You Should Be Asking Yourself These Questions Regularly.

Even the healthiest, fittest, happiest, and most optimistic people feel physically and/or mentally exhausted from time to time. For the rest of us, it’s more of a daily occurrence. In any case, when you feel a little out of your depth, the sooner you can identify the root cause(s), the sooner you can try to fix them.

And while it’s easy to look at a friend or family member going through hard times and think about how they got there, it’s much harder to do the same for yourself. This is where self-registration can come in handy. Here are 10 questions to ask yourself on a regular basis to identify aspects of your life that may need attention (in terms of health).

How checking yourself can help

Think about your last physical exam. In addition to the usual parts of the exam—blood work, blood pressure measurement, patellar reflex test—the healthcare professional has probably asked you a lot of very personal questions. They were not curious: the idea was to gather information about things like your habits, behaviors, and family history that could provide clues to your overall health.

But there is more. “Simply addressing certain topics, such as diet and exercise habits or frequency of alcohol or tobacco use, often leads to deeper conversations with more focused discussions about approaches to improving overall health.” — Michael Barber, MD, Board Member . a certified therapist and cardiologist recently told Real Simple .

While self-registration should never be seen as a substitute for a physical exam or seeking medical attention in general, asking yourself a few questions regularly can help you stay on top of your health.

Questions to ask yourself when evaluating your health

Instead of waiting for your next physical, get in the habit of asking yourself questions regularly—and whenever you can’t figure out what makes you feel so crappy.

Several self-assessments exist with varying lists of questions, including one from Real Simple , and others from the US Department of Health and Human Services , Princeton University, and IDONTMIND , some of which are more detailed than others. To help you get started, here are 10 questions that come up most often:

1. How do you feel today, physically? (i.e. any pain, difficulty breathing, digestive problems, etc.)
2. How do you feel psychologically today? (i.e. current mood, overall mental state, are any changes random, etc.)
3. What are your energy levels? (i.e. unusually high or low, normal, etc.)
4. What are your eating habits? (i.e. how many times a day do you eat, what foods do you eat, how do you feel after eating, etc.)
5. How do you sleep? (i.e. not enough, too many, many hours, but none of them gives rest, etc.)
6. Using an open mind, what behaviors or habits of yours might affect your health in a positive, negative, or neutral way? (i.e. related to food, sleep, exercise/movement, relationships, substance use, financial issues, etc.)
7. Are there any behavioral and habit changes you just identified that could better serve your health? (i.e. reducing stress factors, improving nutrition, getting more rest, etc.)
8. What role does your job/career play in your life? (i.e. it’s just a paycheck and that’s okay, a toxic work environment that affects your overall mental health, that’s life but not satisfaction, etc.)
9. Do you feel mental/intellectual involvement and regularity? (i.e. at work, through your hobbies, in your social circle or community, etc.)
10. What are you looking forward to? (i.e. is there a way to incorporate more of this into your life in terms of health?)

Once you have a better understanding of what could potentially affect your health, come up with a plan to address the biggest issues. If there is something that is particularly bothering you, make an appointment to discuss it with your doctor.

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