Ways to Boost Intellectual Self-Care

Intellectual self-care refers to taking care of one’s sense of understanding, learning, and curiosity. Similar to other forms of self-care (physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and others), intellectual self-care may be used to improve one’s overall wellness. Below are some ways to improve intellectual self-care.

Take a new class or course

There are plenty of free or low-cost online courses available. Udemy and Skillshare are a few examples, but you can even go down a YouTube rabbit hole on a topic you’d like to learn more about. If you’re a hands-on learner, your local college may offer courses on ceramics, drawing, or creative writing. Taking these courses for fun without the pressure of earning a degree may help you to fall in love with learning.

Reading

Travel to your local bookstores, check out books from the library, or ask for book recommendations. You might even try reading from a genre that you don’t normally read. I love getting a good mix of fiction and nonfiction from the library, depending on my mood. You could even join a book club to increase intellectual (and social!) engagement.

Attend an event

Try to pick an event that you would not typically go to. If you’re not active or familiar with local politics, attend a town hall meeting. If you’re wanting to learn more about becoming physically healthy, attend a fitness exposition. If you’re yearning for a real-world challenge, go to an escape room with some friends.

Watch a documentary

There are plenty of shows and documentaries available on a whole world of topics: technology, sports, society, sexuality, science, religion/spirituality, psychology, politics...the list goes on. If you’re the type of person to zone out with the TV everyday, try to incorporate some educational shows or movies to balance out the fun stuff.

Develop a skill

Practice something that you have always wanted to learn or improve at. Can’t cook? Try learning a new recipe. Want to learn a second language? Practice with an app, attend a course, or travel to another county. If you’re curious about a skill you’d like to have, explore ways of learning and practicing it. We don’t have to aim for mastery; sometimes exploring the learning process is stimulating enough.

Play games or do puzzles

This is a fun one that I love, especially when I want to decompress at the end of the work day. If you find yourself playing the same games over and over again, try out a new puzzle, board game, or computer game. Recruit some friends or family members if you’d like to get in some social self-care!