|
Are
You Satisfied With the Quality of Your Life?
(Copyright
(c) 2004 by Lisa Larsen, PsyD
You can use
this as a checklist for
satisfaction in different areas of your life and as a tool to get
focused in therapy about what you want to work on intensively.
This is not meant to diagnose, treat or categorize you in any way; it's
just a little quiz to help you identify what's working and what's not
working in your life. Check off items that you want but don't have in
your life already. Many
of these items are missing in the lives of people who have suffered
from prolonged traumatic events (such as child abuse or
neglect, emotional abuse, domestic violence, etc.) It is understandable
that you might not have much control or satisfaction in your life,
but there is hope that you can achieve it. Please use this
as a tool to imagine the life you want for yourself, so we have the
beginnings of a blueprint for making your life worth living. If you
want, you can print it out and bring to your sessions so we can discuss
these items further! I am happy to help; please call 661-233-6771.
- Self-awareness
and control:
- I am aware of what I
am feeling from moment
to moment
- I can give words to
what I'm feeling in a way
that makes sense to other reasonably intelligent people
- When faced with a
strong emotion, I can take
a moment to think before I act most of the time
- I am aware of the
consequences of my behavior
most of the time
- I am able to stop
myself from doing things I
later regret most of the time
- I allow myself to
make mistakes without
devaluing or putting myself down
- I treat myself with
dignity and respect most
of the time
- I make choices about
my physical health that
support a healthy, fit body most of the time
- I can forgive myself
for mistakes I've made
- I see mistakes as a
learning opportunity
rather than an obstacle
- I treat my body with
respect and meet its
needs most of the time
- I am aware of what I
put in my body and the
effects of it on my body, mind and spirit
- I can control what I
put in my body most of
the time
- I value what others
have to say, but can take
it with a grain of salt too
- I'm
aware of behaviors that I will not engage
in no matter what, and I keep my promise to these behavioral limits in
the way I act
- I
see change as an inevitable force in life
that can bring negative or positive feelings
- I
accept change rather than resist it most of
the time
- Close
relationships:
- When
I am unsure of what action to take and
the outcome has serious life repercusions, I ask for guidance from a
trusted other
- I
have at least three people in my life that
I regularly see or talk to
- My
relationships have a balance of give and
take in them
- I
am aware of behaviors I will not tolerate
from others in my relationships
- I
protect myself from unreasonable and
abusive behavior from other people
- I
have more than one option when I hit rough
spots in a relationship (i.e., I have a range of options in how to act)
- I
can allow others to make mistakes without
devaluing them
- I
base my decisions about people on repeated
exposure and my current experience of them
- I
can forgive other people's mistakes because
I know I have made my own mistakes as well
- I
can have different opinions, values and
cultural preferences from other people without devaluing them or myself
for being different
- I
can end relationships in a nonviolent,
respectful way that allows both parties to retain dignity and respect
most of the time
- I
am capable of enjoying intimacy in an
ongoing relationship, whether it's platonic, romantic or erotic
- I
allow for change and fluctuations in my
relationships most of the time
- Work
and the greater world:
- I feel safe, within
reasonable limits, around
other people most of the time
- My life has a
balance of work and play, rest
and productivity, most of the time
- I am generally
content with my life
- My work allows for
some degree of control
over physical conditions (e.g., hours, environment, exposure to danger)
- My work is safe in
terms of freedom from
harassment (e.g., sexual, racial, homophobic coworkers or patrons)
- I feel like I have
an adequate amount of
control over the work itself
- My coworkers are
supportive most of the time
- My supervisors are
supportive most of the time
- I have meaningful
activity in my life that I
engage in on a regular basis
- I have a spiritual
community that helps me
cope with stress most of the time
- I feel connected to
other human beings on a
spiritual level, and that's OK with me most of the time
- I have friends who
support me most of the time
- I have family
members who are supportive most
of the time
- I have a sense of
purpose in my day to day
activities.
|
|
|
