Self-care is anything you do with the deliberate intention of improving (or maintaining) your physical, intellectual, mental, social, spiritual, financial and/or environmental health and wellbeing.

I’ve become particularly fascinated with it as a topic. I’ve previously written a self-care guide and am writing a new one at the moment [ps, you can offer your own self-care tips to go in this new guide].

Why I find it so interesting is that I believe deliberate action to look after oneself is at the heart of:

• maximising happiness
• creating a better future for yourself
• finding balance in life
• becoming the best version of yourself that you can
• being a high performer
• increasing your resilience
• coping during difficult times
• helping others

Recently, the Australian Psychological Society, of which I am a member, provided a free self-care course for members.

I completed the course and whilst I don’t think I learned anything groundbreakingly new, I did quite like the self-care planning tool they provided.

So I have totally ripped it off and have presented a downloadable version of it here.

I have made a few edits to build in some concepts I’ve liked from other similar programs (e.g. Be Well Plan) but the core idea is the same.

Complete this worksheet and you have in your hands a preliminary plan for how you will look after yourself moving forwards.

You can totally do this on your own, but this is also the kind of tool that you might use in the context of talking with a counsellor or a close family member or friend.