Self Care Cards Guidebook

Special thanks to The Esoteric for suggestions that led to 41-52!

© 2025 by Bryn Hofmann, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

These cards are meant to be used alongside your best judgment. If you don't think something is right for you at the moment, don't do it. If you need to scale down to the smallest thing you can do, do that. If you have the energy for a big project and want to take one on, do that!

Instructions on how to make cards similar to my own deck are here.

1 HABIT: Start or revisit a habit or hobby that will make you happier. This can be anything big or small. I found I felt a little better every day when I started the habit of stretching at least 2-3 times a day. Having a hard time being consistent with your habits? Try out a new way of tracking and reminding yourself.

2 ALTAR: Create or revisit a sacred space for yourself. This can be a space for the gods, the Fae, your ancestors - whoever you want to be closer to. Not much room? Make it a picture, or something you can put away between uses. No room at all, or you have to hide your practices from housemates? Create or find a web page.

3 WRITE: Write out what's on your mind. You don’t have to act on it, although you can do so if you find you want to. Just take 5-10 minutes to write down whatever comes to mind. It’s okay if it’s nonsense or superficial.

4 CLEANSE: Have a relaxing bath or shower. Or wash your hands or face. If you have the energy, exfoliate, moisturize, or whatever you like.

5 LINES: Set and enforce good boundaries. You can pick one thing you want to work on. If it’s easier to stand up for others rather than yourself, can you think of a way to stand up for a person or group as a starting point?

6 PLAN: Make a plan for the future. This doesn’t have to be a 5 year plan. Maybe there’s something you want to do tomorrow, or planning out your whole day or week makes you more comfortable. If you’re not a “plan” person, is there something you want to make sure gets done? Figure out the first step to ensure it does, and when you can do that first step.

7 MAKE: Do something creative. If you already have a creative practice, great! Otherwise, some options are to look on social media for beginner projects, check your local library for crafty events or classes, find your local yarn store and ask about beginner knitting/crochet/spinning classes, or even doodle on a piece of paper with whatever pen or pencil you have. It’s more important to have fun than to make a masterpiece; don’t worry about the outcome!

8 GROUND: Ground, center, and shield. It may be called “grounding” but you can do this with whatever element you’re most connected to. Connect to that element through visualization, feeling a link between yourself and the closest example of that element, or any other way you know of connecting your physical and subtle senses. Scan your body for any energy that isn’t “you” - things you may have picked up from others or the environment throughout your day - and feed that energy into the element. For Earth, see/feel a root coming from your body into the ground that you can feed the energy into; for Water or Air, see/feel the current of Water/Air taking the energy; for Fire, see/feel it burning away the energy. Gently pull into your aura and energy body all of the energy that’s “you” and is left behind. Call it back from wherever it might have gotten lost. Then shield in any way you like - if you don’t do this regularly, try shaping a protective, porous barrier from the element you’re closest to and instructing it to keep out anything that isn’t in your best interests. Using an element or other external power source keeps it going without draining your own personal energy.

9 MOVE: Exercise in whatever way is practical for your health and fitness level. If you don’t normally exercise, you may want to try stretching, walking, or swimming if you know how. If you write/type or do fine detail work like drawing, it’s time for those hand stretches!

10 SELF: Take a day (or hour) for yourself. How much time can you responsibly set aside for just yourself? Get back in touch with who you are and what you value. Make a list, or run through it in your mind. Spend some time on those things if you can.

11 HEART: Do what your heart wants. Listen carefully. Are you overwhelmed with responsibilties and screaming inside to take some time away from them? Find a way. Do you know you need more structure in your life? Try a new way of achieving accountability. Do you need help? Ask. Is there something constructive that makes you feel better? Do it.

12 HOME: Spend some time on your home. Decorating, tidying, and energetically cleansing are all good options depending on what it most needs.

13 WATER: Hydrate. It can be a glass of water now, or a plan to drink more water over the long term if that’s something you need.

14 NOPE: Give less fucks. Is that person who’s judging you in charge of your life? (Hint: The answer is no.) Will there be a disaster if you get one less thing done today? (Probably not.) Consider what might realistically happen if you let go a little and let go of something that doesn’t matter so much.

15 CALM: Meditate. It doesn’t have to be the kind where you sit still and try to ignore your thoughts. Consider walking meditation, focusing on your breath, or any other form of mindfulness that fits your mind.

16 SEEKER: Get advice from an expert in something you enjoy doing or want to try, or be a mentor in a field you know well. If you’re learning, consider books, videos, etc. if they work well with your learning style. 

17 NOURISH: Try a change in your nutrition, plan a healthy meal, or plan nutrition for a whole day or week including healthy snacks. 

18  LAND: Go outdoors, or if you can’t, watch the wildlife through the window or watch a nature video. 

19 READ: Read. I don’t care if it’s educational or great literature - any reading is good for you.

20 RITUAL: Perform a ritual. Consider what you would like to celebrate or ask for; if you don’t normally plan rituals, you can look online for examples or just sit down, connect with deity, and speak from the heart.

21 UNMASK: Get to know the real you. This is especially important for neurodivergent people but most people hide at least a little bit of who they are, in some situations. Start to observe when you’re hiding or when your sense of “you” shifts in different settings. (Are you more outgoing in some settings than others, for example?) Think about whether it benefits you to do that, or only others. (Being safe is a benefit but it sucks to have to do things solely to be safe!) Now try to be mindful of when these shifts happen and where, and whether you really want them to happen. Try to set aside some time regularly to be yourself or to enjoy your variant selves, even if it’s only when you’re alone.

22 SHADOW: Delve into a trait or behavior you don’t like. If it’s not obvious why, why don’t you want to show it? How much have you struggled to keep it locked away? Consider how to honor this part of yourself whether you show it more, or acknowledge and work against a trait that isn’t healthy.

23 REST: Get more rest. Whether it’s napping, lying down, taking a bath…set aside some time to not do anything much. Society pressures us to always hustle but it’s not healthy to go nonstop.

24 ABOVE: Avoid people who bring you down. If you can’t avoid them, try not to take them as seriously. And seek out people who help lift you up.

25 COLOR: Wear or decorate with a color associated with what you want to attract in your life. Your own personal color meanings are best, but if you need a place to start, search for color magic information from witches like Molly Roberts.

26 WITCH: Get in touch with or reaffirm your witchy side. You can pick an occult practice to learn, get back into, or focus on for the next little while.

27 CONNECT: Connect with others, whether old friends or new. If you need a place to start, try looking for groups focused on one of your interests - locally or online.

28 GRATITUDE: List the small things you’re grateful for.

29 CELEBRATE: Celebrate something you’ve accomplished. Even surviving is a big accomplishment for some, and a little victory you recently achieved is perfectly good too.

30 RELEASE: Let go of something that’s in the past now. Forgive yourself if you messed up - you can learn from it. You don’t have to forgive others if they’re the ones who messed up, but it’s worth working to move past old hurts and not let them live rent-free in your head. If you can’t do it alone, consider therapy or a support group.

31 VISION: Make a vision board. You can glue or pin pictures of the thing you want to achieve on a poster board or project board You can draw or paint something representing what you want to achieve. Hang it up where you’ll see it frequently.

32 CLARITY: Use discernment. Discernment is critical thinking about magical situations. For example, when I rededicated myself to spirit work, I got three readings to determine whether I should do it in the way I was thinking, two of which were blind readings (the reader didn’t know what the subject was). And it confirmed that I should go ahead, as well as giving further detail about something important to keep in mind as I did.

33 DREAM: Take a small step toward one of your goals. You may need to plan out how you’d reach your goal first - it’s okay if you don’t know the entire process. Just try to get the first step or first few steps, then do it.

34 PATH: Re-evaluate your life path. Are you happy with the way things have turned out? If you are, celebrate! If not, what’s one thing you can do to get yourself closer to a path that would be more rewarding? Take that first step.

35 TRUTH: Speak your truth. Even if it’s a whisper in private.

36 LIFT: Remember someone who made your life better. If you have a way to thank them, consider doing so. If it’s someone who has passed, you may want to write a letter to them and burn it. A cauldron is perfect for this.

37 LOCAL: Learn about your area. It could be history, animals, plants, the local bodies of water, getting to know more people who live or work near you.

38 SEASON: Learn about the seasons or this time of year. Have you wanted to try celebrating a holiday cycle from a culture related to your religion and not done so before? Do you know what your ancestors would have been doing at this time of year? Now’s the time to find out.

39 ROOTS: Learn about the history of something connected to you. It could be your family, career, or favorite hobby.

40 NEW: Try something new. It could be an activity, an event, a food, a way of doing something you already do. It’s okay if you decide you don’t like it; the important thing is to give it a chance.

41 MIND: Focus on your mental health. If you’re looking for a new resource, I recommend Mickey Atkins on YouTube.

42 BODY: Focus on caring for your body. What would help? Exercise, adjusting your diet, more rest?

43 EXPLORE: Go someplace new. 

44 ASK: Ask for what you need. Even if the answer is no, you asked.

45 WEIRD: Get weird! Do something silly or unusual that feels like fun.

46 PLAY: Play with toys, a puzzle, a game…

47 HUG: Get some physical contact!

48 TASTE: Have a snack or chew on something.

49 TOUCH: Touch something pleasant. Maybe your pet, a piece of clothing you especially like the feel of, or a flower.

50 SIGHT: Look at something pretty. It could be a favorite photo, an online art gallery, a sunset, or the landscape at the nearest park.

51 SOUND: Listen to a sound or music that you enjoy.

52 SMELL: Smell something pleasant. Maybe perfume, fruit, a flower.