I know a lot of women who are telling themselves they *should* be practicing better self-care and letting the subsequent guilt keep them from the small acts that actually make up a self-care practice. While there is no magic formula for perfect self-care, getting clarity about the areas where you are not paying enough attention can help you develop a practice that empowers you!
This quick worksheet was designed to help you identify the areas in your life that need a little extra focus. After you figure out where you need more care, choose small acts that help you feel more supported, appreciated, or nurtured in these areas. Don’t overwhelm yourself with self-care rituals that cost a lot or take more time than you have. Keep things manageable with the knowledge that slow-and-steady wins the race!
Diet: Nutrition // Are you eating to thrive or just to survive? Do you make choices that make you feel healthy and energetic, or ones that leave you feeling sluggish? Do you eat lots of whole and fresh foods? Do you add supplements to your routine when needed? Do you dine out or cook at home? Do you prioritize healthy eating? Do you know which foods make you feel good and which you are sensitive to?
Diet: Media // Everything you consume impacts your health. The food you consume has a more obvious impact, but the media and entertainment also play a role in how you feel. The art, films, books, podcasts, and television shows you watch become part of the overall lens through which you view the world.
Sleep // Our culture fails to prioritize sleep but is utterly crucial to feeling good and thinking clearly. While sleeping the brain converts short-term memories to long-term, cleans out accumulated plaque, and dreams, giving you the opportunity to synthesize information and come up with novel solutions to ongoing challenges. Do you get enough sleep? Do you routinely sacrifice sleep for other activities?
Exercise // No one needs a refresher on how vital to health exercise is. Are you moving your body? Do you feel strong and capable or tired and achy? Do you have the energy to do the things you want to do each day? Do you prioritize some kind of exercise as part of your daily routine?
Community // Do you have a positive supportive group of peers? You have probably heard Jim Rohn’s much-repeated sentiment, “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Whether or not this statement is true, your community can have an enormous impact on your ability to thrive. Does your community inspire and uplift you, or feed your fear and bring you down? Are your relationships appropriately boundaried and reciprocal?
Personal Growth // This may seem to be a higher-level need, but it isn’t. To feel that we are actively improving our situations and moving in the direction of personal growth is important for everyone. It gives us a sense of purpose and makes us feel we are valuable. Are you learning new things? Are you growing in some aspect of your life, be it your career, relationships, health, or spirituality?
Self-Talk // Do you struggle with a steady stream of mental chatter? What is the tone of the ongoing conversation in your head? Are you naturally inclined to see things with a positive outlook or a negative one? How healthy is your self-talk? Are you able to neutralize negative thoughts or do you let them replay? Are you able to manage stress?
Wellness // Understanding the unique ways that you achieve a feeling of wellness is crucial to self-care. Do you feel a sense of overall wellness? First, do you know what you need to do to find balance when you are stressed, exhausted, or overwhelmed? Next, how good are you at making sure you engage in the practices necessary to re-balance yourself when you are feeling stretched thin?
Want to try the assessment? Download your copy of our Self-Care Baseline Assessment Worksheet here.