How to Create a Self-Care Checklist (with Examples)

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Well, there are a lot of misconceptions around self-care. Getting facials, taking bubble baths, and buying new face serums may bring you temporary joy, but these activities aren’t essential to preserving your health and wellbeing. Self-care is the practice of improving your physical and mental health.

According to the World Health Organization, self-care encompasses hygiene, nutrition, lifestyle, environmental factors, socioeconomic factors, and self-medication. Examples include meditation, routine primary care visits, exercising, staying hydrated, and socializing with friends. As you consider the best self-care practices for you, understand the importance of self-care and building personalized checklists that optimize your health and wellness.

How to create a self-care checklist

1. Consider your physical, psychological, and emotional needs

What works for you won’t necessarily work for someone else, but self-care is a necessity. One of the best ways to understand the importance of self-care is to consider Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This psychological model suggests that every human being has a natural motivation to achieve self-actualization, but this requires their basic needs to be met.

If you don’t have food and shelter, for instance, then you can’t attend to your self-esteem or achieve personal fulfillment. To be your best self, you need to consider your needs and how you can address them routinely. Review the model’s five levels of needs, starting with the most essential:

1. Psychological: This includes everything from food and sleep to shelter and clothing. If you’re at risk of experiencing homelessness or food insecure, housing, food, and financial needs will take precedence over everything else.
2. Safety: Your health, employment, education, and housing situations are all vital to your safety. If you’re working in unsafe conditions or if your house doesn’t meet quality regulations, then your physical and emotional safety is at risk.
3. Love and belonging: This incorporates friendships, partnerships, social connections, intimacy, and family relationships. Social connection contributes to your sense of belonging.
4. Esteem: Respect, status, and recognition directly impact your self-esteem. Some ways to achieve this is to set boundaries at home or advocate for promotions at work.
5. Self-actualization: This is the final, most important need. When you’re practicing self-care and meeting your basic needs, you’re equipped with all of the tools needed to reach your full potential.

Fulfilling these needs is a personal growth process that gets you closer and closer to reaching your highest potential. Securing shelter and safety allows you to participate in community groups and develop friendships, which supports your ability to accomplish your personal goals and have the capacity to explore your potential, capabilities, and talents. This is what self-care is all about.

2. Understand the basics of self-care

If you want to be the best you that you can be, it’s important to take care of yourself. Incorporating self-care into your routine requires a plan. As you begin to build a self-care routine, take time to consider your basic needs.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself:

• How do you maintain your physical health? This could include walking around your neighborhood, practicing yoga, or joining a workout class. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week, but you have to figure out what’s best for your body.
• Are you financially comfortable? Budgeting and managing your household expenses are critical components of self-care. If you’re living above your means or stressing about house payments, then your mental health is going to likely suffer. In order to practice self-care, you need to make sure that your financial needs are addressed.
• What are your medical needs? To maintain your health, it’s important to take preventative care of your mind and body. This could include therapy, medical screenings, medication management, or getting regular dental cleanings.
• What do you need to do on a daily basis to feel your best? This could be something as simple. Maybe you need to eat a nutritious breakfast to maintain energy or maybe you need to give yourself 30 minutes to step away from your household or workplace responsibilities.
• Are you in tune with your emotions? Sometimes what we want feels like a need. You may want to go away on a vacation, but what you really need is more time to yourself. You may want to quit your job, but what you really need is to set boundaries with your manager.
• How are your interpersonal relationships? If you’re feeling isolated or lonely, you may need to join a community group or spend more time with loved ones. If you’re feeling frustrated with your partner, you should set aside time to discuss how you’re feeling and how you can improve the relationship.

By recognizing and addressing your personal needs, you set yourself up for personal growth. Life is full of stressors and self-care can help you achieve a semblance of balance in your work and personal life. If you know you’re about to face a stressful work season, you can utilize a self-care checklist to make sure you don’t abandon your health and mental health in the process.

How to personalize your self-care checklist

Self-care is all about the self. When creating a self-care checklist, make it personal. Take your schedule into consideration, as well as your preferences and capabilities. Consider the following questions:

• How are you currently practicing self-care? Are these behaviors helpful? Are they not? Make adjustments to your checklist as you see fit.
• What types of self-care are you not practicing? Perhaps you currently go on two walks per day, but you never get more than five hours of sleep. Consider areas of improvement as you build your checklist.
• How will you build self-care into your current schedule? Look at your weekly and monthly calendar before making plans. Once you’ve created your checklist, add those items to your calendar as you would a meeting or lunch date.
• How will you hold yourself accountable and give yourself grace? Schedule check-ins with yourself. Keep a journal. Celebrate certain milestones. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, take a step back and remember why you’re doing this. Self-care should lower your stress levels, not raise them.

You know yourself better than anyone else, so it’s up to you to create the most beneficial checklists. As you get started, pay attention to your mood and energy. If you’re feeling exhausted, maybe you need to add in naps or another hour of sleep. Self-care should help improve your health and wellness.

Examples of self-care checklists

Not every checklist looks the same. What motivates you and keeps you satisfied doesn’t necessarily work for someone else. Below, you’ll find examples of self-care checklists, which can be used as a daily, weekly, or monthly roadmap.

Daily self-care checklist

• Engage in positive self-talk: Take a moment each morning to affirm yourself with three positive statements about your abilities, qualities, or accomplishments.
• Practice three minutes of meditation: Set aside a quiet space and time for a brief meditation session. Focus on your breath or use a guided meditation app to help you relax and center your mind.
• Drink eight glasses of water: Keep track of your water intake throughout the day, aiming to consume at least eight glasses (64 ounces) of water to stay hydrated.
• Journal before bed: Spend 10 minutes before bedtime journaling about your day. Reflect on your thoughts, emotions, and experiences, and jot down any insights or gratitude you feel.
• Add more vegetables to your diet: Incorporate a variety of colorful vegetables into your meals, aiming to fill half of your plate with veggies during lunch and dinner.
• Choose one goal to focus on: Select a specific goal or intention for the day and prioritize it. Break down the goal into actionable steps and commit to making progress.
• Go outside: Take a 20-minute walk outdoors during your lunch break or after dinner. Enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and natural surroundings to rejuvenate your mind and body.
• Take a break from technology: Designate one hour in the evening to unplug from screens. Turn off your phone, computer, and other devices, and engage in screen-free activities such as reading a book, listening to music, or practicing a hobby.

Monthly self-care checklist

• Spend quality time with your partner: Plan one date night per week, such as cooking a meal together, taking a scenic hike, or attending a local event.
• Practice your favorite hobby: Dedicate five hours per week to engage in your favorite hobby, whether it's painting, gardening, playing a musical instrument, or crafting.
• Make sure your medication is renewed: Contact your healthcare provider or pharmacy to ensure you have an ample supply of any prescribed medications and schedule a refill if needed.
• Try a new type of exercise: Explore a new fitness activity or workout routine to challenge your body. Step outside your comfort zone and try a dance class, kickboxing, Pilates, or outdoor cycling.
• Write down your monthly goals: Take time to reflect on your aspirations and intentions for the month ahead. Write down specific, achievable goals in areas such as career, personal development, health, and relationships.
• Read a book: Set aside time each day to indulge in reading a book that interests you.
• Nap when needed: Listen to your body's signals and allow yourself to take a short nap if you're feeling tired or fatigued during the day. Aim for a 20-30 minute power nap to recharge and boost your energy levels.
• Test out a new recipe: Experiment with cooking by trying out a new recipe or cuisine that you've been curious about. Explore different flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques to expand your culinary skills.
• Review your monthly budget: Track your income, expenses, and savings goals to ensure you're staying on track with your financial plans and making informed decisions about your money.

Self-care checklist by category

Psychological

• Set your bills to automatic payments.
• Turn off all electronics one hour before bed.
• Incorporate more vegetables and fruit into your diet.
• Visit a financial advisor.
• Book a therapy session.

Emotional

• Spend 30 minutes of quality time with your partner.
• Try a social media cleanse for 24 hours.
• Write a gratitude list.
• Take a break during the workday to meditate.
• Say “no” to an activity you don’t enjoy.

Physical

• Sign up for a virtual yoga class.
• Turn on some music and dance.
• Schedule your routine doctor’s visit.
• Go on a walk with a friend.
• Drink one full glass of water when you wake up.
• Take a 20-minute nap when you’re overtired.

Intellectual

• Take an art or cooking class.
• Visit a new neighborhood in your area.
• Ask your manager for constructive feedback.
• Set up a monthly phone date with a friend.
• Read the opinions section of a newspaper.

When making your self-care checklist, keep the list attainable. The goal of the list isn’t to set unreasonably high goals for yourself, but simply to preserve and protect your health and wellbeing. If the list is too difficult for you this week or month, make some changes to it. Self-care is personal, so personalize your lists to your current needs.