My Wellness Plan

Throughout this program and my internship experience, I have come to recognize the importance of frequently integrating self-care. Not only does personal wellness allow me to feel like my best self and prevent burnout, it also allows me to be the best counselor that I can for my clients. When things get busy in my life, my self-care often falls first to the wayside; I have been making more of an effort to prioritize self-care rather than making it an optional activity whenever I have the time. 

Self-Care Assessment Worksheet

For the physical aspect of this worksheet, I plan to focus on getting enough sleep. This is a common problem for me that I have been working on for most of my life, and I plan to continue integrating a better sleep routine. Saying no and setting boundaries is one way I will continue to wok on the psychological aspect of my self-care; boundary setting is not something that comes very easily to me. For the emotional section, allowing myself to cry seems like the aspect that needs the most work. I often am still hesitant to feel the full range of my emotions. For spiritual, I plan to set aside at least 5 minutes of time for personal reflection and reflection of my day. For workplace self-care, I plan to better balance my caseload to create more even and consistent days for myself. Finally, for balance, I will strive for a better balance among work, family, relationships, play, and rest by better scheduling and planning for activities. 

Assessing Social Support

I feel very supported by my current support network. I think the primary area lacking adequate coverage is my "instrumental" area. I believe my girlfriend (Tea) is the most overextended within my support network, and I think the situation could be made better by better relying on other family members such as my brothers and grandparents. To fill the "job openings", I plan to be more vulnerable with my family members, engage with more of my peers and professors, and rely on my friends more often for emotional or instrumental support. 

Life Pie

Overall, I feel my balance has improved throughout my experience in the Master's program, but it is still not a balance that I prefer. Much of my balance and time is lent toward school and work, which shows that I value this development. However, if I had one month left to live, I would allocate more of my time toward my relationships. While I do spend some time caring for others and myself, I feel these are the areas that need the most attention and development. I think the primary commitment I can make right now is to better manage my time when it comes to school assignments so I can better utilize my time with my loved ones. By focusing on better time management, this will leave more room for me to spend with others throughout my day.