Designing Your Self-Care Blueprint

Description

This self‑care planning module helps participants move from ad‑hoc “coping” to a deliberate, written Self‑Care Plan that supports mental health, resilience, and sustainable performance. Self‑care is framed as the routine actions people take to maintain physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well‑being, not as indulgence or an emergency fix. The module normalizes stress and overload while emphasizing that consistent, intentional self‑care is a core protective factor against burnout, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion.​

Participants learn how self‑care influences the nervous system, mood, focus, and energy, and how neglecting it can erode functioning over time. Research and practice guidance show that well‑designed self‑care plans help people regulate emotions, reduce stress, and build resilience by distributing effort across multiple “dimensions of wellness” (e.g., physical, emotional, social, financial, spiritual). Simple tools like self‑care assessments and wellness wheels are used so participants can quickly see where they are over‑invested and where they are under‑resourced.​

Finally, the module guides participants to translate insight into action through a brief, personalized plan that fits their real lives and roles. They identify key stressors, current habits, gaps, and realistic next steps, using SMART‑style goals and accountability prompts. The aim is to leave with a living document—a Self‑Care Plan—that can be revisited and adjusted over the next 30–90 days rather than a one‑time “feel good” exercise.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 30‑minute module, participants will be able to:

• Define self‑care in practical, non‑gimmicky terms and explain its importance for mental health, resilience, and burnout prevention.​
• Assess their current self‑care across at least four domains (e.g., physical, emotional, social, spiritual or meaning) and identify strengths and gaps.​
• Describe how regular self‑care supports stress regulation, focus, and performance at work and home.​
• Create at least three specific, realistic self‑care goals using a structured planning template.​
• Commit to a 30‑day Self‑Care Plan, including small daily and weekly actions and a strategy to review and adjust the plan.

Code and Difficulty 

• MHBP 2003
• Easy

Module Outline

1. What self-care is (and isn’t)
2. Self-care snapshot: where am I now?
3. Designing a realistic Self-Care Plan
4. Commitments and accountability

Additional resources

https://positivepsychology.com/self-care-worksheets/

https://caffeinatedkyle.com/self-care-workshop/

https://bwell.brown.edu/tool/self-care-assessment-and-planning-worksheet