We all know that residence life can be stressful! And self care is CRITICALLY important? But how do you know if your’e practicing good and regular self care?
One of the best strategies is through self-reflection and check-ins. Your supervisor can also be a support. Below you will find a self-assessment tool that includes a series of prompts you can answer to help you focus your thinking.
The following was adapted from materials developed by staff at Grand Valley State University. (You can find the original here.) The assessment tool itself is based off of Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization, by Saakvitine and Pearlman, and the staff of the Traumatic Stress Institute / Center for Adult and Adolescent Psychotherapy.
Self Assessment Tool
This assessment tool provides an overview of effective strategies to maintain self-care. After completing the full assessment, choose one item from each area that you will actively work to improve. This assessment should be completed regularly (recommended twice per semester) and shared with supervisor during 1:1 meetings.
Using the scale below, rate the following areas in terms of frequency:
- It never occurred to me
- Never
- Rarely
- Occasionally
- Frequently
PHYSICAL SELF-CARE
____ Eat regularly (e.g. breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
____ Eat healthy
____ Exercise
____ Get regular medical care for prevention
____ Get medical care when needed
____ Take time off when needed
____ Get massages
____ Dance, swim, walk, run, play sports, sing, or do some other physical activity that is fun Get enough sleep
____ Wear clothes you like
____ Take vacations
____ Take day trips or mini-vacations
____ Make time away from cell phones
____ Other:
PSYCHOLOGICAL SELF-CARE
____ Make time for self-reflection
____ Have your own personal psychotherapy
____ Write in a journal
____ Read literature that is unrelated to school
____ Do something at which you are not an expert or in charge Decrease stress in your life
____ Let others know different aspects of you
____ Notice your inner experience- listen to your thoughts, judgments, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings Engage your intelligence in a new area
____ Practice receiving from others Be curious
____ Say “no” to extra responsibilities sometimes
____ Other:
EMOTIONAL SELF-CARE
____ Spend time with others whose company you enjoy
____ Stay in contact with important people in your life
____ Give yourself affirmations, praise yourself Re-read favorite books, re-view favorite movies
____ Identify comforting activities, objects, people, relationships, places and seek them out
____ Allow yourself to cry or feel emotion Find things that make you laugh
____ Express your outrage in social action, letters and donations, marches, protests
____ Other:
SPIRITUAL SELF-CARE
____ Make time for reflection
____ Spend time with nature
____ Find a spiritual connection or community
____ Be open to inspiration
____ Cherish your optimism and hope
____ Be aware of nonmaterial aspects of life
____ Try at times not to be in charge or the expert Be open to not knowing
____ Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life
____ Meditate
____ Pray
____ Have experiences of awe
____ Contribute to causes in which you believe
____ Read inspirational literature (talks, music, etc.)
____ Other:
WORKPLACE SELF-CARE
____ Take time to chat with co-RAs
____ Make quiet time to complete tasks
____ Identify projects or tasks that are exciting or rewarding
____ Set limits with your residents and co-RAs
____ Balance your caseload so that no one day or part of a day is “too much”
____ Negotiate for your needs (weekend off, directing to RA on duty, talking to supervisor)
____ Have a peer support group
____ Other:
