You’ll laugh. Or I hope you will. Yesterday I posted about ‘International Day of Friendship’ on ‘International Self Care Day.

You see, I had both planned. Self care for yesterday. Friendship for next week—because it’s International Day of Friendship next week. Both are really important topics for me, and for humans in general, so I had them in my mind to do one after the other.

And then life got hectic, and I got overwhelmed, and I posted the friendship one first, thinking they were the other way around.

(And I’d just had a great supportive moment with a couple of friends of mine, so friendship was front and centre in my brain. Not a bad thing!)

But now I feel bad for misleading people that it was International Day of Friendship yesterday. Eek.

(I know, I know! No one is going to grill me for that, especially such a topic, but you know the strange worries our heads give us.)

The funniest irony?

Clearly, I needed to give myself more self-care, to have got in such a mess, to mix up self-care day.

I’ve got to chuckle at myself. Take the hint.

So I’m starting fresh on my self-care post. And I hope this little human moment of mine can encourage another human out there.

That’s what The Wild Almanack is for, after all. Humans here for humans.

So, happy International Day of Self-Care (for yesterday, 24th July 2025), and if you’ve read the friendship one, or will do next (I hope you will), take it as a ‘we’re ready to celebrate it next week instead’!

And let’s talk about self-care.

Because I for sure often think of self-care as a buzzword or some grand idea or a topic companies talk about just to look good, or people booking fancy spa days or having the luxury to sit around with cucumber slices on their eyes.

How many of us think it’s ‘too much’ or we can’t afford it (in money or time)?

Maybe a toddler is running around stealing your cucumber slices and throwing them on the floor because he won’t eat them, but he doesn’t want them on your face either, and then he jumps on you and demands you move around and do something with him, and he won’t sleep unless you’re next to him?

(If that sounds familiar, we’re siblings right now. Feel free to reach out and sigh into cyberspace with me.)

But no. I’m learning that self-care is smaller. And comes in packages we don’t expect.

It could be standing up and stretching if you’ve been sitting down at your desk for ages. Taking a mini walk.

Making yourself a hot drink.

Drinking the right amount of water each day. (The 2-litre rec they give us is a base minimum. Most of us should actually be drinking more than that. Check it out per your country’s recommendations and calculations.)

Getting the right amount of sleep. Or at least a decent amount. (I’m bad at this. I’m really trying to work on it.)

Making sure you make time for your interests each day (or as many days as you can). Even if it’s only five minutes. Fitting in what’s important to you and lights you up is an absolute must. For me, writing and workouts. If I don’t do either, I’m a terrible human being. Especially as we give so much time for work or other people’s dreams (which is basically what work is, working toward’s other people’s goals) and being a parent, your identity can feel squashed. So make sure to make space for YOU too.

(I can talk forever on that. Might have to be another post.)

Having a good shower or bath. Choosing your favourite shampoos and body soaps so you smell how you like, rather than using one you don’t like the smell of.

Eating the food you like to eat. (And making space for healthy foods too, of course, because that makes your body feel better.)

Listening to the music you like.

Meeting with friends and family and those you love and having fun.

Long random walks outside without phones to distract us. Just feeling the space above us and a breeze on our faces after being stuck inside closed-off buildings for HOURS.

Reading if you want to.

And then of course all the stereotypical things we think of for self-care, like bubble baths and candles and spa trips.

Self-care is often in the small daily things that make us feel like US. And it’s different for everyone.

Recently, I’ve struggled with crazy life shifts like moving house, and it’s winter at the moment in Australia so it’s cold and dark and there’s lots of sickness around, so giving myself time to wake up early like I normally would and have MY TIME (for workouts, writing, podcasting work, audiobook reading, etc), all the things that I do for ME, have been difficult to do.

And as a result, my identity’s been all over the place, and I’m clearly not engaging in the self-care that works for me.

Hence the mix-up I told you about at the start.

Hence feeling like life is crazy right now.

Because when lots of things go on at home, work, in parenting, etc, it’s making sure we make time for us that help us feel like we can handle it.

So happy International Day of Self-Care.

Please make sure you do actually give yourself time to look after you. In the way that is unique to you.

What do you love doing that makes you feel better?

What’s special to you?

Do you think you can make time to fit it in more often?

I hope you can.