Self-Care Assessment | Taking Inventory

Sometimes it feels silly or like a waste of time to make sure you are taking time for yourself. When I first became a school counselor I thought I had to prove myself by staying at work late and getting up early and working through lunch and on weekends. In fact, one year I ended up getting so sick that the doctor gave me two choices: stay in bed for a week, or keep pushing myself and be admitted to the hospital. I had to stop and think about what was more important — proving I was a hard worker or being healthy? I chose health.

The glorification of staying busy and the self-importance we tie to our jobs in no way reflects our self-worth, but we tend to use those as focal points to prove our value. Forgoing sleep and working through lunch depletes us and makes us resent the job. Take time to evaluate how your job affects all areas of your life. An investment in self-care is an investment in you, your loved ones, and your work.

I really like this worksheet. It’s from a book called “Transforming the Pain” by Laurie Anne Pearlman and Karen W. Saakvitne.

Using it as a starting point really helps you take inventory of all aspects of your life. You are so important — not only to your school, but also to the life you have outside of work. Take care of yourself first so that you may be the best at taking care of others. You are worth it.