“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence; it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” - Audre Lorde
A solid starting point for any self-care regimen or journey is to take an honest inventory of how well we care for ourselves. The following self-care audit uses actual data points created by GirlTREK co-founders Morgan and Vanessa.
When asking yourself these questions, remember to come from a space of self-compassion so that you can take a real-time and personal assessment of where you are and remind yourself of the importance of taking active steps to help you identify where you should focus your attention to satisfy your unmet needs so that you may live your best life.
ADD (3) POINTS FOR EACH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THAT YOU ANSWER YES TO:
- I am a vegan or vegetarian
- I had a preventative checkup this year
- I talked to a therapist recently
- I feel really good in sexy clothes
- I have an active profile on a dating site
- I took a fitness class recently that was physical and made me sweat
- I am within my healthy body weight range
- I love my job
- I cried within the last week
- I know my credit score
- I own a home
- I have had an orgasm in the last week
- I had a mani/pedi or pampered myself recently
- I walked at least 30 minutes within five days
- I am in recovery from an addiction
- I have a daily gratitude or prayer practice
- I left an abusive relationship (during my lifetime)
- I feel satisfied with my life
- I ate at least three servings of fruits and vegetables today
- I had a pap smear in the last 6 months
- I have at least three trustworthy girlfriends I can call right now
- I had a mammogram within the last year
- I take all of my PTO time
- I am in a loving relationship
- I have a hobby that I love
- I dealt with grief in a healthy way
- The children in my life can imitate my diet and exercise and be healthy
- I shared the good news of GirlTREK with a sister or friend
- I reversed a chronic disease through diet and exercise
- I am actively treating anxiety or depression
- I know CPR
- I can swim
- My ancestors would be proud of the life I am leading at this moment
DEDUCT (5) POINTS FOR EACH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING THAT YOU ANSWER YES TO:
- I ate red meat today
- I said something harsh about my body out loud or in my mind
- I hid that I was going on a walk (to the gym, on a retreat, etc.) out of guilt
- I had a sugary drink today
- I looked at other women and had self-criticism or judgment about myself this week
- I gossiped today
- I suffer from a chronic disease and have to take medication to manage it
- I am in an active argument with a friend or family member
- I watched more than 8 hours of TV in the past week
- I work more than 40 hours per week
- I avoided a difficult conversation that I needed to have with someone
- I feel tired from standing on my feet
- I am in a current relationship that doesn't serve me
- I have credit card debt
- I overspent in the last month
- I worked my body to exhaustion for somebody else's gain
- I needed a mani/pedi and didn't get one
- I have been procrastinating about doing something I want to do
- I lent money I do not have
- I care for my children or family better than I care for myself
- I found myself driving and ignoring how I got there because my body was there, but my mind wasn't
Remember, this is a self-assessment that should be used to audit how well you are taking care of yourself so that you can move forward with pride, knowing that you are asking yourself the proper questions to help you understand how to continue on a path to live your healthiest and most fulfilled life. You can view a recording of the actual audit HERE.
GirlTREK is here to help on your journey. If you still need to do so, please visit GirlTREK.org, then click CONNECT TO THE MOVEMENT to connect with the GirlTREK sisterhood and the City nearest you. You can also visit GirlTREK's National Map HERE and put in your zip code to find and join a walk in your area.
Most answers to your questions can be found in our digital FAQ. Have more questions? Email our Community Care Team at info@girltrek.org