14 Therapists Answer: What are the best self-care tips for free, on a budget, and at a higher price point?

When we interview our associate therapists, we ask them about their best tips for self-care. Everyone approaches this differently. Some of our therapists really give us food for thought as to what self-care truly means. Many give a variety of tips, knowing that we each need different things at different times. Here are what 14 of our associate therapists responded to the question:

What are the best self-care tips for free, on a budget, and at a higher price point?

Erin Boyle says:

Self-care is all about understanding what your nervous system needs at any moment and finding a way to fulfill that need.

If you need more spaciousness:

    • Find a nice, quiet room where you can exist by yourself
    • Find a spot outside in a park where you have enough physical room to feel like you’re by yourself (in other words, maybe not Dolores Park on a hot day)

If you’ve been working on something really heady or cognitive and are feeling burnt out:

    • Make art! This could be as formal or informal as you like (take a pottery class, paint, color in a coloring book)
    • Make music! Play an instrument, or just put on your favorite tune and belt it out
    • Move your body! Go for a walk or throw yourself a dance party

If you’ve been working on something really nebulous or do the type of work that tends not to have a clear end point (maybe you’re a creative):

Read Erin Boyle’s complete interview here.

Jordana del Feld answered:

… for free

Just for today, try extending to yourself the same degree of compassion, patience, and love that you extend to others. Just for today, try saying “no” to choices and people you know are not in your own best interest. Just for today, notice a simple pleasure about being alive and say “thank you” for it. And then try doing it all again tomorrow!

… on a budget

Go out, by yourself or with people you care about. Or stay in and cook a delicious dinner, by yourself or with people you care about. Explore a new activity, by yourself or with people you care about.

… and at a higher price point?

Get some good therapy. Travel. Study. — Life is short. Do “it,” whatever “it” is, now.

Read Jordana del Feld’s complete interview here.

Elizabeth Dausch answered:

  • Grab a notebook and write down what you notice going on in your inner world. You could also get a journal with prompts to support your processing.
  • Insight Timer phone app (free): guided exercises, sound healing, and more.
  • Take a 20-30 minute walking break before, during, or after your workday.
  • Bring some natural beauty into your home with a plant or flowers from Trader Joe’s.
  • Save up for a class, workshop, or retreat on a topic that interests you or pertains to your goals for growth and healing. My alma mater CIIS offers amazing public programs.

Read Elizabeth Dausch’s complete interview here.

Brooke Hein answered:

I think there’s an important difference between self-care and self-soothing. What we’ve come to think of as self-care is too often individualistic, commodified, and white washed, involving bubble baths and starting a gratitude journal with the goal of helping us get back to work and to be more productive. Yin in the service of yang, if you will. The reality may be that the bubble bath and gratitude journaling are self-soothing, in that they help you relax or momentarily distract you, while something like scheduling a dentist appointment or paying the water bill serve as self-care. We need both.

So, I offer ideas that may be soothing as well as practical…

    • Free: reading a really good book in the sun at a local park […or washing the dishes that have piled up in the sink].
    • On a budget: a relaxing evening at Kabuki Springs & Spa — they have male, female, and nonbinary days each week, $49 for 2.5 hours […or picking up groceries for the week].
    • High end: tickets to see Beyoncé […or paying off credit card debt].

Read Brooke Hein’s complete interview here.

Courtenay Houk answered:

Yoga studios and sound healing will offer free classes at times, such as Metta Yoga in Marin. I believe there is also an Outdoor Yoga group in Berkeley that is affordable. These can be great opportunities to try out different movement practices and find what works best for you and your body/nervous system.

If you are a person prone to anxiety and happen to live by some hills, walking or running up a hill, or holding a plank pose, or going for a run can be excellent ways of releasing stored-up energy in the body.

Lastly, this may be easier said than done for some, but the practice of reaching out to a close friend and making time to connect and build intimacy, can do wonders.

Read Courtenay Houk’s complete interview here.

Elaine Walker answered:

    • Free: being outside, facing the sun or the moon and breathing in/soaking in its rays.
    • Budget: riding public transportation to a park, especially with a view. Views calm the nervous system and immediately make us feel calmer.
    • Higher price point: body work like a massage or Rosen method session

Read Elaine Walker’s complete interview here.

Chris Doorley answered:

on a budget:

For me, you can’t beat walking outside, and journaling for self-care. Getting your body out of its interiority or freeing your inner world onto a page allow for change to take place intuitively. They’re also both almost free (if you own shoes, pen, and paper).

as an investment:

For people who have enough time to get out of town for even a weekend, I’m a huge fan of investing in relaxation away from normal demands and work routines. Do you have enough time and money to tent camp, or car camp, or to spend one or two nights in a cabin or a yurt, or to go on a fun day trip to an open space? There are cheap ways to give yourself nothing-to-do and see the lush world, the recycling of seasons, the natural wonder of it all.

Read Chris Doorley’s complete interview here.

Karen Baker answered:

  • Meander through GG Park on Foot or Wheels
  • Yoga to the People
  • Community Acupuncture
  • Japanese or Korean Day Spas
  • Farmers Markets
  • Journal
  • Paint
  • Nap
  • Dance

Read Karen Baker’s complete interview here.

Cynthia Martin answered:

Self-care hinges on the small, yet impactful routines we embed into our daily lives. It’s less about expensive activities and more about the consistent, mindful habits that offer deep personal value. It’s found in the gentle stretch of a morning yoga pose that wakes and greets the body with kindness, or the mindfulness of a short, evening walk under the stars, allowing the day’s stress to be felt and then dissolved with each step. Embracing these modest, daily habits shows us that true self-care can be both uncomplicated and transformative.

Read Cynthia Martin’s complete interview here.

Mark Resch answered:

The best free self-care is found in any of the amazing parks and hiking trails around. Fresh air, movement and the amazing beauty of this place are so good for the soul.

At a higher price point, taking time for a massage, hot tub, and sauna can be really embodying and restorative.

Read Mark Resch’s complete interview here.

Julie Peters answered:

Free …

    • 1) Meditation
    • 2) “Sing-alongs” to a favorite playlist
    • 3) Hiking/walking
    • 4) Any type of creative outlet such as writing, painting, composing, dancing, acting, etc.
    • 5) Boardgames

If you have funds …

    • 1) Massage
    • 2) Gym workouts/fitness classes
    • 3) Art classes
    • 4) Travel
    • 5) Spiritual Retreats if that appeals to one’s palette

Read Julie Peters’ complete interview here.

Dani Gotwalt answered:

  • Slowly walking around San Francisco while listening to music that brings you into the present moment
  • Visiting a new library branch
  • If overwhelmed or angry, jumping jacks!
  • Looking at green plants – houseplants or in Golden Gate Park
  • Journaling

Read Dani Gotwalt’s complete interview here.

 Caroline Lee answered:

Put your bare feet in grass for at least 30 minutes.

Read Caroline Lee’s complete interview here.

Sabrina Rayner answered:

Walking in nature (if it’s accessible); getting your hands in some dirt and planting something

Read Sabrina Rayner’s complete interview here.

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