With the list below, we hope to give you ideas for your day of self-care this summer. Discover what gives you joy, be playful and also try to come up with ideas for yourself. We wish you a lot of fun.

• Go to the park and enjoy the sunshine. Bring a book and a rug and sit under a tree or on a bench to read. You can also go forest bathing. Find a quiet spot in the woods and be mindful of what you hear, see and feel.
• Turn on your favorite playlist at home, dance, sing along and let the music flow through you. Music has a profound effect on your emotions and can help you enjoy, as well as process emotions.
• Take your camera (or smartphone) outside and explore your own neighborhood. Take pictures of flowers, animals and other strikingly beautiful places. Not only is this relaxing, but you can be sure that you will look at your neighborhood with completely different eyes.
• Go on a spiritual journey and plan an entire day for meditation, visualization and self-discovery. Devise a beautiful ritual to celebrate yourself. You may want to go a step further and mind-altering substances such as magic mushrooms or truffles may also have a place in this. If you have never used these before, start with magic mushrooms for beginners and read what to look out for first.
• Nothing beats eating outside. Prepare a picnic, make tasty sandwiches, a thermos of coffee or tea, most of all bring what you like. Put everything in a basket or bag and eat outside in the park or on the beach. Combine the picnic with a hike or bike ride in a still unknown part of the Netherlands.
• Do you enjoy special activities to learn about yourself? Take a sound bath, take a yoga class or a guided meditation. Breath work is also a good way to work on yourself. This is also a fun way to meet new people who may have the same interests as you.
• Are you creatively inclined? Take part in a creative workshop, such as painting, mosaics, pottery or sculpture. You might discover a hidden talent or at least a new hobby.
• Treat yourself to a visit to the cinema, go to a nice movie and then eat out at a restaurant.
• Get started on a new wellness habit that you want to pay attention to more often from now on. Take a bath, exfoliate your skin, meditate or do an hour of yoga.
• Try not to look at social media for an entire day, turn off the sound and notifications, and stay in your own world all day. Enjoy the peace and quiet.
• Do nothing at all for a day.
• See how you can take even better care of yourself. If you might need more healthy food, find healthy recipes and get started cooking or baking. If you may be lacking in nutrients, see if you could use some extra vitamins and minerals. Make sure your body needs everything it needs for good sleep, resistance and energy.

With these ideas, you can already plan your first self-care day. And don’t worry, you are not being selfish if you allow yourself such a day. Often a rest day or self-care day is seen that way. But such a day is essential to keep up your busy life and to support your health (mental and physical). You need it just right and you deserve it. So enjoy it and schedule such a self-care day this summer (and every season)!