SELF-CARE CHECKLIST

The following worksheet for assessing self-care is not exhaustive, merely suggestive. Feel free to add areas of self-care that are relevant for you and rate yourself on how often and how well you are taking care of yourself these days.

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  

    ×

    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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