6 Ways to Check in With Yourself Every Day

Daily Practices for Mindful Self-Reflection - By Cora Gold

Reading time: 4 minutes

Self-growth is a lifelong process. You’ve likely spent years trying to reach your goals and handle responsibilities, but that doesn’t leave much room for checking in with yourself. Get in touch with your mind and body with new goals this year. Use these ideas to check in with yourself every day without overhauling your busy routine.

1. Start a Self-Care Journal

Writing is a powerful way to reclaim your thoughts and improve your mental health. Find a new journal* or download a journaling app. You can use the space to list your goals, like reducing your daily stress or finding effective ways to manage your depression. Outline what isn’t working in your current routine and set one goal for the coming weeks or months.

Research shows routine journaling improves numerous mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression and PTSD. If you start recording your emotions and intentions alongside sessions with a licensed therapist, you’ll get much better at understanding where your mental health stands every day.

2. Ask Relevant Check-In Questions

Sometimes people start journaling and they’re unsure what to write. If you’re feeling lost, keep a handy list of check-in questions ready for reflection. You could include introspective prompts like:

What am I feeling right now emotionally?
What sensations do I feel in my body?
What makes me feel tired?
What was the last thing that made me happy?
If I could do anything in this moment, what would I do?

Connecting with your current emotions is much easier if you’re asking questions and providing answers. Even if the answers feel simple, they may help you understand yourself during future check-ins.

3. Follow Meditation Videos

Meditation classes and free videos online could be your favorite way to check in with yourself. The deep breathing and slow pacing significantly reduce stress, which might be what’s preventing you from connecting with your emotions.

Meditation can help deactivate the sympathetic nervous system and relieve anxiety. When you slow down and relax your mind and body, you can gain more clarity on the things causing stress in your life.

4. Assess Your Values

Your values guide your identity and personal growth. They’re your guideposts for learning more about the world and choosing what you do with your time. Use your journal or a reflective moment alone to consider what fuels your passions. Once you know your core values, use them as reflection tools. You can check in with yourself by asking if what you’re doing or pursuing aligns with them.

5. Prepare Self-Care Rituals

Your mind and body are constantly grappling with the challenges you face. Whether you’ve felt sad, anxious or angry recently, recognizing and reflecting on those feelings may leave you drained. Self-care rituals help people recharge. Keep a list of self-care ideas on standby so you can choose one when you need to recover, like:

Listening to white noise for five minutes to soothe your nerves.
Making your favourite tea* to support your health and feel the warmth spread through your body.
Lying under a weighted blanket* to help your muscles release tension.
Baking a new dessert to feel creative and enjoy some comfort food.
Opening a window to breathe fresh air for a while.

The best part of self-care rituals is their customization. You can always add new ideas to your list or remove the ones that don’t feel quite right. They’re great tools for knowing what’s best for your body while practicing checking in with your well-being.

6. Schedule Time for Reflection

Habits form more easily when you make time for them. You wouldn’t have a great dental routine if you didn’t purposefully pause your morning activities to brush your teeth. You can do the same for self-reflective moments.

Carve 10 minutes out of your day with your calendar, planner or a reminder notification. Use that time to ask how you feel and sit with your emotions. You can also open your journal to assess if you’re on track with your goals. As reflecting becomes more instinctual, consider adding more time to this routine to benefit your overall well-being.

Start Supporting Your Mental Health More Effectively

Checking in with yourself is a powerful habit anyone can begin today. Whether you want to work on identifying your emotions, journaling your goals or taking care of yourself in new ways, supporting your mental health will quickly become more effortless.

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