[Vibrant] Self-care Action Plan — English

ACTION PLAN EXERCISE

Self-care, like the term suggests, is what we do to take care of ourselves. When we’re stressed out or feel as  though there are too many things to do in our lives, many of us stop paying attention to the things that might make
us feel better. We stop being engaged in our own lives and well-being.
As you consider your own stress levels, it’s worth taking a minute to see how well you’re taking care yourself right now. It might help you decide how to take care of yourself going forward.

Fill out the selfcare assessment checklist by putting a  number from 1-5 in the checkboxes next to each item.

1 = FREQUENTLY
2 = OCCASIONALLY
3 = SOMETIMES
4 = RARELY
5 = NEVER

Physical self-care

• Eat regularly (i.e., breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Eat healthy foods
• Avoid use or misuse of tobacco and alcohol
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise regularly
• Dance, swim, walk, run, or do some other physical activity that I enjoy
• Get enough sleep
• Wear comfortable clothes
• Make time away from telephones
• Avoid or limit time in places where the noise is excessive

Psychological self-care

• Make time for self-reflection (i.e., think about my values, experiences, and future plans)
• Engage in personal psychotherapy (i.e., think about who I am,
  what makes me behave or think the way I do, and what I might
  change to be the person I want to be)
• Write in a journal
• Read books or magazines that are unrelated to work
• Do something in which I am not an expert or the person in charge
• Let others know what I need and want to feel happy or secure
• Let others take care of me occasionally
• Say “no” to extra responsibilities when I already have enough
• Try new things

Emotional self-care

• Spend quality time with people whose company I enjoy
• Maintain contact with people I value
• Treat myself with love and respect by reflecting on my good qualities
  and accepting that I can’t be perfect
• Take time for comforting activities, people, relationships, and places
• Allow myself to feel and express emotions (i.e., laugh, cry)

Spiritual self-care

• Spend time with nature
• Participate in a spiritual community
• Be open to inspiration
• Cherish my own optimism and hope
• Value the non-material aspects of life
• Cultivate my ability to identify what is meaningful and its place in my personal life
• Meditate/pray
• Support causes I believe in (i.e., by volunteering)

If you filled in most boxes with 1 or 2, congratulations! You are taking
good care of yourself, something that will fortify you as you take care of
others.
If you filled in most boxes with 3, 4, or 5, you probably are approaching
stress overload and may need to find a healthier balance between your
needs and those of everyone around you.

The next exercise will allow you to commit to taking care of yourself and
reduce your stress. Based on the results of your self-care assessment,
make a list of activities that you can do that will help reduce your stress.
Try to make the activities as specific as you possibly can. For example, if
you had a score of 3, 4, or 5 in “Eat healthy foods,” you could modify that
activity to be “eat one piece of fruit at lunch each day,” to make it as clear
and actionable as possible.

Self-care means that you find time for yourself and the activities that will keep you
healthy and in balance as you face the demands of work, home, and life in general.
Refer back to your self-care assessment. Look at the areas where you scored a 3 or
above. Where can you fit activities that are important to you into your schedule?
Consider adding activities from all the areas in the self-care assessment: physical,
psychological, emotional, and spiritual self-care

ONCE A DAY

ONCE A WEEK

ONCE A MONTH

WHENEVER I NEED IT!