How to create a self-care plan in five steps

It’s important to show compassion and kindness to others, but how often do we treat ourselves with that same level of compassion or kindness? That inner voice will probably be the most important voice you will ever hear, and it needs to be nice!

For some people, adding self-care to a daily routine can seem inconvenient or time-consuming. You may say, “I don’t have time for that” or “I have too many other things to do”, but repeatedly putting the needs of others before our own can lead to a lack of ‘me time’. This can, in turn, create stress and resentment and prevent us from being our best selves.

Making time for self-care can support our well-being and help us manage stress. By giving ourselves a regular dose of compassion and kindness, we may be better able to approach our work and relationships with a clearer mind.

But how do you do that when it feels alien? Where do you start?

Here are a few steps to help you on your way. Remember, like any new skill, it takes regular practice to create a new habit.

Step 1: Understand what self-care is

If you don’t understand what self-care is, then it can be difficult to develop a new habit. Self-care includes intentional activities that support our mental, emotional and physical health. It is a way of looking after ourselves by doing things that restore us, support our needs or help us feel well.

Step 2: Assess what your self-care already looks like

Now it’s time to evaluate your current self-care. You can use my Coaching Wheel to assist you. Create a self-care assessment to highlight the positive things that you are already doing for yourself, along with any areas where you may be lacking.

One well-being framework identifies eight dimensions: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual. Start by choosing two of these dimensions, then look further into the others as you become more comfortable with the process.

Step 3: Find where you could do better and create a self-care plan

After evaluating your current self-care, did you notice any aspects where you could do better? Maybe you are doing well when it comes to your occupational well-being – your career is going well, and perhaps the financial side of things is too, such as paying your bills on time – but you seem to be forgoing your physical well-being.

Create your self-care plan by setting goals to improve in these areas.

Set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Step 4: Hold yourself accountable to these goals

Once you’ve set your plan in motion, the next step is to hold yourself accountable by measuring your progress. For example, you could buy a physical calendar and give yourself a gold star every night you meet your chosen sleep goal, or set yourself a goal to meditate or exercise for a certain amount of time each day or week.

Then, pick a date in the future and say, “I’m going to aim for seven hours of sleep each night until X date.” Try it for seven days, 30 days, 60 days or whatever you think is achievable for you.

Step 5: Decide on a follow-up date and stick to it

When that date arrives, it’s time to revisit your goal. This is the most important step in your self-care plan because this is where you can see whether you have achieved what you set out to do or if you need to make some adjustments. It’s a time for reflection.

Ask yourself, “How am I doing?” If your goal of sleeping seven hours each night has become a habit, you can put a new plan in place to reach a different goal.

Maybe you saw room for improvement in your social well-being when you completed your self-care assessment, and now you want to focus on arranging a weekly coffee date with a friend.

The idea is that your self-care plan is always evolving; it’s ever-changing. Sometimes we try a self-care plan, and it doesn’t work for us, and that’s OK, but we can find something else that does. If your plan hasn’t gone accordingly, ask what got in the way and make the necessary adjustments. There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.