Why you should do an annual self-care assessment.

Self-care improves your health and wellbeing.

Your daily habits shape your long-term health — that’s why doctors ask so many questions about how you eat, sleep, move, and manage stress.

As we age, self-care check-ins become even more valuable. With every trip around the sun, our risk factors shift, but the good news is: small lifestyle changes can lead to big improvements in how you feel.

Birthdays make a great reminder to pause and reflect — they’re hard to miss, after all. Even if you’re already tracking your health closely, it’s worth taking a few mindful minutes to check in on what’s working, what’s changed, and where there’s room to feel even better

Your self-care assessment:

1/ Do you feel happy?

Happiness is not frivolous or something you experience when you’re successful. It’s the starting point for building a successful life. If you’re not sure, take an assessment and implement the practices proven to increase happiness.

2/ Do you overindulge in stimulants?

Stimulants are cigarettes, marijuana, other drugs, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and other vices often used to get you through the day. Most of these stimulates need to be limited. If you’re not sure whether you’re overdoing it or not, talk to a friend or ask your doctor about the latest guidelines.

3/ Do you workout?

There are guidelines for how much we need to move daily to maintain good health. With age, strength and flexibility training become equally as important as cardio. Having a good workout routine makes it easy to cover all the bases so that you have the strength and stamina to live the life you want to live until the very end.

4/ Do you eat mostly whole foods?

The easiest way to think about whole foods is to think about the things you can kill, pluck and pull. With that said, plant based diets are reportedly the healthiest. It doesn’t mean you have to become a Vegan but the more plants in your diet, the better you’ll age.

5/ Can you sleep through the entire night?

If you’re not getting a full 7-9 hours of sleep per night, assess your sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene are the practices that make up your bedtime routine. The key word being routine. You need consistency to establish a good sleep and wake pattern. Temperature, achy muscles, stress, blue light exposure, diet and your eating window can all affect the quality of your sleep.

6/ Do you have a good friend to play with?

Having a good friend to play with and talk to is an important part of maintaining good mental health. It gets harder to develop friendships later in life, but not impossible. Sports, card games and other activities you enjoy doing are a good way to meet people with common interests.

7/ Do you look good and feel good about yourself?

It’s never too late to make changes that improve how you look and feel. A good skin care routine will keep your skin healthy and can make your skin look younger. Vitamins and supplements can improve your nutrition and address issues like hair loss. An electric toothbrush and whitening paste can improve your dental care and brighten your smile. There are more new devices than ever making self-care easier and more affordable.

Take our self-care quiz to get more insights that will improve your health and wellbeing.