A Take Care Check-In
I don’t know about you, but we’ve moved from the long days of summer to a full fall season, weekends packed with sports, carpooling to activities, planning for the next week, and suddenly another month has passed us by. We’ve been trying really hard to focus our attention and energy to bring more intentionality to our days. To not let weeks simply pass by in a rush but to stay connected to the small moments in our days, to simplify and step back and breathe and take stock. Not everything is going to be in balance all the time. But it doesn’t mean we can’t be intentional with the direction of our weeks.
We’ve been using Sunday afternoons as a chance to sit down and do a check in with the prior week and to review the week ahead. As visual people we also love the excuse to get out the markers and pencils and to create a chart. We’ve been drawing a weekly pie chart to track how we spent our energy and see where we might be lacking as we go into the next week. If drawing a chart sounds like too much work, use your planner to review your past week in your preferred way. Or if a pie chart sounds boring, rethink the format entirely!
We like to do a check in with the following eight categories:
Relationships
How are you staying connected to loved ones?
Find a simple way to connect with your kids, perhaps running an errand or cooking together.
Call a relative.
Be proactive on making plans with a friend instead of saying, “We should get together sometime soon.”
Spiritual
Have you tended to your spiritual connections? This might mean attending church, spending time in nature or practicing meditation. Maybe you do all three!
Block time in your calendar to be intentional with caring for your spirit. Maybe it’s morning breathwork or scripture reading, or listening to music. Maybe it’s going for a trail run at your local forest preserve. Do something that rejuvenates you and helps you feel more connected to the world around you.
Community
Have you served your community this week?
Volunteer to help a neighbor.
Offer to drive a carpool for a friend.
Cook dinner for someone in need.
Health
How have you taken care of yourself this week?
Make a plan to get to bed earlier.
Prepare one nourishing dish to help you with lunch or dinner.
Schedule daily movement.
Financial
Did you work towards your financial goals this week?
Think of one expense you can skip to save money this week.
Rest
Which restful activities did you fit in this week?
Make time after dinner for a walk or spend time in nature.
Dim the lights and do something off screens like reading or working on a puzzle.
Pick a day to stay off social media apps and limit your phone time.
Creativity
How did you express your creativity this week?
Creative expression can be about the process and not the product.
Draw, journal, color, knit, paint, cook, bake, arrange flowers, build something.
Clutter
Did you reduce some clutter in your life this week?
Reply to an email you’ve put off.
Put some items in the donation bin.
Delete duplicate photos and screenshots from your phone.
We’d love to hear how you check in at the end of the week. How do you take care of each part of yourself? Tell us in the comments below!