A tool to check in on your self-care
If you’re like most people, you might find that your self-care strategies tend to fall by the wayside when you’re feeling stressed. When I have a million things on my brain, I know that getting regular exercise and eating balanced meals will help me feel better, but I often feel too stressed to make those things a priority.
It’s actually pretty ironic when you think about it. At the time when we actually need self-care the most, it falls to the bottom of our to-do lists.
If you feel like your self-care could use a check-up, or if you just want to check in with yourself on different areas of wellness, try out this tool.
The Wellness Wheel
The wellness wheel is a tool that I often use with my coaching clients who want to check in on their self-care routine. It’s a way to see what’s working well, what areas might need some additional support, and can be a great jumping-off point in brainstorming new self-care strategies.
What I love most about the wellness wheel tool is that it gives you a ton of flexibility in what wellness means to you. We all know that people are different, and that the things that make one person feel happy and healthy aren’t necessarily going to be the same self-care strategies that someone else might want to use.
The tool itself is pretty simple. Review the diagram below. There are seven dimensions of wellness that are already labeled, as well as an additional blank area where you can put an additional dimension that’s important to you.
Reflect on each dimension and assign each a score from 1-10. A score of 1 would indicate that this area feels very depleted and challenging for you right now. A score of 10 would indicate that this area is full of abundance and renewal. Feel free to also note any comments or thoughts that come to mind as you make these ratings
⚠️ Important note! The goal of this activity is not to have all 10’s in each of these areas! The goal is to help you identify areas you want to make changes in your life. You might rate certain areas lower, but feel very satisfied with that rating or have a clear reason why. If you feel your perfectionism or inner critic coming out during this exercise, it’s okay to step away and try again later.
Once you’ve rated each dimension, reflect on your ratings using these reflection questions:
Which of these scores stand out to you the most?
What scores are you satisfied with? What’s working well in that area?
What scores feel unsatisfying? What’s missing from that area(s)?
What area(s) need more attention? What might you change?
What do you want to cultivate more of?
What changes will you try making in the coming weeks or months?
After reflecting on your ratings, make a plan for what you might try differently in the next few weeks or months. After some time has passed, you can try completing this activity again as a way to check in with yourself and see what’s working!
