8 Self Care Ideas You Can Enjoy In Your Small Apartment
These days, it's more important than ever to embrace self care routines that will boost your mood, help calm your anxiety, and improve your overall apartment lifestyle.
And if you're living in a small apartment (or living in a small STUDIO apartment like me), it can feel challenging to make time and space for self care - simply because there's something about small space living that can make you feel too closed-in to get into the self care mindset.
So today I'm giving you some of my personal favorite self care ideas you can enjoy in your small apartment!
You deserve to thrive in your apartment - not just survive in it. So let's talk about finding self care inspiration, figuring out how to make your apartment cozy and conducive to self care, embracing more of a slow living lifestyle, and simply making your daily apartment life more pleasurable!
Video Transcript ↓
I just finished shooting my video about using color in a studio apartment, and I kind of want to just go right into making my next video… Because I have something on my mind: the importance of taking time for self-care in our small apartments.
Because I straight-up tested positive for COVID, even though I’m fully vaccinated and I live the life of a hermit who barely ever leaves her apartment - yep, still got COVID. So be careful out there!
So I'm simply going to walk you through the self care activities that have been comforting for me, and maybe it'll inspire you and your self care game!
This is where decorating your space and making it into your own personal oasis really becomes beneficial. Because when you're not feeling well or if you're going through a rough time of any kind, having a space that feels like your own retreat, your own sanctuary, your own comfort bubble… really helps. At least it helps me get through a challenging time.
I may be feeling shitty but at least my space is pretty!
And it's really not as trivial as that though.Having a pretty space that reflects you as a person and comforts you… that carries importance. It's simply helpful.
So this is my personal self-care checklist. These are the things that make me feel good in my apartment when I'm not a hundred percent.
The rest of this video is going to be voiceover because I'm not feeling good and I don’t want to be on camera anymore!
So if you want some feel-good self care ideas, watch on!
And before we dive in, I wanted to let you know that you can now watch my free workshop, "Decorate Your Dream Apartment Without Spending Money on the Wrong Decor For You" whenever you want!
In this FREE, 1-hour workshop, I’ll teach you how to…
Discover your personal style so you can decorate a space that feels like YOU
Create mood boards to help you visualize what your apartment could look like before buying things
Shop for decor in a way that will save you money and allow you to buy things that actually fit your space and your personality
If all that sounds like exactly what you need to create the dreamy apartment you’ve been yearning for, click here to watch the workshop!
1. Making the bed every morning
I start every morning with a simple (yet righteous!) act of self care, which is to make my bed. And this one is a non-negotiable for me.
If I don't make my bed in the morning, it feels like I'm basically sabotaging my mindset for the whole day.
And when you live in a small apartment - especially a studio apartment - making your bed has an especially profound impact on the overall vibe of your environment. It can mean the difference between feeling like you are existing among utter chaos or beautiful serenity.
I know that sounds dramatic, but frankly, I stand by this drama. Making your bed is the ultimate act of self-care, and if you’re not already in the habit of doing it every morning, I encourage you to embrace the positive effect it can have on your daily mindset!
Watch this video for my tips on making your bed pretty! ↓
2. Cozy couch time
My next act of self care I try to do every morning is to carve out some cozy couch time before I get to work.
This involves cozying up on my couch with a soft faux fur blanket, sipping my coffee, and eating a good breakfast (avocado toast is my go-to these days. And I like to dip it in this chipotle aioli just because apparently I feel the need to make this perfectly healthy meal a little bit slutty lol)
My cozy couch time is my way of creating some nice hygge vibes and having a slow morning for myself.
To light a candle, cuddle up, take deep breaths, and get my brain into the creative mode it needs in order to do quality work for Moda Misfit.
This is where creating a comfy, pretty living room space for yourself proves to be so beneficial. Cozy couch time in the morning is best in a soothing, comforting, aesthetically pleasing environment!
3. Soothing background music
Another self care idea I highly recommend is to always have soothing music playing in the background when you’re in your apartment, especially if you work from home.
For me, music can mean the difference between slowly transforming into a robot who’s become one with her laptop versus remaining a sentient human being with a functioning soul. 🙃
Basically, music keeps me alive. And it makes my work-from-home experience so much more enjoyable!
On a normal workday, some good lofi music does the trick. It’s chill, pretty, and easy to stay focused to.
Here’s some lofi music I’m loving:
winter lofi hiphop & chillhop radio ❄️ beats to chill/drink hot cocoa to ☕️
Music to put you in a better mood ~ A playlist lofi for study, relax, stress relief
4. Afternoon matcha
My next act of self care you can easily do in your apartment is something I’ve recently fallen in love with, and that’s drinking matcha latte as an afternoon treat.
I’ve fallen head over heels in love with matcha. It’s so yummy and gives me a nice afternoon boost!
My boyfriend Kobee and I have been loving this Matcha Superlatte by Clevr - it’s so delicious and easy to make. You just scoop the powder, pour a little hot water, froth it, then pour the rest of the water, and just like magic, you have a matcha latte!
They also sell these pretty little flower petal sprinkles if you want to make your matcha extra attractive, which frankly adds nothing at all to the taste for me, but they’re just fun and they add some whimsical romance to your matcha experience.
I personally feel like a fairy princess when drinking flower sprinkles, so I’d recommend it to anyone. 🤗🧚♂️
If you want to give Clevr’s Matcha Super Latte a try you can save 15% off your order if you use my code MODAMISFIT!
5. Video games
After working for a few hours, I’ll often take a video game break. There’s a point where I become so creatively exhausted working on all the Moda Misfit things, that it becomes imperative for me to take a Zelda break.
Right now I’m in the midst of my fifth Breath of the Wild playthrough, and it’s such a therapeutic and fun self care activity.
And let me tell you, video games are SUCH a great way to take a break, soothe your soul, and relax while ALSO keeping your brain active with creativity, exploration, and problem solving. There are a lot of benefits to playing video games!
And yeah, I know I mention the Legend of Zelda more than the average decor channel, and my obsession with it may come across as a little intense. I have a Triforce on my wall for god's sake (or should I say for Hylia's sake. Zelda reference. 🤓), so I’m clearly pretty obsessive about it.
Of course, there are other games out there that are especially great for self care. I’ve heard Animal Crossing is very relaxing!
And this girl made a video listing out a bunch of cozy games if you’re interested in using video games as a relaxing self care activity!
6. Feel-good food
My next self care idea is to indulge in some feel-good food for dinner.
And I mean indulge. Shamelessly. Cook something rich and amazing or order something greasy and slutty. Eat like a queen or a king or a troll under a bridge, whatever feels good.
Of course, this shouldn’t be a daily thing, for the sake of your arteries. But after an especially tough day? This is the way, my friend.
For me, my peak feel-good food situation means I’m going down on a big fat Chipotle burrito drenched in a psychotic amount of salsa.
Those Chipotle endorphins are the height of self care for me, personally. Find your endorphin pumping food and indulge in it every now and again!
7. TV time
This is something I always make time for. To be honest with you, I am not a complete person without TV. Any of my friends will tell you that if you ask about a TV show, chances are I've seen it and I have strong opinions about it.
Sci-fi is my personal favorite genre, and I’m not above a good Bachelor night. (Side note, ever since Kobee moved in with me, he watches the Bachelor with me and we both get so invested in the drama, haha. It’s so much fun.)
Whatever you’re into, whether it’s an intellectually stimulating drama or a fluffy reality show, don’t have any shame about taking TV time.
One of the most fundamental aspects of being human is to tell and listen to stories. Around the campfire, in a book, on a screen. Stories are stories. And they’re valuable in all mediums!
8. Brandy 🥃
And my final act of self care I’m going to talk about is to end the day with a touch of brandy, because as I’ve said a few times before on this channel, deep down I have the soul of a 65-year-old gentleman. And a glass of brandy is how I keep him happy.
If you’re not a drinker, you can obviously skip this one, but for me brandy is the ultimate comfort beverage. It’s like drinking a hug. 🥰
Curling up on the couch with my boyfriend and cheers-ing to something we’re proud of or grateful for is a lovely final act of self care that ends the day on a calm, soothing, and celebratory note.
I highly recommend you give the cozy amber elixir a try!
So those were some of my personal favorite self care activities!
And like I said, I’ve been doing extra doses of them since falling ill with the COVID pestilence.
Tell me in the comments below, what do you do for self care? I’d love to hear it!
And if you’re still not sure how to create your dream apartment and you're wondering things like:
“How do I discover my personal style so that I can make these good choices for my decorating?”
“How do I become more confident in my interior styling choices?”
“How do I mix styles?”
“How do I actually arrange things in my apartment?”
Then I got you covered…
If you're wanting to dive deeper into learning about how to style your apartment step by step, that's where my online course Small Apartment Styling School comes in!
Small Apartment Styling School basically holds your hand through your styling process and tells you exactly what to do step-by-step, so by the end of the course you feel like you know your style, you know what to buy, and you know how to place it in your apartment with confidence.
Imagine living in an apartment that actually boosts your mood everyday and makes you feel welcome, and makes you feel a sense of belonging and being at home.
Just because you rent your space doesn't mean you can't own your style, and Small Apartment Styling School helps you do that!
My current students have been a raving about how helpful the course was for decorating their apartments and I am so proud of what they've achieved after enrolling in the course!
Small Apartment Styling School will help you decorate your apartment step by step, including:
Figuring out your personal style
Choosing a color palette
Mixing different interior styles
Learning about the different interior styles that are out there and which ones might be a good fit for you
Arranging and accessorizing your apartment room by room - living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom.
All of this and more is in Small Apartment Styling School, so if you want to learn more and join the waitlist for the next time it opens for enrollment, click here!
For daily glimpses into my studio apartment life, you can follow me on Instagram @moda.misfit.
And for regular doses of apartment styling tips and small space decor inspiration, subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell to be notified when a new video goes up every week.