How a daily self check-in practice can support your health and wellness goals

Have you ever tried to adopt healthier habits only to find that they just weren’t sustainable for you long term, even if they worked for your cousin Jessica? Maybe you’ve embarked on a new morning routine with yoga, meditation and journaling only to find that it caused you more stress and chaos in the mornings eventhough your sister in law swears by it?

Cultivating healthy eating and lifestyle habits that stick is a process that takes trial and correction as well as an understanding of what works for you and what doesn’t. There are no cookie cutter solutions that work for everyone.

Taking time to check in with yourself everyday is an essential part of this process, especially if you’re doing it alone; meaning without the support of a coach or community to encourage you, guide you, and provide you with the accountability you need to meet your health and wellness goals.

How checking-in with yourself everyday can help you create healthy eating & lifestyle habits that stick

Checking-in with yourself on a daily basis is a great way to evaluate what’ve you been doing and the progress you’ve been making.

In our busy modern lifestyles we tend to move on auto pilot and this is even more true when we rely on cookie cutter one size fits all solutions that promise us certain results. We move from one task to another, often neglecting to stop and think about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, how it makes us feel, and whether or not it is serving us and our wellness vision.

We then wonder why we’re strugging to stick with these new habits if they work for everyone else and feel like failures as a result.

The self check-in process is essential to creating new healthy habits because it brings mindful attention and awareness to your feelings, emotions, actions and needs. It gives you the physical, mental and emotional time and space to get curious about what’s working for you and what isn’t and propels you to take corrective action when something doesn’t feel right.

How to add daily check-ins to your schedule

Checking in with yourself doesn’t have to be a long elaborate process.

Start by allocating some time in your daily routine for a quick self check-in and if need be, set an alarm to remind yourself to take a break and check in with yourself.

Take a few minutes to reflect on the following, mentally or by writing in your journal:

How do I feel vs how do I want to feel?
Think about how you feel in this given moment vs how you would like to feel. Are there any gaps? One example may be, I feel sluggish vs I want to feel energetic
What am I doing/not doing that is contributing to this feeling?
Think about your day and how it has progressed. What have you done that is misaligned with your goals? Did you wake up feeling this way or did it gradually happen throughout the day?
Identify and name the events, thoughts and actions that aren’t serving you and your desired feelings.
Example: I went to bed too late, slept poorly and woke up feeling tired. As a result I drank too much coffee, had a sugary breakfast, and haven’t hydrated enough. My body is feeling depleted and in need of care.
What concrete actions can I take to move closer to my desired feeling?
Take positive action, in alignment with your wellness vision, goals and desired feeling.
The solution can be as simple as eating a nourishing meal, getting more water, and taking some time to get up and stretch your body.

Remember, lasting behaviour change doesn't happen overnight. It's a gradual process that takes time, commitment and practice, and rarely ever comes easily on the first try. If starting a self check-in process feel difficult in the begining, start small until it becomes a natural part of your daily routine. Overtime, your check-ins will feel natural and will even be something you look forward to.