If antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication can help you feel better, and alcohol and other substances can get you down, surely other things in your environment can have similar potent effects too, right? Intentionally implementing your own self care exercise can be the perfect antidote to burnout.

Self care is often thought of as bubble baths and spa days, however what if you prefer showers? What if you hate the spa?
This following exercise will help you feel more attuned to what self care means for you. It is called “Up/Down” activities and it is one of my favourite ones to use with people, because it helps me get to know the person better, and it helps the person get to know themselves better too. Even I still do this exercise from time to time, as interests and circumstances change over time.
Take out a piece of paper and a pen, get out a word document, or even get up the notes app on your phone, split the page in two and title each side of the page with “Up” and “Down”.
Step 1 - Up
On the “Up” side, write out examples of all the activities, places, people, things and situations that help you feel some kind of positive emotion.
Think of as many things as you can that fit under each category. When you’re doing these activities, or around this person, or in this situation, you feel some kind of joy or ease.
Time may go quickly and you may even feel energized, even after spending a long time doing this thing, or being in this place or being with this person.
Step 2 - Down
For the “Down” side, write out examples of all the activities, places, people, things and situations that lead you to feeling some kind of negative emotion or energy depletion.
Think of as many things as you can that fit under each category. When you’re doing these activities, or around this person, or in this situation, you feel some kind of displeasure or tension.
Time may drag and you may even feel tired, even after a short time of doing this thing, or being in this place, or being with this person.
You do not need to overthink this step, or spend a long time exhausting everything you can possibly think of.
Just write out anything that comes to mind for you right now. This is most likely going to be the most relevant to you now.
Step 3 - Reflect
What do you notice as you look at your two lists?
Was it easier to think of the up side, or the down side? Why do you think this is this the case for you?
Does anything stand out to you about the two lists that you have in front of you?
Are there any themes that stand out to you? What does that tell you? What does that mean for you as a person?
Are there duplications? Do some things fit into both up and down, depending on the circumstance?
If you did a mental snapshot of your day, or your week, where would you say you have spent the most time and energy? The up side, or the down side?
Does this help you understand how you have been feeling lately, in the here-and-now?
How could you use this data to help you feel more balanced? Could you find pockets of time in your schedule to include anything on your up list to help recharge you?
Step 4 - Action plan
What are you willing to try in the next 48 hours?
Revisit this exercise whenever you need to
If we are not careful, we can go through the motions of our lives on autopilot, and be unclear about why we do not feel fulfilled emotionally. This aims to help you gain some clarity on what your needs are, and where you need to direct your time and attention in order to get back a sense of balance.
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