Check in With Yourself With These 5 Tips

Checking in with yourself means to make intentional steps to pay attention to how you feel on an emotional, mental, and physical level. Asking yourself questions and setting aside time to check in with yourself regularly can reveal more about your mental health and emotional needs. From this practice, you can also make actional steps to address your reflections.

Checking in with yourself is as important as checking in with your loved ones. When we check in on the people we care about, it can show us how to better care for our loved ones. The same holds true for your relationship with yourself. By checking in with yourself, you can acknowledge what you need. For example, you may learn that you feel ready to take on the day when you practice mindfulness.

While checking in with yourself has several benefits for your emotional and mental well-being, it can also help your physical health. You may notice that you feel physically ill when you are not in a good headspace. By checking in with yourself regularly, you may be able to catch and regulate the behaviors and feelings that lead to physical discomfort.

Habits like checking in with yourself can feel like second nature once you establish them. As you work your way to that point, try these tips:

1. 1. Be honest. Daily life exposes us to lots of stimuli and processes. Many of these situations require or persuade us to hold in thoughts or put on behaviors that obscure our real feelings about the world. Take a deep breath in your check-ins. Exhale and try to let go of stressors and anxious thoughts. In this time, be truly honest with how you feel. Honesty is an essential component of your emotional health. A benefit of checking in with yourself is acknowledging your genuine thoughts and feelings.
2. 2. Check in with your support system. The people in your life affect the time you spend with yourself. Take what you process in your own time and talk it through with your support system.
3. 3. Create a set time for reflection. Choose a time free of distractions to check in with yourself daily. Find a place where no one will interrupt you, so you can situate yourself in a calm headspace and get physically relaxed. Regular practice can make you more self-aware.
4. 4. Journal. Journaling allows you to process your thoughts through writing. Anyone can benefit from keeping a written account of self-check-ins. Journals help us engage our thoughts more clearly.
5. 5. Practice mindfulness. You can incorporate meditation into your self-check-ins to get you in a calm mental space. Not only can this practice help you relieve stress, it can also get you a place where you can think and feel more clearly. You may find you can feel and articulate your emotions more easily. A clearer understanding of your mind can also allow you to arrive at self-compassion.

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