our production of serotonin, vitamin D, and melatonin, all chemicals linked to our emotional and physical regulation. When the sun is up or a light is on, we can also see what’s around us. We physically feel warmer and more limber. Our sensitivity to the sun is what can make seasonal changes — especially the reduced hours of sunlight we get in the winter months — difficult for our mental health. That’s why it’s important to maximize the time we have outside and in the sun through intentional practices like walks, meditation, and earthing.
“To maximize my wakefulness, I like to ground myself through the process of earthing,” Castro says. “That’s where your feet feel the ground, the sun hits your skin, and you stand still facing upward. It feels like recharging your battery so you can tackle the rest of the day.”
Eat with intention
Enjoying food is one of the most common human pleasures, so it’s no wonder that it can be intrinsically tied to so many of our self-care routines. In addition to eating food you enjoy, Castro says eating with intention has allowed her to feel lighter and sustain her energy, which means knowing what foods help energize her.
“When it comes to eating, you want to eat your fruits and veggies first, then your proteins, and the last thing you want to tackle is the carbs,” she says. As someone of Puerto Rican and African-American descent, Castro refuses to give up on the yummy foods she loves. But chicharron de pollo, macaroni pie, and fried fish can make her sleepy, so she likes to fill herself up on plants before indulging in the meat and sides. Eating with intention doesn’t mean doing away with the foods you love. It just means understanding what makes your body feel good and acting accordingly.
“If you want your body to feel good, then you should be mindful of how you eat, as much as what you eat,” she says.
Establish a Grooming Routine That Feels Right and Accessible to You
Rodriguez considers herself a barber for humanity. Cutting hair in intimate settings allows her to deeply and authentically connect with clients through grooming. Since transitioning from the Marines in 2018, Rodriguez found passion for helping others reconnect with themselves, and uses hair as an entry point to that.
“Intentionality is a universal energy, and when I see people being intentional with their body hair, it shows a high level of respect for self. I know they apply that same discipline to many other areas of their lives,” she says.
She’s also very mindful of the products she uses and how regularly she uses them. “Every two weeks I cut my hair, moisturize and stimulate my scalp, and remain active with my skin care routine. I’m very conscious of the ingredients that are in products because our skin is the biggest organ of our body.”
If you’re going to splurge, take a fun class
There are lots of ways to treat your body right without money, but if you have some money to invest, why not sign up for an activity that brings you joy?
For some people, this can mean a dance class. For others, it can mean spending money on new, colorful yarn to knit. Having hobbies you can invest in — whether that be with time or money — can be grounding and life-changing. In addition to doing an activity you love, taking a class can help you connect with a like-minded community, which studies show has positive impacts on our mental health.
Regardless of the activity or service, investing in your self-care when you can is an act of self-love and compassion.
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