March 12, 2011
Self-Care Assessment
Written by Rachel Eddins
Posted in Emotional & Mental Health and with tags: self care, wellness
This assessment tool provides an overview of effective strategies to maintain self-care.
Self-care is essential for optimum physical and emotional health and can reduce the impact of major stress as well as helping you to feel balanced in your life.
After completing the full self-care assessment, choose one item from each area that you will actively work to improve.
Sometimes it can feel like a challenge to get started. A Houston counselor can help you get unstuck.
Using the scale below, rate the following areas in terms of frequency:
5 = Frequently
4 = Occasionally
3 = Rarely
2 = Never
1 = It never occurred to me
Physical Self-Care
___ Eat regularly (e.g. breakfast, lunch and dinner)
___ Eat healthy
___ Exercise
___ Get regular medical care for prevention
___ Get medical care when needed
___ Take time off when needed
___ Get massages
___ Dance, swim, walk, run, play sports, sing, or do some other physical activity that is fun
___ Take time to be sexual—with yourself, with a partner
___ Get enough sleep
___ Wear clothes you like
___ Take vacations
___ Take day trips or mini-vacations
___ Make time away from telephones
___ Other:
Psychological Self-Care
___ Make time for self-reflection
___ Have your own personal therapy
___ Write in a journal
___ Read literature that is unrelated to work
___ Do something at which you are not expert or in charge
___ Decrease stress in your life
___ Let others know different aspects of you
___ Notice your inner experience—listen to your thoughts, judgments, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings
___ Engage your intelligence in a new area, e.g. go to an art museum, history exhibit, sports event, auction, theater performance
___ Practice receiving from others
___ Be curious
___ Say “no” to extra responsibilities sometimes
___ Other:
Emotional Self-Care
___ Spend time with others whose company you enjoy
___ Stay in contact with important people in your life
___ Give yourself affirmations, praise yourself
___ Love yourself
___ Re-read favorite books, re-view favorite movies
___ Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places and seek them out
___ Allow yourself to cry
___ Find things that make you laugh
___ Express your outrage in social action, letters and donations, marches, protests
___ Play with children
___ Other:
Spiritual Self-Care
___ Make time for reflection
___ Spend time with nature
___ Find a spiritual connection or community
___ Be open to inspiration
___ Cherish your optimism and hope
___ Be aware of nonmaterial aspects of life
___ Try at times not to be in charge or the expert
___ Be open to not knowing
___ Identify what in meaningful to you and notice its place in your life
___ Meditate
___ Pray
___ Sing
___ Spend time with children
___ Have experiences of awe
___ Contribute to causes in which you believe
___ Read inspirational literature (talks, music, etc.)
___ Other:
Workplace or Professional Self-Care
___ Take a break during the workday (e.g. lunch)
___ Take time to chat with co-workers
___ Make quiet time to complete tasks
___ Identify projects or tasks that are exciting and rewarding
___ Set limits with your customers and colleagues
___ Balance your workload so that no one day or part of a day is “too much”
___ Arrange your work space so it is comfortable and comforting
___ Negotiate for your needs (benefits, pay raise)
___ Have a mentor or peer support group
___ Other:
Balance
___ Strive for balance within your work-life and workday
___ Strive for balance among work, family, relationships, play and rest
**Source: Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization. Saakvitne, Pearlman & Staff of TSI/CAAP (Norton, 1996)
Need help with self-care? Our Houston therapists are available for face to face sessions as online therapy sessions in limited areas.
To get started now give us a call to schedule an appointment at 832-559-2622 or schedule an appointment online.
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