How Well Do You Care for Yourself During Difficult Times?

We all go through challenging times at various points in life—whether it’s a health crisis, the end of a relationship, job loss, financial difficulties or the death of a loved one. To cope with such difficult times, self-care is vital but, too often, we are hard on ourselves instead. Answer these true/false questions to discover how well you support yourself during difficult times.

Set 1

True__ False__ 1. Although it doesn’t really help, when I’m facing something difficult, I often self-soothe by over-indulging in food and alcohol.
True__ False__ 2. During tough times, I get caught up in “putting out fires,” and self-care goes out the window.
True__ False__ 3. It’s easy for me to mentally spin out of control with worry and worst-case scenario thinking.
True__ False__ 4. I can’t face my friends and family when things aren’t going well; I tend to isolate.
True__ False__ 5. Shame and blame take over when I’m facing a difficult situation; I either feel it’s my fault or someone else’s.
True__ False__ 6. During hard times, I get scared and feel immobilized and depressed.
True__ False__ 7. I can’t understand why bad things happen to good people; it’s not fair.
True__ False__ 8. In the midst of bad times, I lose perspective and have a hard time trusting that things will get better.

Set 2

True__ False__ 1. No matter what’s going on, I’m committed to staying on track with my self-care routines.
True__ False__ 2. Caring for myself includes asking for and receiving support from people who love and care about me.
True__ False__ 3. I share my feelings and what’s going on with people I trust.
True__ False__ 4. I have tools to help keep myself positively focused.
True__ False__ 5. No matter how intense the situation, I take the time to do things that make me feel better, such as working out, getting a massage, spending time in nature.
True__ False__ 6. I surround myself with supportive people and uplifting materials.
True__ False__ 7. When times are tough, I look for any deeper or broader meaning behind the outer circumstances. That helps me keep the situation in perspective and even use it for my own psychological growth.
True__ False__ 8. I trust myself to be able to handle whatever comes my way.

If you answered true more often in Set 1 and false more often in Set 2, you may wish to get more support around caring for yourself. Please call if you’d like assistance in exploring this further.