I was speaking to a colleague not too long ago about how the
field of mental health and psychology do a wonderful job at defining what is
wrong, pathological, or unhealthy. While at the same time it is more difficult
to define what is healthy. If you have ever taken any common psychology courses such as
general psychology or abnormal psychology, pathology, or "what went
wrong" is often the focus. An Abnormal Psych class is a good example of
learning what is wrong by learning to define the different mental health disorders through
diagnostic criteria.
Often, in our own lives we can be struggling with a
particular issue and know something is wrong, maybe even knowing specifically what
is wrong. However, we may be unsure about what we want to be different besides wanting
the issue to just "go away." The thinking becomes "I don't know what
I want, but I don't want this." The journey towards health requires knowing not
only what you want to change about your life, but also what you want your life
to be. We can become focused on what we don't like in our
lives, without knowing what we really want or what we are striving for.
Although the idea of health and what it means to be healthy
is not something that can be discussed in one blog post, it is something we can
begin to explore and address. In this post I wanted to share a self care
assessment for you to take. It covers a few areas of our lives and asks
questions related to healthy living. Not only is it fun to take and see where
you are at, it is also a teaching tool which brings awareness to the different
areas of our lives which point to health. Health is something to strive for, as
well as protect.
Please note, no one test shows whether you are healthy or not
healthy, so use this as a tool to examine your life, but not as a formula for
health. There are many aspects of health not addressed on this assessment.
So take the test, have fun, and see where you can improve!
Whether you have a lot to do, or notice there are a few areas which need more
protection, awareness is always the first step.
Self-Care Assessment Worksheet
This assessment tool
provides an overview of effective strategies to maintain self-care. After completing the full assessment, choose
one item from each area that you will actively work to improve.
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
___ 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 psychotherapy
___ 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
___ Accept 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 is
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 clients/consumers 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
___ Get regular
supervision, support, or consultation with your manager or supervisor
___ Negotiate for
your needs (benefits, pay raise)
___ Have peer
support
___ Other:
Balance
___ Strive for
balance within your work-life and workday
___ Strive for
balance among work, family, relationships, play and rest
Adapted from: Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on
Vicarious Traumatization. Saakvitne,
Pearlman & St aff of TSI/CAAP (Norton, 1996)
