Well-being balances all of life’s dimensions for optimal health and vitality. To bring about changes in your state of personal health and well-being, it is important to look at yourself as a whole person, with many dimensions. Most people recognize they have areas that require change to optimize their wellbeing, but it is hard to determine where to start if we are not sure of where we are.

A wellness assessment can provide a valuable inventory of the state of your well-being and provide information on where to start in the New Year. The result is a detailed scorecard of strengths and weakness that shows which dimensions might need the most change and the motivation to change in each dimension. (Only five questions for three dimensions are included here.)

Score your answers from 1 to 10. After completing all three dimensions, total your scores for each section to see which of these three dimensions top your list for new behaviors in 2013 (only use five if the statement doesn’t apply).

Rate each statement in two ways:

•Wellness Score—how true is this statement? 0=not true for me right now 10=completely true all of the time.

•Motivation Score—how motivated are you to change? 0=satisfied with your answer and don’t want change 10=want to improve this aspect of your life right now.

Self-Responsibility and Love

W  M

            I recognize that I am responsible for my health and wellbeing.

            I am an active participant in any medical care I receive.

            I protect myself from safety hazards by wearing seatbelts, using smoke detectors in my home, etc.

            I recognize that it is possible to discover well-being in the midst of serious or chronic illness.

            I love myself and other people.

Eating

W  M

            I eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet.

            I minimize my intake of highly refined or processed foods.

            I drink fewer than two servings of caffeinated beverages, including soft drinks, per day.

            I buy organic produce whenever possible.

            I avoid dieting and if weight is an issue, I address the underlying cause(s).

Communicating

W  M

            I am able to assert myself in order to be heard and understood.

            I acknowledge and apologize for any mistakes I make, instead of trying to cover them up.

            I respect people's different social or cultural communication styles when communicating with them.

            I believe that generalizations, labels, absolutes and judgments undermine mutually beneficial        communications.

            I strive to be truthful/direct in my communications and avoid manipulative psychological games.

Scores:

Self-Responsibility and Love              Wellness Score                       Motivation Score

Eating                                                  Wellness Score                       Motivation Score

Communication                                   Wellness Score                       Motivation Score

The lowest wellness score shows the dimension that needs the most change, while the highest motivation score shows the dimension that represents the strongest desire for change.

The other nine dimensions are breathing, moving, sensing, feeling, thinking, playing/working, intimacy, finding meaning and transcending.

Jude Forsyth is the owner of Blue Willow Wellness and a licensed Wellness Inventory facilitator. To find out more about the complete wellness inventory program, call 850-226-9355 or visit BlueWillowWellness.com.