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Emotional check-in

A short pause to notice and name how you feel right now, often as a word, a number on a scale or a point on a feelings chart.

What It Means

An emotional check-in is a brief stop to notice how you feel and put it into a word, a number or a picture. Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) describes it as a way to gauge how you're doing emotionally and choose a step that helps when the reading is low. Schools use check-ins as part of social-emotional learningSocial-emotional learningHow children and adults learn to understand and manage emotions, get along with others and make caring decisions, often taught as five CASEL competencies. See more (SEL), often at the start of the day, and the same short habit works for an adult on their own.

Try It: Rate How You Feel From -5 to +5

Pick the number that fits how you feel right now, from -5 (worst) to +5 (best). The scale matches a daily feelings check-in used in New York schools.

Somewhere in the middle. Name the feeling in one word, and note what might move it a point up.

The follow-up lines are Buhata's suggestions, not a screening tool.

How People Say It

  • "Quick check-in: where are you on a scale of one to ten?"
  • "I'm about a minus two today, honestly."
  • "Can we do feelings before homework?"

The Breakdown

What a check-in looks like

  • In class: SEL activity guides from New York schools, posted by the state education department, describe starting each day with a "Feelings Check In" on a scale from -5 to +5, so students can say how they're arriving.
  • At morning meeting: CASEL describes children taking turns to say how they feel and why, pointing to a chart of emotions, and on some days showing it with their face and body instead of words.
  • On your own: Buhata's suggestion is one question at a set time of day, "What am I feeling, and how strong is it?", with the answer as one wordWord of the yearOne word a person picks to guide their year, or the word a dictionary names as best summing up a year. See more and one number.

Signs a check-in would help

  • You notice a mood only once it has spilled into a snapped reply.
  • The day blurs together and you can't say when it went sideways.
  • Your child melts down after school and can't say why.

Quick self-check. Try the scale above three times today: on waking, at midday and before bed. If the three readings differ, look at what happened in between.

A way to start it at home. Buhata's suggestion: "Let's each pick a number from minus five to plus five for today, and one word for why. I'll go first."

Good to Know

A check-in names a feeling; it doesn't diagnose anything. CASEL, which sets out the widely used framework for social-emotional learning, places recognizing your own emotions under self-awareness, the first of its five competencies. Wisconsin DPI also has a short guide for adults checkingChecking accountA bank or credit union account for everyday money going in and out, used by debit card, checks, transfers and direct deposit. See more in with teens about their mental health. If low readings last for weeks or get in the way of daily life, talk with a doctor or licensed mental health professional, and with the school counselor about a child. Anyone thinking about suicide can call or text 988 (the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). Call 911 in an emergency.

FAQ

What is an emotional check-in at school?

A short moment, often at the start of the day or class, when students say or show how they feel, using a word, a number scale or a feelings chart. Schools use it as part of social-emotional learning.

Can adults do emotional check-ins?

Yes. The habit takes a minute and needs no app: name the feeling, rate how strong it is, and note what might help. Buhata's suggestion is to tie it to something you already do daily, like making coffee.

What scale should I use?

Any you'll stick with. One set of New York school activity guides uses -5 to +5, many people use 1 to 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more, and a feelings wheelFeelings wheelA circle chart of emotion words, with a few core feelings in the middle and more precise words around them, used to find the right name for what you feel. See more helps when the right word won't come.

Do It in Buhata

Habit streaks (Plus), Reminders

Set a daily Reminder in Buhata called "Check in: one word, one number," and track the days you do it with Habit streaks (Plus).

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Feelings wheel

    A circle chart of emotion words, with a few core feelings in the middle and more precise words around them, used to find the right name for what you feel.

  • Name it to tame it

    Dr. Dan Siegel's phrase for calming a strong feeling by putting it into words, naming the emotion out loud or on paper so it feels more manageable.

  • Mood tracker

    A daily record of how your mood was, often a number or a color for each day, kept to spot patterns over weeks and months.

  • Emotional regulation

    The growing ability to notice a feeling and manage how strongly it shows and how long it lasts, so a child can calm down and carry on.

  • Social-emotional learning

    How children and adults learn to understand and manage emotions, get along with others and make caring decisions, often taught as five CASEL competencies.

  • Journaling

    Writing down your thoughts and feelings, in a notebook or an app, to understand them more clearly and to see what's behind your stress.

Wellbeing and habits

Sources

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, "Feelings Thermometer: Take Your Emotional Temperature"; Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, "A Quick How-to: Checking In With Teens About Their Mental Health"; New York State Education Department, "Social Emotional Learning Activities and Teaching Practices" (NYC Public Schools, ELA grade 5); New York State Education Department, "How Are You Feeling Today?" self-awareness poster; CASEL, "From Wiggly to Wise: How Morning Meetings Build Self-Aware Kids"; CASEL, "Evidence-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs: CASEL Criteria Updates and Rationale"; 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

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