To some, the idea of self care seems a bit superficial. But the truth is, tuning into your deepest self and honoring your own needs is essential for personal growth. The enneagram is a fun, engaging tool for getting to know yourself and facilitating that growth! Below you will find an enneagram self care challenge designed for each type. Of course, you might choose to challenge yourself to lots of them! Go for it—follow your curiosity! These are designed to bring more kindness into your day, more calm, more excitement, or even simply more awareness. Let us know what you think of them.
enneagram self care challenges for your type
ONES
Carve out a time for belly laughs. Make it your mission to simply to laugh. Plan to binge watch a comedy, read a clever book, or whatever it is that gets you to giggle… Plan this time and guard it from all the other important to-do list items—prioritize it. Then if you can, spend it with someone who will make those fits of laughter even funnier.
Have a scheduled date with your Zoom or FaceTime pal. But this time, dress up—really go all out! It will invite a little silliness into your day. Plus, you’ll feel a release of tension from the whole process.
TWOS
Plan a time this week to be alone and unplug completely. A long walk somewhere pretty or fun, or maybe going to a farmer’s market, or a picnic somewhere beautiful. Simply be present with yourself and breathe deeply. Try to focus on the present—how you feel, what you see, what you are experiencing. But when thoughts come up that distract you from the right now, take note of what they are about.
Give yourself a mini makeover/grooming/pampering session. Do your hair, skincare or makeup, and nails. You’ll get a pep out of it, and remind yourself of your own presence and value in the process.
THREES
Schedule a phone-free period of time somewhere peaceful—maybe in nature, maybe a sauna. If possible, plan to be there with someone you trust and invite them to experiment in a no-phone time with you. Or, bring your journal with you to record your thoughts.
See if during that time you can express an honest feeling or two. This might come about by having a conversation (with your friend or with yourself) and asking some open ended questions about how things are going in life.
You might express your feelings all the time, but how often is there enough space to actually sit and look at them/name them/maybe even process or work through them without the immediate distraction of the next thing at hand? Aka your phone.
Try to cook or bake a new recipe you never thought you’d try. You’ll have a healthy place to channel your ambition and need for a challenge and end up with a new experience to show for it.
FOURS
This week, go for a solitude walk, preferably in nature and with your phone off. As you go along, check in with all of your senses. What are all of the things that you see? What about all the sounds that you hear? The things you smell? And the things you feel, like the impact of your feet hitting the ground or the feeling of the breeze against your skin… Just be in this experience and take some time to notice.
Send a snail-mail letter to a friend. It’s a unique and beautiful experience you can use as an outlet for your creativity. But it will help you get out of your own thoughts and give you an opportunity to focus on others.
FIVES
Plant a window herb garden or start some veggie seedlings in an egg carton. You’ll reconnect with the earth and foster that healthy sense of control over your environment.
Do a physical activity this week that requires you to pay full attention to your body and be focused on the movements of your body… This might involve doing something new to you that isn’t yet muscle memory, or maybe just something that takes a lot of concentration. Some ideas: swimming, yoga, climbing, dancing, Pilates. Get lost on Youtube!
SIXS
Paint or draw your feelings. First set aside 10-15 minutes to be alone, get out paints or crayons, and let yourself recognize a big emotional issue that you’re holding inside at the moment. Then sit with that emotion as you fill the page with color… Just pretend you’re a kid again.
Make yourself a nice cup of tea or buy yourself a matcha: then sit down and make a list of all the constants in your life: What are the things/people/realities in your life, the world, or nature, or yourself, that aren’t going to change or disappear? What are the things that are firmly rooted and here to stay? What can you count on? Keep writing the list until your thoughts run dry. Start with something really simple like—gravity, air to breathe, etc.
SEVENS
Try this 5 minute breathing exercise. It is truly amazing how intentional breathing and calm our bodies down and bring peace to us in the present moment:
Try lying on your back in a quiet place—eyes closed, hands resting on your belly or by your side. Breathe deeply in through your nose for four long counts, hold it at the top, then release it steadily for four long counts. Continue to breathe rhythmically and when you have distracting thoughts, just gently return your attention to your breath. Do this for five minutes and then tell us how you feel! Also, what kind of thoughts did you find slipping into your mind to distract you from your breathing?
EIGHTS
Seize a substantial amount of time for yourself this week, whatever that means to you and whatever you could make happen. Don’t plan out that time, only plan to have it to yourself. Then, when you get there, check in with yourself and ask “what do I feel like doing?”
Remember when you were a kid and you had so much time to yourself? Do you remember deciding what to play? Whether to go outside or stay in, to read or go run around? Consider this time that you’ve set aside for yourself this week your play time. Just do whatever you most feel like doing. Without any pressures to do something that matters or that needs to be done. Just play.
NINES
Find five minutes where you can be alone and uninterrupted, in peace and quiet, then pull out some paper and a pen. Write down three things that you would love to have happen in your life by one year from now. Three ways you’d like to grow or improve, or three ways you’d like to approach life… Three things you’d like to be.
Then, pick one of those things that’s most important to you. And ask yourself, what’s one tiny little baby step I could take toward that goal this week? What’s one way I could start living out that goal/future reality today? And then, do that thing! Make sure it’s baby step enough that you will actually complete it this week and feel great about yourself.
Take a few minutes to tidy the house after brushing your teeth each morning for the next three days. Set a timer and do it for five minutes each day. Being able to keep this simple routine empower and give you a fresh burst of motivation each day.
After, challenge yourself to another three days, or a new five minute routine!
What’s your enneagram number? Do the enneagram self care prompts for your type resonate? For more self care challenges and journal prompts, follow @xoenneagram!
Laura Miltenberger is a grad student—MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling—who loves picking up a honey latte and hiking to one of the beautiful Oregon waterfalls. She runs @xoenneagram, an account where self care meets the enneagram. Laura is the author of My Enneagram Journal and will be releasing her new book, Enneagram Empowerment, on March 9th from Penguin Random House.
