Reminder: 4 Easy Ways to Check In With Yourself

Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Ice Cube

Let’s check in. It’s important to be aware of where we are in our mental health at all times. Sometimes you experience mild symptoms and sometimes you might be dealing with much more. You can always do a self check in to gage where you are right now.

We know that there is a point that we need to seek outside help, but often we don’t know how close we are to the point until it is right in front of us. Ahead of reaching out for the right help from somewhere like the Palm Beach Institute, there are a couple of things you can ask yourself. 

You can ask yourself these things every day or just when you feel like you need to get some perspective on what is going on. 

Check In: Who are my support people?

When we are feeling a little worse for wear, it becomes very easy to say that we are alone or let the feelings of loneliness absorb us. 

But one of the things that we can do is to remind ourselves of the people that we have in our corner – the ones that you need you could count on. 

You can include your doctors, nurses, family, friends, online friends, and if you attend a place of faith, those too. 

It can be good to remind ourselves of who we have around us. 

Check In: Am I bringing joy to myself today?

Our regular to-do lists can be so long that we forget that there should be something we do each day that brings us joy. This can be particularly difficult in times when we are feeling very low. It can feel like we simply don’t have the energy or capacity to manage it. 

When you have times when you feel great or good, this can be the ideal time to make a list of low effort things that make you feel good or bring you joy. Pull the list out when you need to and see if there is anything on there that can help. 

Check In: What’s on my mind?

Often we keep a lot of things that are worrying us to ourselves – and not sharing them can keep them bubbling just under the surface. 

There are big global things that might be weighing heavy on your mind, but there can also be other things more specific to you. It can help to either write them down or verbalise them. 

Sometimes when you say them out loud, even to yourself, it gives you space to challenge them. 

Alternatively, reach out to one of your people and see if they have time to just help you iron out some of the things you are thinking about. 

Check In: How am I today?  

People often ask others ‘how are you?’ but not often enough do they ask themselves. Making a point of asking yourself how you are feeling can be quite liberating. It means you can think about it and then try to sense how you are feeling and why. 

Try to be as honest with yourself as possible – as that can be some of the biggest and most important steps that you take toward giving yourself a little bit of balance in the day. 

And if you find that you struggle to think of people who love you, can’t bring yourself to do the simple tasks, and feel like you’re on autopilot a lot, then it might be time to ask for help. Asking for help can feel difficult, but here are some helpful tips: Screaming Into The Void: 4 Ways To Ask For Help With Your Mental Health.