Live Whole Health: Self care and finding time for yourself

The VA Whole Health program is encouraging Veterans and caregivers to take a more structured approach to self-care by using reflection exercises and SMART goal-setting techniques to carve out time for their own wellbeing. Many Veterans and caregivers consistently place their own needs last, but VA's latest guidance offers a practical, step-by-step framework to help reverse that pattern even during the busiest times of year.

VA Whole Health is an integrated care approach that treats the Veteran as a whole person rather than focusing solely on illness or injury. The program emphasizes personal health planning and self-care practices that support physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. This approach recognizes that taking care of yourself forms the foundation that allows you to show up fully for everything else in life, whether that's managing a service-connected condition, caring for family members, or pursuing personal goals.

This guidance applies broadly to all Veterans enrolled in VA health care, as well as caregivers who support them. The framework is particularly relevant for disabled Veterans who may be managing chronic pain, mental health conditions, or mobility limitations that make self-care feel like an afterthought. Veterans juggling multiple appointments, medication schedules, and daily symptom management often find their own needs quietly disappearing beneath the weight of routine and responsibility.

The VA recommends starting with a simple time audit: for one week, jot down roughly how you spend your time each day across categories like work, chores, caregiving duties, family time, leisure, and sleep. Once you've logged a few days, review the results honestly to see whether your time reflects what you actually value. From there, the program encourages setting SMART goals, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-based. Instead of a vague intention like "relax more," a SMART goal might be "read for 15 minutes, four nights a week." The VA has released a series of videos walking Veterans through picking priorities, setting SMART goals, and tracking progress over time.

For disabled Veterans, this structured approach to self-care can be especially valuable because it acknowledges the reality of limited energy and competing demands. When you're managing service-connected disabilities, every hour counts, and guilt about "not doing enough" can make rest feel impossible. The SMART framework removes ambiguity and makes self-care measurable and achievable rather than another source of stress. It also integrates naturally with other VA Whole Health resources, including pain management programs, mental health services, and caregiver support initiatives that many disabled Veterans already access.

The VA emphasizes that self-care isn't a one-time fix but an ongoing practice, recommending that Veterans revisit their time log and SMART goals at least once a week to stay accountable and adjust as circumstances change. Small, consistent steps accumulate into meaningful differences over time, particularly for Veterans whose conditions require long-term management strategies. If you're enrolled in VA health care, consider asking your primary care team about Whole Health services available at your facility, or explore the self-guided resources VA has published on Veteran and caregiver wellness to begin building your own self-care practice today.