Checking in
Checking in is a great way to connect with ourselves and each other.
Checking in with yourself
Checking in with yourself is a great opportunity to spend some time on you! This time you spend on yourself can help you to better understand how you’re feeling, what is going on for you at the moment, and what you could be doing to look after yourself and keep safe. Some good questions to ask yourself during a check in are:
How are you feeling right now?
How are you feeling today compared to yesterday or last week?
Is there anything stressful coming up that you need to prepare yourself for?
Is there anything exciting coming up that you can look forward to?
Who are the people you are spending your time with at the moment? How do they make you feel?
Do you need to talk to someone?
Our mind and body often send us signals to help us know what is going on. As you check in with yourself, it can be good to pay attention to any of these signals, as this can help you to address something before it becomes overwhelming or starts impacting your wellbeing. Identifying these signals can take some time, but a good place to start can be by recording what is going on for you when you start to feel a certain way.
Does your heart speed up when you are anxious?
Do you start to question yourself more when you are beginning to feel low?
Do you get more tired when you are feeling stressed?
Is there any pattern of things happening before I start to feel low?
These are all potential signals that you can start to pay attention to as you check in with yourself.
If when you check in on yourself, you feel consistently low, out of sorts, or hopeless, this can be a good sign that you might need to talk to someone. Check out all the different places you can reach out to on our Who to reach out to page.
Checking in with others
When the people around us start acting differently, or we stop hearing from them, it can be helpful to check in with them. This is a great way that you can be a supportive friend and be there for others.
A simple way to check in on someone is simply by reaching out and asking how they are doing. Even if they choose not to share what is going on for them with you, just having a friendly conversation with someone can help them to feel better. This can be really meaningful and supportive for some people, especially when they aren’t feeling great.
If you are genuinely concerned about someone though, there are other ways you can go about checking in with them that help them to know you are there to support them. You can do this by:
Reaching out and asking to talk with them
Finding a safe space to talk in
Sharing with them that you have noticed, and letting them know you care and want to be there for them
Listening to them without judgement, and not pushing them to share things they don’t want to
Helping them to find the support they need; you can find a range of different places to reach out to on our Who to reach out to page
It is important to remember that as their friend, you are there to support them, but you can’t make decisions for them. Being there to talk and help them find support can make a world of difference.
