Taking a little me-time isn’t an indulgence; it’s a necessity. There are lots of ways to take care of yourself. If humans came with manual, here are a few tips that might be in the care guide:

1. Get the sleep you need. This isn’t the same for everyone, but The National Sleep Foundation recommends between seven and nine hours.

2. Eat healthy. There is a strong food-mood connection. In fact, there is even a whole branch of psychiatry devoted to nutrition. Some of the best mood boosting foods are ginger, turmeric, fish, chia, flax, berries (colors, every color is an antioxidant), green tea, Asian mushrooms, avocados, and broccoli.

3. Meditate. Meditation helps build mental resiliency and can help to manage anxiety.

4. Take in nature. Research shows that visits to forests, rural areas, and other green spaces can improve thinking skills and reduce stress. Read more about how,

5. Check out a good book. Reading fiction improves social-cognitive performance and boosts empathy.

6. Say yes…and no. People who are open to new experiences literally see the world differently according to research. But, setting boundaries on your time is also essential to well-being. In their book, The Power of No, James Altucher and Claudia Azula Altucher, show how saying no gives you space to say yes to new opportunities and experiences.

7. Make time for friends. Close relationships have a wide range of benefits: they motivate us, inform us, help us grow. And, they also have substantial mental health benefits. In fact, not having close friends is a risk factor for both anxiety and depression.

8. Get to know yourself better. Part of caring for yourself is doing things that are important to you. It’s easy to get so caught up in what other people are doing or what we think we should be doing, that we lose sight of what’s actually important to us.

9. Take a social media break. Scrolling through Instagram feels like a fun indulgence, but it’s the nutrition equivalent of eating a big bag of chips: satisfying in the moment, addicting, and leaves you feeling remorseful and maybe a little sick. It also can make you lonely, which has legitimate health consequences.

10. Daydream, often. Letting your mind wander is linked to intelligence and mental health. And, it doesn’t matter what you’re daydreaming about. So, don’t feel guilty, embrace it.