In your role as a caregiver, it may become increasingly difficult to maintain your overall wellness as you focus more and more on taking care of the one you love. However, taking care of yourself enables you to take care of them. It is not selfish to think of your own needs; in fact, it is the exact opposite. With a calm heart and mind, you will be better equipped to offer support when needed. View our Caregiver Webinar here A helpful tool for finding balance in your life is called a Wellness Wheel*. A wellness wheel is a tool that can help you to identify the things that you need to do to stay balanced in these critical areas of life: Mental – the quality of your thoughts, level of positivity, attitude toward the world Emotional – taking care of matters of the heart with healthy coping strategies and self-compassion Physical – sleep, self-care, eating habits, exercise Environmental (space) – the level of comfort in your living space, cleanliness/tidiness, organization Spiritual – connecting with yourself or a higher power, learning new skills, personal growth Recreational – hobbies, activities, fun, downtime Social – interactions with family, friends, partners, colleagues, etc. This personal assessment tool will allow you to reflect on each of these areas of your life and ask you to rate how well you feel about each of them. At the end of the exercise, your wheel might look a little something like this: Once you’ve completed your wheel, you will be able to see which areas of your life need attention. You can begin to consider different ways that you might address any high or low spots on your wheel. You can focus on a few minor changes that you could make in the coming months based on the results. View and save your Wellness Wheel Tool here Source: *The Eight Dimensions of Wellness - Swarbrick, M. (2006). A wellness approach. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 29,(4) 311- 3314)