Self Care 101

I've been doing a lot of thinking and reading about self care lately. I came across this rather interesting checklist from a University of Michigan employee assistance site. How well do you fare when you answer the questions? My answers are italicized.

Self Care Checklist

Are you taking good care of yourself—body, mind, and spirit? Review the list below to see how well you're doing and how to do better.

How well do you care for your physical health?

• Eat a well-balanced diet. (Well, yes - if last night's Dilly Bar and tonight's Death by Chocolate ice cream cone each balance out all of the healthy food I've eaten this past two days.) 
• Get adequate sleep. (I am a night hawk - I could do better on this one.)
• Have periods of physical rest and relaxation. (Definitely, just figuring out this concept.)
• Get regular physical exercise. (If gardening counts as exercise, then yes.)
• Keep your weight at a healthy level. (Give or take ten pounds. Generally take.)
• Get regular mental exercise (e.g., reading, music, puzzles). (Yup, I read for hours every day.)
• Attend to your own health needs. (Well, I floss. That must count for something.)

How well do you care for your emotional health?

• Talk about your feelings, both positive and negative. (Ad Nauseum.)
• Use coping strategies for stress, anxiety, and frustration. (Leaning, learning, learning.)
• Remind yourself of the good things in your life. (Gratitude is my life's blood.)
• Laugh a lot. (With friends like mine, how could I not?)
• Practice being a positive, encouraging person. (I do practice, probably need to do more.)
• Find balance between your work and personal life. (Currently, yes. Of course being on stress leave for four months helps here.)
• Take time for rest and relaxation. (See above.)

How well do you care for your interpersonal well-being and friendships?

• Have close friends and confidants. (Blessed with what feels like billions of these.)
• Take time to enjoy activities with others. (Yup. We spend a lot of time doing food activities.)
• Give back to others. (Yes, but currently trying to hold on to a reasonable amount for myself rather than give it all away).

How well do you care for your spiritual health?

• Pay attention to your spiritual needs. (Prayer, meditation, faith in the Hockey Gods right now.)
• Spend time thinking about the things which bring peace, beauty and serenity to your life. (Amen.)
• Follow your own spiritual path (religious or not). (Yes to the Not part.)

My self care regimen looks pretty good on "paper." But I can probably do better. In fact, I think I will.