I came across this article recently from Simple Practice: How to Create an Affordable and Sustainable Self-Care Plan and thought it was pretty helpful in making my own self care plan. In it, Elizabeth Scarlett, a licensed psychotherapist from Ontario suggests the following steps:
- Make a list of hobbies and interests that energize you – include everything you can think of – it should be a long list!
- Add something active, something spiritual, and something creative
- Edit your list to those things that are not dependent on others or that cost too much (time or money) to be realistic
- Create an acronym to help you remember the list.
Elizabeth’s Acronym was WRITE:
W – Writing and Reading
R – Running and Exercise
I – Inspiration
T – Time Alone
E – Eating and Cooking
Making Your Own Self Care Plan
Now for myself (and for most of the people I know), the first is the hardest. My initial list had 33 things on it, and some of them were probably pretty individualized. I tried to think of things that fit these categories, though there could be some overlap:
- Energize
- Replenish
- Connect
- Physical
- Spiritual
- Creative
- Soothe
I frequently use the concept of distress tolerance from DBT to think of coping plans (Here is a link to my Distress Tolerance Plan worksheet) – for the purposes of a “Self Care Plan” I did not include activities that were distracting only (like TV) because I do enough of those already, and because I do not find those activities (generally) replenish me.
If you’re still having trouble coming up with stuff still, here are some questions:
- What have I done recently to take care of myself?
- Who is someone I admire for how they take care of themselves and what do they do?
- Was there a time in your life you did more to nurture yourself? How did you feel?
I am not totally sure about the whole acronym thing – sometimes that is fun, but sometimes it feels stressful. The important thing is that you write the things down on a list, put them in categories, make sure they are realistic, and then actually do some of them.
Also on the Distress Tolerance Plan is a list of Self Nourishment Activities, a bit about Radical Acceptance, Self Soothing ideas for your five senses, and my favorite Visualization Exercise that I use to help me sleep.
My Self Care Plan Acronym is DANCER
Daily – these are things I do every day to ground myself and set myself up for success. Some, like playing the daily WORDLE, are more fun – but I like doing that in the morning to kind of wake me up. A few overlap with other categories, like walking the dog and mindfulness activities – by which I mean doing something mindfully, not necessarily meditation or something formal. Reading is also in this category – I am a big reader and love my Kindle – and if I don’t do it, it feels like something is missing.
Active – exercise type stuff, but any movement is helpful sometimes to get me out of my head and take a breath.
Nature – anything outside, really, but I like gardening and hiking/trails. I also just like to sit outside and read.
Creative – I have a lot of creative hobbies and I like learning new things, too. I also put organizing things in this category – it feels kind of like doing a puzzle and activates a more flow state version of problem solving.
Engage – I am an introvert and do not tend to need as much interaction as an extrovert would, but I recognize the importance of connecting with people. Making sure I spend time with family and friends regularly is pretty important because I can hermit pretty easily, so I try to make sure that these things are scheduled. This could be family dinners or weekly time with friends, book club, taking a class, calling old friends…
Relax & Reflect – the first is anything that makes my mind or body calm down – things like yoga, aromatherapy, visualization. The second is anything introspective – this could be reading or journaling or meditation or a bunch of other things. I schedule these when I can (like I do certain exercises at certain times of year, like my Values Sort)
Because I am me, I made a spreadsheet for self care activities and I would be happy to send it to you if you email me!
Some similar posts:
- Fill Your Cup 2023 (this series includes Reflection, Rest, Movement, Rituals, Connection, Compassion, Nature, Mindfulness)
- Gardening as Self Care
- To Do Lists without Overwhelm
- Mindfulness 101
If you need any more ideas, or come up with your own acronym, let me know!