According to Active Minds, the term self-care helps people develop healthy relationships with themselves. This concept has described activities that range from taking bubble baths in the afternoon to cooking a gourmet meal, and for busy parents, simply going to the store by themselves. Improving mental health doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive—despite the media’s over-the-top and indulgent portrayal of many self-care activities.

If you could use some more self-care, The Splendid Path offers the following ideas for giving yourself a mental health boost in the middle of your already busy life.

1. Send Someone a Handwritten Letter

In an era of texting and video calling, it’s easy to eschew snail mail for faster, more expeditious communication methods. Taking time to sit down and compose a handwritten letter, address it, and put it in the mail for someone else can show that you care for that person. It can also help improve the mental health of the recipients as well as your own.

2. Try Forest Bathing

As offbeat as this idea sounds, it comes from a Japanese concept that encourages individuals to go out into nature and simply take in the sights and sounds of the forest atmosphere. Forest bathing, and other more goal-directed ways of spending time in nature alone such as bird-watching and hiking, are scientifically proven to increase one's mental wellbeing.

3. Swing With Your Children

Play helps animals and humans alike to learn about the world around them and feel energized without activating norepinephrine, which can lead to that fight-or-flight feeling of stress. By playing with your children, you can participate in this learning process and similarly boost your own mental health. Consider swinging with your child at a park, going on a nature walk, or simply catching butterflies in your backyard.

4. Declutter

If there’s too much negativity and blame in your household, it may be time to get organized. By decluttering your home, you can create a more positive environment that allows you and your family to stay focused and relaxed.

5. Take a Class

The act of learning something new can help you feel mentally well. Think of taking a class or intentionally learning as investing in yourself and your capabilities. You may wish to study a particular language, learn a new skill, or work toward a certification that boosts your knowledge—but one that you don’t need for work or have been asked to complete by your employer.

6. Start a Collection

Have you always loved nesting dolls, rare coins, or antique books? Collecting can give you a sense of goal direction, as well as completion when you find that rare object or missing piece. Consider starting a collection and indulging yourself by displaying your items prominently in your home. If you’re already a collector, you may wish to further invest in your favorite items by buying a curio cabinet, a corner shelf, or another type of display case for them.

7. Foster Face-to-Face Connection

Humans are social creatures and even introverted people want to see others sometimes. So making a point of seeing someone else every day. It can be as simple as going to the store or getting a coffee, but getting some human connection is a great way to lift your spirit.

Self-care does not have to be elaborate, difficult to afford, or hard to schedule around your workweek and your family’s activities. It can be simple and tailored to your personal likes and hobbies. Use these ideas as a jumping-off point and add some of your own to experience a higher level of mental health and satisfaction with your life.

Lucille Rosetti created TheBereaved.org as a means of sharing tools to help people through the grief process. Having lost some of the people closest to her, she understands what it’s like, and how it can be an emotional roller coaster that doesn’t always seem to make sense.

7 Unique Ideas for Improving Mental Health That You May Not Have Tried