Saakvitne and Pearlman

SELF-CARE CHECKLIST

self-care checklist

• Physical Self-Care  

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• Eat regularly (e.g. breakfast, lunch, and dinner)  

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• Eat healthily  

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• Exercise

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• Get regular medical care for prevention

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• Take time off when sick

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• Get massages  

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•  Dance, swim, walk, run, play sports, sing, or do some other physical activity that’s fun

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• Get enough sleep

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• Wear clothes you like

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• Take vacations

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• Take day trips or mini-vacations

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• Make time away from telephones, pagers, email, internet

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• Other

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• Psychological Self-Care

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• Make time for self-reflection

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• Have your own personal psychotherapy

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• Write in a journal

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• Read literature that is unrelated to work

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• Do something at which you are not expert or in charge

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• Decrease stress in your life

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• Notice your inner experience – listen to your thoughts, judgments, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings  

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• Let others know different aspect of you

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• Engage your intelligence in a new area, e.g., go to an art museum, sports event, theater performance

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• Practice receiving from others

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• Be curious

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• Say no to extra responsibilities sometimes

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• Other

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• Emotional Self-Care  

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• Spend time with others whose company you enjoy

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• Stay in contact with important people in your life  

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• Give yourself affirmations, praise yourself  

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• Love yourself

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• Reread favorite books, re-view favorite movies

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• Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places and seek them out  

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• Allow yourself to cry

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• Find things that make you laugh  

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• Express your outrage in social action, letters, donations, marches, protests

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• Other:  

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• Spiritual Self-Care

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• Make time for reflection  

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• Spend time with nature  

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• Find a spiritual connection or community  

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• Be open to inspiration  

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• Cherish your optimism and hope  

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• Be aware of nonmaterial aspects of life  

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• Try at times not to be in charge or the expert

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• Be open to not knowing

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• Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life  

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• Meditate  

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• Pray  

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• Sing  

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• Spend time with children  

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• Have experiences of awe  

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• Contribute to causes in which you believe  

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• Read inspirational literature (talks, music, etc.)  

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• Other:  

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• Workplace or Professional Self-Care  

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  How to do this task:

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• Take a break during the workday (e.g., lunch)  

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• Take time to chat with co-workers  

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• Make quiet time to complete tasks

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• Identify projects or tasks that are exciting and rewarding  

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• Balance your caseload so no one day or part of a day is “too much”  

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• Get regular supervision or consultation  

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• Negotiate for your needs (benefits, pay raise)  

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• Have a peer support group  

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• Develop a non-trauma area of professional interest

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