

When you feel like you might lose focus during the average day, take a look at your mental health checklist. The whole point of a self-care checklist is remembering that your own mental and physical health is just as important as those around you.Įven if you spend your time taking care of others, you matter. Remembering That Mental Health Is Important Next, I want you to put your self-care checklist to use.

If yours looks a little different than my example above, that’s okay. I’ve had many bad days where I couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed, and a self-care checklist can help manage common symptoms of depression like this. These things might seem basic, but they are also easy to forget. Have I checked my blood pressure today?.If you don’t know where to begin, I’ve come up with 5 sample questions to start your daily self care checklist. Start your self care checklist with these basics. Even if we don’t all stick to these rules all the time, people know what they are. Important Questions For Your Self Care ChecklistĪ self-care list should cover the most basic needs and necessities of being a healthy human first. Things like staying happy, staying focused and making sure you’re in the best health you can achieve. As long as it covers the basics of mental and physical health. Just that: HYDRATE, in large letters using a red pen.Įveryone’s self-care list might look a little different to the next. I also know that I have to eat several small, balanced meals throughout the day – so I wrote that down.īecause I often forget to hydrate, I wrote that, too. That’s one of the things on my own checklist. On this list should be things that you consider part of your day to be healthy. Just like a simple to-do list, a self-care checklist can be enlightening to your life.Ī self-care checklist is about making sure your own mental and physical health is taken care of even during the busiest, most chaotic days of your week. I’ve found that it helps me get through difficult days – and sometimes it’s even helped for long stretches where keeping a handle on life was tough for weeks at a time. Even if it’s something small, it feels like a great accomplishment in your day. It’s a human instinct.Ī checklist makes you feel the same accomplishment when you’ve just checked something off the list. I like getting badges when playing video games. It’s fun to make our way through accomplishments. I guarantee that you’ll feel better when you do it. Having a little trouble keeping things in check? Check them off your checklist and make sure you’re being taken care of. If you don’t see it yet, self-care is absolutely essential.Ī self-care checklist is something I think everyone needs in their day. If I’m not taking care of my own mental health, it’s hard to be a good partner, writer or friend to anyone.Ī lot of people think that taking care of themselves is the selfish thing to do. Conditions like depression can hit harder when you’re underestimating your own self-care – so don’t. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’re giving conditions like depression or anxiety something substantial to feed off. Here’s why self-care is important – and what you can do to write an easy, practical self-care list for your own needs. This makes checklists perfect for chaotic, busy or stressful days. When you see it, you’ll remember to check something off the list. When you have a self-care checklist in a familiar place, there’s more of a focus to it within your day. It’s hard to take care of someone else when we aren’t healthy ourselves – and that’s why I do. I recommend self-care first for any person who has to take care of others. Whether I have five minutes or twenty to make something useful of, that’s marked out as my daily self-care time. It’s true no matter how busy that particular day might be.

Here’s a secret: I always make sure that there’s time for basic self care in the day.

It’s often a difficult concept for medical professionals, or for people in high-stress careers to get their heads around. Self-care means taking the time to pay attention to your own physical and mental needs.Ī lot of people out there have told me that they don’t have the time others have told me that they think self-care is a selfish thing to do.
