Self-Care Assessment

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 healthily ___
  • 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 ___

 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 ___

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, review 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 ___

 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 the nonmaterial aspects of life ___
  • Try at times not to be in charge or the expert ___
  • Be open to not knowing ___
  • Identify what it means 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.) ___

 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 and colleagues ___
  • Balance your caseload so that no one day or part of a day is “too much” ___
  • Arrange your workspace so it is comfortable and comforting ___
  • Get regular supervision or consultation ___
  • Negotiate for your needs (benefits, pay raise) ___
  • Have a peer support group ___
  • Develop a non-trauma area of professional interest ___

 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)

[mc4wp_form id=”525″]


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *