A gentle review of how well you are looking after yourself across the different parts of life - body, feelings, relationships, day-to-day demands and a sense of meaning. The aim is to spot where you are running low and choose one or two small things to top yourself back up.
Self-Care Assessment
PreviewSelf-care is not bubble baths and treats - though it can include them. It is the everyday business of meeting your own basic needs so you have enough in the tank to cope with life. Like a phone, you need regular recharging. When we are busy, stressed or low, self-care is usually the first thing to slip, which is exactly when we need it most. This is a chance to check, honestly and without judgement, how each part of your self-care is doing right now.
This covers sleep, eating regularly and reasonably well, moving your body, drinking enough water, taking rest when you are tired, and seeing a doctor or dentist when you need to. Your body is the ground everything else stands on. Rate how well you have been doing this lately.
How well am I caring for my body right now?
Not answered
This is about letting yourself feel and name your emotions, doing things that bring comfort or joy, being kind to yourself rather than harshly self-critical, and reaching out for support when you are struggling. It also means giving yourself permission to laugh, cry and switch off. Rate how well you have been doing this lately.
How well am I caring for my feelings right now?
Not answered
This covers spending time with people who matter to you, staying in touch with friends and family, asking for help, doing things that are fun or playful, and setting boundaries so you are not always giving and never receiving. Humans are wired for connection, and even small contact counts. Rate how well you have been doing this lately.
How well am I caring for my relationships right now?
Not answered
This is about managing the demands of daily life without grinding yourself down: keeping your workload at a level you can handle, taking proper breaks, having time off, keeping on top of money and admin, and asking for help when tasks pile up. Constant pressure with no let-up wears anyone out. Rate how well you have been doing this lately.
How well am I managing work and practical demands right now?
Not answered
This covers the things that give life a sense of purpose: living in line with your values, spending time in nature, faith or reflection if that fits for you, creativity, helping others, or simply moments of awe and gratitude. It is the part of self-care that feeds the spirit. Rate how well you have been doing this lately.
How well am I tending to meaning and values right now?
Not answered
Looking at your lowest-scoring domains, here are some small, doable actions. You do not need to do them all - tick any that you would be willing to try.
Actions I would be willing to try
None selected
Pick just one or two small things to focus on this week - the ones most likely to make a difference. Trying to fix everything at once usually backfires. Small and regular beats big and rare.
The one or two things I will do for myself this week
Not answered
This is a read-only preview. Sign up to assign it and let clients complete it on any device.
The Self-Care Assessment is an interactive cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) worksheet. As a core CBT skill it is used right across the model, with presentations including depression, anxiety, OCD, trauma and low self-esteem, rather than being tied to a single diagnosis.
It is designed to be used within therapy rather than as a standalone self-help tool: a therapist introduces it, works through it collaboratively, and helps make sense of what it surfaces. You can preview the full worksheet above, then assign it digitally for clients to complete between sessions on any device — or download it as a print-ready PDF.
Most people work through it in around 10 minutes. It moves through six short steps:
Completed on the Formulate platform, your client's answers are saved automatically and shared straight back to you, so you can review them before the next session rather than waiting for a paper copy to come back.
In common with other CBT methods, the Self-Care Assessment works by noticing the links between situations, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviour — and finding practical ways to change unhelpful patterns. The aim is not positive thinking but a clearer, shared understanding of what keeps a difficulty going — and practical, testable ways to change it.
Because it is a CBT tool it stays focused on the here-and-now links between thoughts, feelings, the body and behaviour, and it works best as one part of a wider course of therapy rather than as advice or a diagnosis.
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
If you need urgent help now:
Sign up free and send your client a link. They complete it on any device — you review their responses before the next session.
No credit card required. 10 free worksheets every month.
It follows the same evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy structure as the rest of the Formulate library.
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