13 Effective Daily Mental Health Check-In Questions 

Sometimes we cannot express ourselves directly and wait for someone to ask us what is wrong and lend us an ear. 

We go through different emotions and difficult situations in our day-to-day life. Regular bottling of these emotions can affect us. Sometimes all these negative emotions surround us, so we forget to check our mental health and ignore the symptoms of something bothering us. 

Asking yourself how you feel at the end of the day can make a lot of difference. Talking to yourself might seem strange, but it is effective. Daily mental health check-in questions help us keep our minds and body regulated. It needs practice, and then it will become a part of our daily routine. 

Similarly, asking someone about their day and how they are can help them cope with their mental health issues. 

Why should you keep a check on your mental health? 

Your mental health influences your outlook on life. It’s essential and connected to your physical well-being. But not always do mental illnesses receive the same attention as physical ones. However, feeling psychologically or emotionally poorly is just as legitimate as being physically ill.

Ignoring your emotional state will not improve it, and untreated mental illness can negatively impact all facets of your life.

Your life depends on your mental and emotional well-being, contributing to your feelings, behaviors, and emotional responses. Being emotionally balanced can increase efficiency in jobs, education, or caring tasks. It helps you adjust to changes in your life and deal with hardship. It also has a significant impact on the health of your relationships.

So mental health check-in questions can help you combat it before it worsens. You can ask yourself or someone else various daily mental health check-in questions to understand the feelings and emotions before they worsen. 

Daily Mental health check-in questions for children

Generally, it is hard for children to express their feelings. Even if they are going through something, it is hard to figure out just by looking at them. If a child is undergoing mental health issues, it becomes more challenging to understand their feelings. Their parents or guardians can ask specific mental health check-in questions in such a situation.

1. Is something worrying you?

This is the first question and an essential question. Children are not able to understand their emotions. Even if something is bothering them, they might be unable to express it. 

So, asking these mental health check-in questions and understanding what they are going through will help reduce stress and anxiety. 

2. Are you feeling sad or angry?

Understanding how a child functions throughout the day is essential. Children don’t express their anger directly. Sometimes they may be frustrated by something or sad, which might reflect their day-to-day activities. 

If you see any such changes in their activities, asking this mental health daily check-in question might help them understand how they are feeling and its cause. 

Prolonged sadness or anger can be a sign of depression. It is vital to help your child by showing them how to understand their emotions and the triggers that might affect them.

3. Are you feeling unwell or having tummy aches?

Our body and mind are interconnected. A good mood leads to good health. Our body reflects discomfort whenever we are worried, sad, or anxious. We tend to eat less, and our sleep cycle disrupts or undergo other health issues. 

Tummy aches are one effect of bad mental health that kids can identify and express. Asking this mental health daily check in question may help them understand that they are facing emotional issues, and you can then help them find a way to regulate their feelings. 

4. Are you facing trouble falling asleep?

Sleep is one of the most crucial parts of a healthy body and mind. Whenever we undergo any mental health issue, our sleep cycle disrupts. 

Another effective mental health daily check-in question is asking your child if they are sleeping well is very important. If you see them having trouble daily to fall asleep, talk to them and ask whether something is bothering them. 

Teach them self-care activities and help them get their sleep patterns better. 

5. Are you facing trouble concentrating in school?

Concentration is highly affected if our mind is not in the right place. If you find your kid distracted most of the time in their daily work, ask them whether they need help concentrating. 

If you see that their grades are getting low, talk to their teachers to understand their behavior in school. Try to figure out the reason behind their distraction. Sometimes they might be facing emotional or mental issues that might be the reason. 

6. How are things with your friends?

Children’s maximum time of the day mainly revolves around their friends. Friends become a vital part of their life and significantly impact their mental health. It can either be good for a good set of friends or bad if they are bad company. 

Asking your kid whether things are alright around his friend circle will help you understand if they are going through any worries or unwanted events that might affect their mental health is an effective mental health daily check-in question.

Mental health check-in questions for adults 

1. Are you okay?

One of the most critical mental health check-in questions is ‘are you okay.’ This question can create a lot of differences. Asking someone whether they are okay may help them break their silence and express their feelings. 

Don’t stop asking them or checking on them if they say that they are okay. If you feel that they are under particular stress or frustration, be there for them. Help them open up. Your one question can make a significant difference. 

2. Have you experienced something that’s upsetting you?

Only some people can open up directly. It is hard to trust people with your emotions. So when someone seems off or stressed, you can ask whether they have experienced something upsetting. 

These are some personal mental check-in questions; you might not get your answer straight up. The key is consistency. If you gain their trust, they might open up about any event that is making them feel bad. 

3. Are you feeling anxious a lot lately?

Being anxious is normal. People are generally worried when starting something new or important in their life. Anxiousness also protects us from any unwanted adverse events. 

But prolonged anxiousness can affect our mental and body health. Asking someone if they are constantly feeling anxious is an excellent mental health daily check-in question. It

will help them know whether they are undergoing any mental illness or issues. Suppose someone is always shutting themselves up, locking themselves up, or not indulging with any people due to anxiety. In that case, it may be a sign that they may be undergoing an anxiety disorder. 

4. Are you eating well?

Someone undergoing mental health issues or symptoms of anxiety and depression may face eating disorders. They might not eat at all or overeat. 

Asking this mental health daily check in question and checking them and their eating pattern is essential. If you find they are skipping meals or stress eating, you can help them return to a healthy eating style. 

5. Are you sleeping well?

Sleep is also an essential element that gets affected by mental health issues. Keeping a mental health daily check-in and observing someone’s sleep schedule is necessary to know if they are undergoing any mental health issues. 

A good sleep cycle can keep good mental and physical health. 

6. Are you feeling constantly tired or low energy?

This is an essential mental health daily check-in question. 

Constant tiredness and low energy can be a sign of depression. 

You can ask this to someone whose daily life is being affected due to constant tiredness. They are not able to do simple tasks because of low energy. 

7. Are you thinking of taking professional help?

This is a question that needs to be asked with utmost caution. Mental health treatments are stigmatized in our society as a negative notion. But it is essential. When you see someone’s symptoms worsen, you may suggest they take a professional’s help. 

But don’t throw this question directly at them. First, make them understand the importance of professional help and that talking to therapists or psychologists is normal. If they are on board with you, help them find appointments and be there for them during all their sessions. 

Final thoughts: 

In the majority, how you feel about yourself and the world around you is determined by your mental health. Depending on your circumstances, it changes during your life, impacting your well-being. Since we live a life that goes through constant changes in emotions and situations, keeping a check on your mental health is a mandate. 

These were some of the daily mental health check-in questions that you can ask someone or yourself to understand your emotions better and develop mindfulness and self-awareness about what you are feeling. 

Sometimes we are one question away from making everything right. If you feel someone needs to talk, you can use any of the questions to start a safe conversation. Help them by checking on them.

There are also various online therapy platforms that you can use to keep your mental health in check. Click here to know more.

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