There’s a day marked on the global calendar, July 24th. It’s called International Self Care Day 2025.
Not Valentine’s Day. Not Friendship Day. Not another marketing gimmick with cupcakes and curated posts. This day is about you.
And not the version of you that’s killing it at work, ticking off to-dos, or showing up online. This day is about the version of you that’s…
Tired but trying.
Quietly coping.
Looking for something softer in the middle of all the noise.
But what even is International Self Care Day 2025?
It was initiated to promote awareness about how essential it is to care for ourselves not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, spiritually.
It lands on July 24th every year and for good reason. 24/7 to remind us that self-care isn’t a once-in-a-while ritual. It’s something we need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Not because we’re weak. But because we’re human.
And practice self care is not always aesthetic. It’s not always pretty. And it’s definitely not always marketable.
Sometimes self-care looks like:
Turning off your phone while eating so your nervous system can digest in peace.
Saying “I’ll get back to you” and letting yourself be unavailable for once.
Crying without explaining.
Sleeping without guilt.
Doing absolutely nothing and letting that be enough.
Self-care isn’t about “fixing” yourself. It’s about accepting that you’re human. With needs. With limits. With emotions. And those are not flaws they are sacred indicators of your aliveness.
The 2025 Reminder: Why Self-Care Feels So Necessary This Year
We’re now halfway through 2025 and life feels faster than ever. We’re living in a world that claps louder for exhaustion than stillness. Where busyness is worn like a badge of honour. Where rest is treated like a reward, not a right.
And this year, the world hasn’t slowed down, if anything, it’s gotten noisier.
There’s always something to fix. Something to scroll. Something to strive for.
We’re surrounded by productivity hacks, growth mindsets, optimization plans, but we’ve forgotten how to simply be.
We don’t breathe unless an app reminds us. We don’t rest unless we crash. We don’t ask for help unless we’re at breaking point. We are somehow not able to build the pillars of self care in our life.
But what if we could interrupt that cycle? What if we could remember that we deserve softness before suffering?
That’s what International Self Care Day 2025 is inviting us to do. Not as a trend. Not as a post. But as a quiet return to self.
This year, International Self Care Day isn’t about indulgence. It’s about reclaiming your energy. It’s about building tiny habits of safety, slowness, and self-respect.
How to Truly Honour International Self Care Day 2025 (Without Needing a Spa or a Shopping Cart)
“Your peace doesn’t need permission. But sometimes, it needs a reminder.” In a world that glorifies constant motion, “slowing down” almost feels like rebellion.
Self-care is often misunderstood. It’s painted as a weekend luxury. A spa day. A long bath. A scented candle. But here’s the truth:
Self-care isn’t something you reward yourself with after burning out. It’s the only way to not burn out in the first place.
And that’s exactly why International Self Care Day 2025 exists, to remind us that taking care of ourselves isn’t optional. It’s essential.
But let’s be honest, We’re not taught to rest. We’re not celebrated for stillness. We’re constantly told: Be available. Be efficient. Be productive.
And somewhere along the way, we started equating our worth with our output. That if we’re not “doing something useful,” we’re wasting time.
This mindset is the real crisis. Not just stress. Not just fatigue. But this constant internal pressure to perform your existence.
10 Insightful Ways to Practice Self-Care on July 24th (And Every Day After)
These aren’t your typical “go-get-a-massage” kind of suggestions. These are deeply human, implementable practices that reconnect you to your self.
Choose One Day Where You Don’t Try to Be Anything For Anyone
For one day don’t try to be productive, helpful, wise, cheerful, inspiring, or “put together.”
Just be. Eat slowly. Reply late. Sit in silence. Wear what feels soft. Speak only when you really want to.
This isn’t laziness. It’s deep nervous system repair.
Clean Just One Surface, Mindfully
Not the whole house. Not the fridge. Just one shelf. Or your desk.
Not because it’s messy, but because a calm space reflects a calmer mind.
While you wipe, breathe. While you arrange, release. This small act becomes your silent way of saying: “I deserve to exist in a peaceful environment.”
Write a Letter to Your Present Self (Yes, Present)
Not future you. Not past you. Just who you are right now.
Start it with: “Hey, I know you’ve been carrying a lot lately…”
Say everything you’ve been too busy to feel. And when you’re done don’t analyze it. Just fold it. Keep it.
You’ll be surprised at how much lighter you feel.
Take a 3-Minute Breath-Break Every 4 Hours
Set alarms if you must. Every few hours, pause everything.
Put one hand on your chest.
Inhale for 4 seconds.
Hold for 2.
Exhale for 6.
Repeat 3 times.
This isn’t meditation. It’s biological self-regulation. A direct message to your brain: “We’re safe. We’re okay. We can soften.”
Make a “Done List” Instead of a To-Do List
At the end of the day, write down what you did manage to do, not what’s left.
Even if it’s:
Woke up on time
Sent 3 difficult texts
Took care of someone
Made yourself a cup of tea
This list reminds your brain: You did enough. You are enough.
Revisit One Thing That Made You Feel Like “You”
That playlist from college. That poem you saved. That friend you haven’t laughed with in months.
Pick one thing that brings you back to yourself. Not the curated, filtered version, the real one. Even if it’s for just 10 minutes.
Do One Thing Only For You (And Tell No One)
A solo walk. A prayer. A slow meal. A 10-minute nap.
No photos. No updates. No performance.
Let it be a secret offering from you to you. Because you are worthy of your own care, even when no one’s watching.
Revisit the Last Time You Felt Safe and Recreate One Element of It
Maybe it was your grandma’s kitchen. Or a bus ride with music in your ears. Or a chai break where no one needed you.
Ask: What was present in that moment?
Was it silence?
A smell?
A certain fabric?
The absence of judgment?
Bring one piece of that safety back into your space today. Self-care is recreating comfort not chasing it.
Sit With a Feeling You Usually Run From
Not to solve it. Not to analyze it. Just to say: “Hey, I see you. You’re allowed here.”
It could be loneliness, jealousy, grief, shame. Let it sit beside you for 5 minutes.
Self-care isn’t always light. Sometimes it’s just letting yourself feel and survive it.
Delete the App That’s Draining You (Even If Temporarily)
Maybe it’s Instagram. Maybe it’s WhatsApp. Maybe it’s your calendar.
Take a one-day break. Let your system reset.
Listen to the Silence in Your Room Without Trying to Fill It
Don’t play music. Don’t journal. Just lie down. Listen. Notice what stillness actually sounds like.
It may be uncomfortable at first but it’s also healing.
Because silence doesn’t mean emptiness. It means you’ve finally stopped running.
Let Go of One Expectation You Had From Yourself This Week
That task you didn’t complete. That habit you didn’t build. That reply you didn’t send.
Let it go.
Say: “Maybe I wasn’t lazy. Maybe I was just tired.”
Because you’re allowed to be a living person. Not a perfectly performing machine.
Talk to Your Body Like It’s a Friend Who Tried Their Best
Sit. Touch your legs, your arms, your chest. Say: “Thank you for carrying me even when I didn’t care for you.” “Thank you for breathing, even when I was anxious.” “I see you. I’m listening now.”
Self-care begins when your body starts to trust you again.
Create a 5-Minute Ritual That Belongs Only to You
It could be:
Lighting incense at night
Sitting on the floor barefoot
Writing one kind sentence to yourself
Rinsing your face while humming your favorite childhood song
Do it only for you. Not for productivity. Not for growth. Just as a way of saying: “I am home.”
This Year, Let Self-Care Be a Soft Revolution Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s sacred.
It’s how you remember your own worth in a world that constantly forgets to remind you.
And International Self Care Day 2025 isn’t just a date. It’s a gentle protest against burnout. A tender reminder that you don’t need to earn rest. You’re already worthy of it by virtue of being alive.
So if all you do this July 24th is pause for 5 minutes, put a hand on your heart, and whisper: “I’m here. I matter. I’m trying.” That’s enough.
That’s more than enough.