7 Essential Items For Your Wellness Checklist
I will stand by this until the end of time: there is no one-size-fits-all wellness.
We are as unique as snowflakes and grains of sand. We reflect nature that way. Each of us is differentiated in what constitutes the right nutritional inputs for our body or the right fitness program. While there are some universal truths about basic human health needs, how these specifically apply to each of us individually is as unique as we are.
Think about it this way: all humans experience anger at some point. We each handle and express it differently. A healthy expression for one person may be going for a run, for another playing the guitar, yelling into a pillow, or taking a nap. Is there one right way? No, there isn't. It's what works for you.
Because wellness is so individualized, I teach people to design their very own medicine toolbags as part of their treatment program. We work together to begin collecting inputs that will inform their health and well-being for a lifetime. These toolbags or toolkits include everything from what kind of complementary care they best respond to, the specific lifestyle practices that make a difference, to how to know what food works best for their bodies. They also include all manner of self-care.
Acupuncturists have a large pool of Chinese medicinal applications to support our patients. We have needles, Chinese Herbal medicine, Gua Sha, Tui Na, Moxibustion, Chinese nutritional therapy, and more. We have some of the best medicine on the planet. We treat everything! Still, there's no replacement for what people can offer themselves when they become empowered about self-care.
When people take on self-care, they take the reins in their lives and can better navigate their health, family, social, and work lives, no matter what is at play.
I don't see self-care as something we do because we are supposed to; it’s something we do because we love ourselves. Sometimes, part of the path is falling back in love with ourselves, especially after an injury, an illness, a trauma, or living with a confusing or exhausting list of symptoms.
Little by little, and treatment by treatment, my patients start building a self-care portfolio. It's all the stuff that ends up in their medicine toolbag after trying new things, determining what works, what doesn't, when, and how. Part of this involves self-inquiry; we all need this skill so we can plot a course back to our well-being when things come out of balance. I call this self-inquiry process The Wellness Checklist.
My wellness checklist is a living document. I update it regularly. Different things apply at different stages of my life. I may tweak it based on my circumstances and how I am changing and growing. Your wellness checklist will also be a living and evolving thing. We are not static, and neither are our needs.
“This wellness checklist approach allows us to turn toward ourselves compassionately while considering some observable data about ourselves. When we get down to it, we’re asking ourselves this gentle and essential question, “What would make a difference for me right now?”
My list is below so you can get an idea of how to begin thinking about your own. I no longer keep it written down, though when I was starting, I did! Now, it's a list I run through in my head or speak out loud to a buddy as needed.
Anytime I feel like my health or well-being is breaking down, I come back to my list. All humans have moments of breakdown—long or short—we have them. No one is exempt from this.
Because I have been practicing this for years, I can run my list through pretty quickly. Indeed, it is a practice, like any skill we want to master.
And here are my top seven wellness checklist items that I think all of us can begin with to get into the practice of this. They are in no particular order. I start with these to get an overview of my general situation and ask patients to do the same.
The Essential 7:
Have I been sleeping enough? Is it going well?
What have I been eating? Is it going well?
Am I well hydrated?
When was the last time I exercised?
Am I in pain?
Am I upset about something?
How is my breathing? Can I, and am I, taking deep breaths?
Note that even with our uniqueness in mind, these seven items are universally applicable. Sleep, food, water, air, movement, comfort, and emotional well-being are universal markers for health and well-being. Individuality comes with our answers to these questions and the inputs that constitute our gauges. For example, how much water we each need is unique to our individual physiology. This top seven is also aimed at checking in on multiple levels—mind/emotions, spirit, and body.
Sometimes, answering these seven questions provides me perspective to move through a breakdown and right back into the flow again. If not, though, or if it's a bit more nuanced, I get more nitty-gritty so I can either expand on those initial seven or take care of a different issue.
Here's a portion of my expanded (aka nitty-gritty) wellness checklist, in no particular order:
Rachel's Wellness Checklist:
Am I resting?
Am I getting good sleep?
Am I getting too much screen time? (ALL: TV, Computer, Phone, Tablet)
How's my hydration? Also, how's my peeing situation?
How's my nutrition? Am I eating fresh fruits and vegetables? Have I consumed red meat lately (something I know I need after many experiments)? Have I eaten enough calories? How much dairy or sugar have I had?
How's my digestion? Also, how's my pooping situation?
When was the last time I took some Vitamin D?
Have I been watching too much garbage on TV? Have I been reading garbage?
Am I moving my physical body regularly? Did I stretch today? Did I walk around? How is my fitness schedule working for me?
Have I been creative lately? Hobbies? Professionally?
Have I enjoyed social time with people I love lately? Do I need some more friend time? Likewise, have I been spending time with people who I don't jive with?
Am I being judgemental about anything right now?
Have I been giving and receiving enough touch and affection?
Am I feeling inspired?
Have I been outside in nature? Am I sunlight or fresh air deficient?
Am I feeling self-expressed?
Am I fulfilled?
Am I feeling valued?
Am I worried about anything?
How is my routine or daily rhythm?
Have I had any alone time?
When was the last time I visited my ___________? Insert: acupuncturist, physical therapist, eye doctor, hairdresser, etc.?
Now, you have a more in-depth idea of the kinds of questions I ask myself and my patients. As you begin to design your own, I recommend following these guidelines:
Write in the first person: Use "I" and refrain from using "you" or keeping things general. It is your list, written from your personal experience.
Keep things curious: It is a no-blame checklist. We want to break things down simply to: did I or didn't I, or answer with a yes or no.
Exclude numbers for now: It's not always about measuring how many, how often, how much, or how little.*
Make a comprehensive list: Include aspects to assess your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
*The facts and figures of measurement can sometimes be a slippery slope right into a blame and victimhood loop; see Pro-tip below.
Once you have a starting point, you will have a place to begin moving through breakdowns and into flow more easily and more quickly. There will always be life circumstances influencing how you move through your days. There will be breakdowns. That's the human experience. It's all good!
Your circumstances will impact your self-care, which in turn will influence how you move through your life circumstances.
Pro-tip: It's important to catch yourself blaming or playing victim about your self-care.
It is not empowering to blame yourself for a breakdown in self-care; this will not help you get back into flow. Blaming yourself will keep you playing small! Pointing fingers at others or external circumstances will not help get you back into flow, either. We call this playing the victim. Succumbing to victimhood will keep you in the breakdown. It is not inspiring! You're a powerful badass, right? So, no blame!
If you get caught in a blame cycle, it's time for an acupuncture tune-up.
This wellness checklist approach allows us to turn toward ourselves compassionately while considering some observable data about ourselves. When we get down to it, we're asking ourselves this gentle and essential question, "What would make a difference for me right now?"
