In October 2023, we ran a competition where we asked our community to submit their self-care rituals. In return, we'd donate £0.05 to charity for every submission, and the winner (picked at random) would get £100 voucher to spend on our jewellery 💖

Below we've added a handful of these submissions for you to read through and take some inspiration from should you need it:) Enjoy!x

45 self-care rituals from the community 🥰

1. I open my phone each morning or when times are hard and look at photos of happy memories with my children and grandson.
   
   
2. I use my fidget rings and I also talk to myself, breaking the situation that I’m going through into small parts. I’ll say right first we are just going to get through this bit, you can do this, you’ve got this.
   
   
3. Crotchet or knitting really is calming and of course productive. I love it.
   
   
4. I go out for a walk in nature x
   
   
5. "Count backwards from from 20, look for circular shaped items and count them, find all things coloured red.
   Breathe in and out.
   Remind yourself that the feeling shall pass ✨️"
   
   
6. I activate my senses by locating 5 tings I can see, 4 tings I can hear, 3 tings I can touch, 2 tings I can smell and one thing I can taste. If that fails - I walk barefoot.
   
   
7. I take 10 deep breaths and tell myself I can do this. Or I’ll use a technique called “lemon squeezing”.
   
   
8. I like to practise mindful breathing, whenever I'm upset or overwhelmed, i hug a pillow if i can and try to breathe deeply and also through alternating nostrils which helps to calm my nervous system
   
   
9. Colouring and listening to music.
   
   
10. For me nothing beats a face mask, hair mask and a hot shower. Followed by fresh bedding and new pj's 🥰 then I love to watch a film with lots of snacks, I put my phone down and leave it alone for the evening. I sleep so much better.
    
    
11. When I feel myself getting panicky I go and find one of my dogs, and stroke them. It helps ground me.
    
    
12. I do box breaths when I feel a panic attack coming on or I feel very stressed or overwhelmed.
    
    
13. Yoga every evening, as well as positive affirmations to friends and family everyday.
    
    
14. Washing my face and then cuddling with my cat while listening to ASMR.
    
    
15. I make sure to make my oatmeal and french press coffee every morning. This helps me clear my mind for the day to come. Every other day, at the end of work, I have a walk/jog, with my headphones on blasting my favourite music in the park near me, for a much needed breather from the corporate life.
    
    
16. My self-care ritual is when I'm feeling overwhelmed or anxious, I breath in as long as I can and breath out through a small hole and also as long as I can. Meanwhile I keep my eyes closes and think about my happy place.
    
    
17. I cross stitch.
    
    
18. I really love grounding techniques in stressful situations. Things like naming things to go with each sense or even just counting as many things you can see that are a certain colour. I find it really helps me.
    
    
19. Putting on a playlist and world build/create characters for writing/D&D - let’s me get lost in a different world for a while!
    
    
20. Put on either rain sounds or a fireplace on youtube and read (if i am not working).
    
    
21. I have just started a mental health podcast with my friend called ‘Mind Cake’, where we talk openly about our struggles and coping mechanisms. We are planning to try a variety of different strategies and therapies to see what helps and we want to get guests/experts on to talk about their own stories. Maybe Calm Collective would come in one day! ❤️
    
    
22. I struggle with anxiety and depression; so I always have a 'Calm collective' ring on. I fiddle with the ring, I cuddle my weighed winnie the Pooh with a disney blanket and watch the animated The lion king or Beauty and the Beast with a lit scented candle. This always helps me to relax, to stay calm; it's my comfort. Disney is my childhood and I'm okay being a Disney adult. Disney has helped me through so many difficult challenges and it will always be there. :) I definitely recommend sticking your comfort film on with your favourite teddy. Doesn't matter how old you are.
    
    
23. I look at the sky (or the roof if I'm in a room/building) and search for some marks. Could be a cloud, a star, a spot or a crack. So, I try to think of what particular description of that thing reminds me of my dead family members, who I deeply still love and cherish. Usually, that good stuff makes me loved and calms my anxiety.
    
    
24. Soak in bath.
    
    
25. I find doing my skin care routine morning and night calming it helps me get ready and Unwind, having a routine I find calming and giving myself a cheeky face massage helps to awakening my skin and in turn my mind and body, when I feel anxious I craft, crochet, felt or draw, stop and do something for you even if half an hour a day time to care for you matters, take care.
    
    
26. I take a Rubik's cube with me everywhere. When I am out and begin to feel overwhelmed, I just focus on solving the cube. I've become pretty good at it! It gives me something else to pay attention to.
    
    
27. I always try to practice breathing techniques and let myself know things will be ok :)
    
    
28. When I’m in anxious situations, more so when Im not working the anybody I know. I choose a colour and see how many things I can find with that colour, then another colour then another or how many of something I can see.. I did this when I went to jury duty when I was waiting to see if I was picked, then I was there all week and I had become so familiar with the room that I felt comfortable and got through the week without any anxiety.
    
    
29. I rotate my laundry detergent and I use my favourite when I'm particularly anxious. That way if Im having a bad day I can sniff my tshirt and it helps calm me because of the familiar smell.
    
    
30. Friday evening at the gym preferably with a barbell, some cardio and friends to burn off the stresses of the week. It's often the last thing I feel like doing but so worth it for the endorphins to start the weekend!
    
    
31. To remain calm I first use the sleep (sacred wood & lavender) or relax (sacred lotus & jujube) body mist from Rituals. Then I inhale deeply through my nose, hold my breath for 2-3 seconds, and exhale slowly through my mouth. And repeat the breathing steps until I'm calm enough.
    
    
32. Sometimes my anxiety will hit out of nowhere. As a way to try and reason with myself, I write down all the things that are making my mind “fuzzy” to get them out. Then I write down 5 good things that I’m happy with or thankful for to counteract those negative thoughts. Hope this helps someone figure out ways to get around their anxiety day to day :)
    
    
33. I write emails to people who I know help me when I talk to them, I don’t often send them but just knowing there’s an option there is a kind of safety blanket.
    
    
34. I sit up, relax my body and plant my feet to the ground.
    And start taking deep breaths. After 10 breaths, I think of 5 things I can see, 4 things I can feel, 3 things I can hear, 2 things I can smell and then 1 thing I can taste. I then hone in and focus on the things/senses that make me the most calm or happy until I feel better or calm enough that I can push forward with whatever thing or task that made me upset.
    
    
35. When in a situation where I know my anxiety will be up. I make sure I wear a necklace with a pendant so I can play with it. In everyday life, I use creative hobbies to relax. This could be diamond painting, crochet or cross stitch. Getting lost in the project helps me relax.
    
    
36. I wake up super early for work and my every day self care ritual is to wake up an hour before I need to start getting ready (usually about 5am), I make a cuppa and the sit on my bed and read a book. It relaxes me and sets my mood for the entire day. As a sales and customer service manager my work day can be quite stressful so starting my day like this is just perfect 😍
    
    
37. Acupressure mat and meditation.
    
    
38. Walking my dog in the woods.
    
    
39. As someone who has only recently been diagnosed with Autism, I’ve found looking back that the one thing that helped me go from having a meltdown to being nearly back to myself was a bath. Now as an adult I have adapted my baths to always have bubbles as they help to calm me down when I am feeling stressed or anxious.
    
    
40. One of the things that calms me the most when anxious, I love to get a deep skin care routine done and make myself an iced matcha latte to drink while watching my favourite show or movie :)
    
    
41. Do something I enjoy to switch off for a bit. Whether this be going for a walk with the dogs, reading a chapter of a book, binging some greys anatomy or playing a video game.
    
    
42. Anxiety rings. They calm and distract me.
    
    
43. I think about my favourite person and why that person is my favourite. I also do the 5,4,3,2,1 grounding technique when my anxiety is high. Using the calm co rings also helps distract me.
    
    
44. Put on my favorite podcast and go for a walk with my dog.
    
    
45. I have a hard time with showers, so I turn off the lights and put music on. I take my time and do it without any rush. It relaxes me so much.