By Cooper Chapman
Self-care is more than a luxury, it’s a daily practice that shapes our health, focus, and mindset. In this piece, Cooper Chapman explores the powerful impact of quality sleep, mindful sobriety, and nurturing living spaces, showing how small, consistent actions can transform wellbeing and boost everyday productivity.
Self-care isn’t selfish. It is the thing that allows you to show up at your best more often. The habit of self-care isn’t about bubble baths and extra special stuff. It is about making daily choices that best support our life.
For me, that means:
- prioritising quality sleep every day possible.
- being honest with myself about my relationship with alcohol and caffeine.
- creating a space to live in that supports my health.
Goodnight, sleep tight
You can eat well, train hard, practise gratitude daily, but if you are not giving your body and mind a chance to rest and sleep, everything else begins to fall apart.
Sleep is when our body heals. It’s when our brain repairs and rebuilds. It’s when our memories are stored, our emotions are processed, and our energy stores replenish. Without quality sleep, everything else becomes a struggle.
I loved learning about this when I interviewed sleep expert, Olivia Arezzolo. She shared how we all have different sleep chronotypes: bear, lion or wolf. Depending on your personal biology and the stage of life you’re in, your sleep needs might look completely different to someone else’s.
That insight made me reflect on my own sleep without judgement, and highlighted to me that sleep isn’t something I should just prioritise but something I should optimise for my personal needs.
Something I have found to be really beneficial, and research backs it up, is having a consistent routine (Chaput 2020). It doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be consistent.
Here are a few simple things you can do to improve your sleep quality:
- Eat your last meal at least two hours before bed, so your digestion isn’t in full swing while you are trying to wind down.
- Avoid screens for at least one hour before bed. Blue light from your phone, TV or laptop suppresses melatonin production, our natural sleep hormone. And scrolling will trigger a release of dopamine that will keep your brain wired.
- Keep your room cool and dark. Research indicates between 19°C and 21°C is optimal (Harding, Franks & Wisden 2019).
- Use warm, dimmed lights in the evening, especially in your bedroom. It will help signal to your body it is time to wind down and relax.
- Keep your bedtime and wake time consistent. Your body’s internal clock, its circadian rhythm, loves routine.
Optimise the environment you live in
The environment we live in directly affects how we feel. A cluttered space will make your mind feel cluttered. A room full of dust or toxic chemicals can affect your physical health, especially if you live in a space that has mould, poor airflow or even synthetic chemicals from candles, sprays or building materials.
Self-care also means taking care of the space we exist in, taking care of the place we live most of our life and breathe most of our breaths.
Keep your space clean and tidy. Keep your clothes clean. Keep your sheets clean. Let fresh air in. Check for hidden mould or dust if you have been feeling unwell or foggy for no obvious reason. Get some indoor plants. Open your blinds.
These small actions might not seem like much but over time, compounded, they add up to a safer, cleaner, calmer and healthier space to live in.
About the Author
Cooper Chapman is a former top-100 professional surfer turned leading mental health educator. As the founder of The Good Human Factory, he combines the mindset of elite athletes with science-backed strategies for building mental health wellbeing, helping thousands take daily action for a healthier, more connected life.
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