Emotional check-in questions for adults

Quick check-in: one minute

Use these when you only have a moment — on a walk, before bed, between meetings.

1. What am I feeling right now, in one or two words?
2. Where do I feel it in my body?
3. What do I need in the next hour?
4. What's taking up most of my energy today?
5. From 1 to 10, how am I — and what would move it one point up?

Can't find the word? Use the feelings wheel →

Deeper check-in: ten minutes

Once a week, or after a hard day, go a little further. Writing the answers down helps.

1. What has been on my mind most this week?
2. When did I feel most like myself? When least?
3. What am I avoiding, and why?
4. What drained me, and what gave me energy?
5. Is there a feeling I keep pushing aside?
6. What did I need this week that I didn't get?
7. What's one thing I'd like to be different next week?

Checking in with a partner or friend

Asking someone how they are rarely gets past "good, you?". More specific questions make it easier to answer honestly.

1. What was the best and the hardest part of your week?
2. Is there anything on your mind you haven't said out loud yet?
3. How are you, really — not the short version?
4. Is there something I could do to make this week easier for you?
5. How are we doing — is there anything between us we should talk about?

How to make it a habit

Attach the check-in to something you already do: morning coffee, the commute home, brushing your teeth. Keep it short enough that skipping it feels silly.

Notice the answers over time. One check-in tells you about today; a few weeks of them show patterns — which days drain you, which people lift you, what keeps coming back.

If your check-ins keep landing on the same heavy answer for weeks, it's worth talking to a therapist or a doctor. Enodo is not a mental health service and not a replacement for one.