Stories Link Copied 05.24.24

35 Daily Reflections for Checking In With Yourself

How are you, really? ByKylani St. Clair, LMHC, CCTP

Shutterstock/Wondermind

From time to time, we all get trapped in a rhythm that goes a little something like: running to work, drinking two (or three) strong coffees per day, keeping tabs on your people, trying to “have” “hobbies,” doomscrolling, and marathoning the latest Netflix drop as your brain turns to goo. With all of that, checking in with yourself can easily drop to the bottom of your to-do list. But when you skip out on daily reflections (like, How am I, really?) you put your physical and mental health at risk.

Yes, pausing to check in on yourself with everything else going on can seem unrealistic and maybe even intimidating. As a psychotherapist and yoga teacher who specializes in mindfulness and trauma, I know all about that daily grind. I also know all about avoiding signals from your mind and body saying, Hey! Pay attention to me! In my experience, if you don’t listen up and make some adjustments, you might be more prone to things like burnout, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and more. 

I want to help you get in tune with your mind, body, and all of the things that make you who you are (like your spirit, sense of community, and relationships). You can use that information to get clear on your wants, needs, challenges, and wins—and make changes accordingly. Making a habit of this over time can lead to a greater sense of purpose, authenticity, happiness, and internal peace. All great things! 

If you’re ready to get started, here are a few daily reflections you can use to understand your mind, body, spirit, and relationships a bit more. Feel free to use them as journal prompts, spend time thinking about them during your morning routine, or bring them up in therapy. I personally love to meditate on these prompts during yoga.No matter how or when you check in, aim to do it on a regular basis so you can be proactive about managing any distressing issues. 

To check in with your physical health

Society has become good at prioritizing productivity over basic needs, like eating when you’re hungry, sipping water when you’re thirsty, or taking a five minute break to look out the window. Ultimately, if you're not in tune with your physical needs or the warning signs from your body, taking care of your mental health becomes more challenging. The prompts below can help you get in touch with how you’re feeling physically so you can take better care of yourself. 

1. Have you nourished yourself today? When was the last time you ate something? Are you drinking enough water?
2. How well did you sleep last night, and is that normal for you? 
3. What small changes can you make to help you get better sleep this week? Or is exhaustion an ongoing problem that you could talk to your doctor or therapist about? 
4. How is your work-life balance? Are you taking breaks throughout the day, and do they feel restful? 
5. What activities could you do during your free time to make you feel more chill and rejuvenated? (Remember: Every day is different, so what works for you one day might not work the next.)
6. How’s your posture today? Are there any tweaks you can make to feel even 1% more comfortable right now?

To check in with your emotional state

Reflecting on your emotions makes it easier to label and work through your feelings as they come up. If you don’t take time to acknowledge that they exist, you could struggle to move through conflicts or express yourself to others. 

As you use the prompts below to reflect on your emotions, try to describe what you’re feeling as specifically as possible. You could even use the tried-and-true feelings wheel to pinpoint the name of what you’re feeling. The more precise your vocabulary, the easier it is to identify what’s going wrong (or right!), understand your needs, and take action. 

1. What are three emotions and/or feelings you’ve experienced today? 
2. What have your emotions been trying to tell you today? 
3. Where do you feel emotions in your body? Could your tense shoulders or upset stomach be related to anxiety? What might help you relieve that discomfort or tension?
4. Which emotions are yours, and which ones could you be holding for someone else? 
5. Which emotions tell you that you’re not living in line with your boundaries and values? 

To check in with your spiritual self

Whether you’re describing the spirit that lives within you, such as your soul, or your intuitive connection to the earth or a Higher Power, you likely have some kind of driving force—and that’s your spiritual self. Even if you don’t subscribe to a specific religion, getting in touch with your beliefs can give you a sense of direction, hope, purpose, and motivation. 

Here are reflections that help me find my way back to feeling spiritually fulfilled and can help you if you’re feeling lost, stuck, or unmotivated.

1. A mantra, quote, or saying that you could use to live in line with your values is: 
2. What spiritual practice would you like to cultivate or learn more about? 
3. Being in connection with the universe and the world makes you feel: 
4. Did you live in alignment with your spiritual beliefs today? How did that make you feel?
5. What sparked a feeling of hope and joy in you today? If you didn’t feel that way, how did you experience that in the past? 
6. Did you notice anything random today, like signs or glimmers, that felt like it had a significant meaning?  

To check in on your relationship with yourself

You’ve probably heard how important it is to cultivate your intrapersonal relationship, like being comfortable in your own company and feeling generally good about who you are. Here are some reflections you can ponder to gain insight on how to treat yourself. The goal is to find more ways to cultivate self-compassion. 

1. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being your lowest, 10 being your best), how are you feeling right now, and what might be influencing your mental state? 
2. In what area do you need to practice accepting yourself without judgment or analysis?  Could it be your body image, academic performance, or daily habits? 
3. How can you self-soothe or show yourself compassion today?
4. How did you meet your needs today? What do you need to continue meeting your needs for the rest of the day? 
5. What can you congratulate yourself for? 
6. When do you feel like your most authentic self? 

To check in on how you show up in the world

No matter who you are, you play many roles on this earth. Caregiver, good-time friend, truck driver, eldest daughter, student, veterinarian—we commit chunks of time and energy to these (maybe unofficial) titles. 

Because your roles and responsibilities can take up a lot of space in your day-to-day life, it’s important to consider if they feel authentic or fulfilling to you. Just imagine how being super professional at work might make you feel like you’re hiding something or pretending to be someone else. Sometimes your family’s support system leaves little room for you to express yourself. That’s exhausting and can keep you from living the life you want. 

If you’re a little burnt out by your role, it can also help to think about what can make you feel recharged. As a therapist, I love working with clients week to week, watching them grow and change. Still, I’m only human, and sometimes imposter syndrome creeps in or I feel a little unmotivated. When that happens, one thing that fires me up and helps a ton is attending conferences and trainings where I can hear from other experts and draw on their ideas and strategies. 

However you define yourself, these reflections can help you see if this way of life is working for you and what changes might help things run more smoothly. (Consider answering these in your journal so you can see how your answers change over time.)

1. What is your role in your family, friend group, and society? Do they feel true to who you want to be? 
2. Where does your sense of reward and motivation in your role come from? 
3. Are you doing what you want or what you need to be doing to feel content? If not, what’s one attainable step you could take to get closer to that reality?
4. How can you find or continue your sense of purpose within your roles? 
5. What about your identity makes you proud? 

To check in on your interpersonal connections

Healthy and fulfilling relationships with others can give you a sense of belonging, happiness, resilience, and purpose. Sounds ideal and yet a lot of us really struggle to find and maintain those bonds. Since Covid, many of my clients started to feel more anxious about their social interactions.

Whether that’s the case for you too or your relationships leave you feeling off for some other reason, these questions can help you reflect on the ties that make you feel good, pinpoint the ones that don’t, and identify why. When you clarify the differences, you can decide which connections to prioritize, which ones to leave behind, and what qualities you want to see in new relationships.  

1. How are you feeling about socializing lately, whether it’s in-person or virtually? 
2. What was it like to interact, or not, with people today? 
3. Did any interactions today make you uncomfortable? What can you learn from that? 
4. How were you authentic around others today? 
5. You felt secure in your community and/or relationships today because: 
6. What do you value in your friendships and community? What value do you get from having them in your life? 
7. What boundaries do you need to reinforce with others? 

You’re the best source of info for how you’re living from moment to moment. Checking in with yourself regularly and honestly improves your resiliency and authenticity for yourself and models that behavior for those around you.