The Idea of the Week
“Checking in with yourself and assessing your needs helps you to pour into yourself, so you can pour into others.”
Checking in with ourselves means we mindfully engage in self-reflection. We assess our emotional experiences and problem-solve solutions to improve our situations. When we incorporate check-ins with ourselves daily, we improve our ability to read and understand our emotions. We can also use these check-ins to set goals, create habits, set boundaries, seek support, improve our emotional well-being, improve relationships, and more!
This article, The Daily Mental Health Habit That Makes a Big Difference, shares the benefits of check-ins, 8 methods to check in with yourself, how to make it a daily habit, and 30 questions to ask yourself.
Practice of the Week
This week, we encourage you to take a moment to check in with yourself. Check-ins are portable, so you can check in with yourself anywhere and at any time: on a walk, in the office, while washing the dishes, before you go to sleep, etc.
- First, ask yourself a question that digs into your current experience. You can ask aloud, on paper, in your head, etc. For example, you may ask yourself,
- “What’s wrong?”
- “What feels bad, unsettling, or uncomfortable?”
- Or, you can use a question from this list of 23 Questions to Check-in With Yourself.
- Take a mindful breath.
- Listen to your answer. You can answer your question aloud, on paper, or in your head. You may have several answers to a question.
- Break down your answers and find a solution. For each answer, ask yourself: “is there something I can do about it?”
- If you can identify an action to resolve the situation, create the steps you can accomplish.
- If you can’t identify an action to resolve the situation, then identify positive coping skills and emotional self-care activities to help you process your emotions through difficult situations. For example, seeking support from your support system, talking to a therapist, or practicing mindfulness.
- Close out your check-in by practicing gratitude. Ask yourself,
- “What feels right and good?”
- “What is my win?”
- “What am I grateful for today?”
- Listen to your answer. Even if the answer to step 5’s questions is something small, let it be your answer. Also, you don’t need to dissect these answers as you did in step 4 because these questions serve to bring the positive aspects of your life to your attention.
News of the Week
Virtual and In-Person Group Request
We are gearing up to provide virtual and in-person groups in the fall. We are planning to conduct several groups, and we want to meet the needs of our community. What kind of groups would you like to see?
To request a group, send your requests in an email to [email protected] with the subject “Group Ideas.”
We have 2 groups you can register for now: Mother’s Light, which is a postpartum support group, and an Art-Based Trauma Therapy group. Check out the flyers to learn more about these groups.
Mother’s Light
To register for this group, please contact Caitlin at [email protected]
Art-Based Trauma Therapy Group
To register for this group, please contact Jennifer at [email protected]
The Thought of the Week
Wishing you a peaceful week!
