Self Check-In Questions: A Template for When Something Feels Off

Some days you're not sad, not anxious, not anything you can name. Just off. This template is for those days: three questions to find out what's going on and what you need.

The template's own note: Use this when something feels off and you can't name it yet.

The questions

1. How do I feel right now?
2. What's been on my mind lately?
3. What do I need most today?

How to answer them

• Start with the body if the feeling won't come: tired, tense, hungry, restless.
• "Lately" gives you a wider view than today. It's often something from last week.
• Needs are simple: sleep, a walk, a real conversation, a day with less on it.

Example

An example of a filled-in entry:

How do I feel right now?
Flat. Not sad exactly. Heavy.

What's been on my mind lately?
I haven't seen friends in three weeks. Work has been all of it.

What do I need most today?
To text someone and make a plan for the weekend.

It differs from the Daily Check-in in the last question: this one asks what you need, so it ends with something to do.

Use it in Daykept

1. Open Daykept and tap Settings in the bottom bar, then Templates.
2. On the Gallery tab, find Self Check-in (it's in Health) and tap Use now. A new entry opens with the questions in place.
3. Want it one tap away? Tap Save to keep it in My Templates. Daykept also suggests the templates you used most recently at the top of a blank new entry.

It's one of the 14 free templates in the Gallery. You can also edit your own copy (reword a question, drop one, add one) and save it as your own template.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from a daily check-in?

The daily check-in is a quick habit. The self check-in is for when something feels off, and it ends with what you need.

How often should I do a self check-in?

Whenever you notice you're off. Some people also use it once a week as a reset.

More templates like this

Daily Check-in · Mood Journal · Anxiety Release.

Want the bigger picture? Read what a daily check-in is, or see everything else Daykept does.