I've been collaborating with some wellness experts on an assessment tool. It is designed to be simple yet informative. It isn't complete in that I need to figure out what the scores mean. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if you check it out and gave me your feedback on what you think of the questions and how it can be improved and if you have any resources that you think should be added to it. Check it out -
Awaken 123 - Assessment tool
Introduction:
By no means do I consider myself a wellness expert. Rather I consider myself a wellness philosopher. I think about wellness a lot and I talk to people about wellness a lot. I’ve had a pretty interesting ride in life and as a result have learned quite a lot about how several factors effect my well being. I believe that we are multi-faceted beings that have 6 areas that effect our wellness. These areas are integrated and work together. As a matter of fact, some of these areas overlap so much it’s hard to distinguish what is what. For instance, often it is difficult to determine what is mental wellness compared to emotional wellness. The answer is that everything is related!
These 6 areas of wellness include: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, environmental and relational wellness. Each of these areas are like a spoke in the wheel of one’s overall wellness. If one area is lacking it will effect the other areas. Again all areas are related and part of the whole. For the sake of analysis and learning, I’ve divided the “whole” into these 6 categories and have interviewed experts in each of these categories and challenged them to summarize their entire field of expertise into just a few questions. My goal was to come up with a list of questions that were simple and to the point to create an assessment tool that isn’t too intimidating or time consuming to take. Also, my hope is that people can use the tool over and over again to reassess.
What does Awaken 123 stand for?
We are all in an “awakening.” We are inundated with information. We can find answers to any question that we ask. We are all starting to understand how we are all connected to each other and how our actions effect ourselves and others. So yes we are having an awakening. The challenge is understanding what to do with all this information. So that is why this assessment was developed. I’m of the opinion that people need steps to follow. It feels really good to read an article that uplifts you but that feeling is temporary. By the way, did you notice that most of the letters in emotion spell “motion?” Emotions are about motion. Emotions move and change. So if you are in a rut, move.... You may feel good after reading something uplifting, but that most likely is temporary. So when we get information we need to know what to do with it. Thus the Awaken123 Assessment Tool was born. So here are the steps-
Step 1 - Assess where you are at. What is your point A? Guess what, no matter what your point A is, you are OK where you are at. The assessment tool will give you a score in all 6 areas. You can see what areas you are strong in and what areas you may need to work on to have more integrated wellness.The key is to just know where you are at and that nothing is wrong with you. It is simply a coordinate on your trajectory.
Step 2 - Now that you know point A, you can decide what is your point B. YOU DECIDE.
You can decide where you want to head and how fast you want to go. In my opinion when all 6 areas of wellness are running well it increases the speed at which you get to you point B. You decide how fast you want to go. You can work on all areas, or just 1 or 2 or none of them at all. The key is that YOU decide. But hopefully with the information you get from this tool a road map to your point B can be made. So the beauty of this is you are actually moving toward your goal. You are doing something about it. You’re not just reading about it. You are doing it. Guess what, once you achieve your point B that becomes your new point A and you can then define a new point B and begin working on that. And again you can work at your own speed. Never once in this process are you wrong or defective in some way. You are simply at a point on your journey of life and that is it.
Step 3. This step is about support. Moving toward your optimal / integral wellness can be challenging. Often what gets you through is support of your peers and teachers. Step 3 of Awaken 123 is all about community. Our aim is to create support mechanisms such as user forums, articles, videos and Q&A’s with experts to help support your journey to achieve your point B.
The Awaken 123 Assessment tool is the result of several experts contribution to this project. I would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contribution:
Dr. Erin Shannon, Judy Ryan, Angela Monko, Pookie Lee, Sarah Shafer, Christine Hepler, and Deborah Lee Morley, as well as my teachers and friends such as Sherry Summers, Dianna Lucas, Kimberly Shipke and Dr. Thornton Streeter, who have also been involved with my learning.
Section 1- Mental Health:
Rate these statements as follows: 0= I disagree 3= I sometimes agree 5= totally agree
- I participate in intellectually stimulating and/or creative activities on a regular basis
- In general, I have a positive outlook on life
- I am not dependent on any substances (alcohol, tobacco, prescription medications, or illegal substances)
- I can articulate my ideas concisely. I am able to complete tasks in a timely manner and I do what I say I’m going to do.
Section 2 - Physical Wellness:
Rate these statements as follows: 0= I disagree 3= I sometimes agree 5= totally agree
My daily physical activity addresses my needs for cardio-respiratory health, balance, flexibility, muscular strength, and muscular endurance appropriately for the fitness goals that I set out to achieve.
My daily toxin exposure through food, hygiene, and household cleaning products does not negatively affect my physical health and wellness.
I typically feel the same as my chronological age. I do not feel older or younger.
I have some sort of annual check up regardless of if it is a allopathic, chiropractic, energy medicine, or an other complimentary medicine professional.
I sleep well and exercise most days.
Section 3 - Relational Health:
Rate these statements as follows: 0= I disagree 3= I sometimes agree 5= totally agree
1.I get along with the children and adults in my personal life and work
- I am experiencing well being by fulfilling my vision with abundant support from others
- I am living a life filled with love and feel proud of my life.
- I have a loving relationship with myself and realize this is where healthy relationships with other people stem from.
Section 4 - Emotional Health:
Rate these statements as follows: 0= I disagree 3= I sometimes agree 5= totally agree
- I take personal responsibility for my actions. I don’t blame others.
- I feel empowered to create my experience of life
- Overall I feel happy, peaceful and fulfilled
- I trust my decision making abilities and my ability to cope with what life presents me.
Section 5 - Environmental Wellness:
Sit quietly, relax. Take 3 deep cleansing breaths. Imagine the person you admire most just rang the doorbell to your home. He/She is standing on your front porch waiting to see you. What is your general feeling about your home in this instance?
0 = No way am I opening the door
3 = Answer door & make excuses (perceived or actual) for my home’s condition.
5 = My home is in order and I open my door with arms wide to greet and invite them in.
If one feels stuck, it is time to look at clutter. All horizontal surfaces should be clear of clutter because everything is energy and the energy of your things is either supporting you (chi) or it is not (sha). Therefore it is important to love and use everything you have. This statement applies to all things seen and unseen. It’s all energy. It all counts. Use these statements to rate how well you are doing-
0 = I can never find anything I need. It takes days to find what I want. If I don’t find it, I just go buy another one.
3 = I know its somewhere. It takes me 10-15 minutes to find what I’m looking for.
5 = I love and use/wear everything I have and I know exactly where everything is
How does my home feel?
0 = Unsettled, Anxious, Disturbed, Chaotic
3 = OK
5 = Peaceful, Relaxed, Welcoming
I recognize my daily environment (and the pollutants in it) can have a major impact on my personal wellness.
0= I disagree 3= I sometimes agree 5= totally agree
I understand how my daily choices impact the natural environment.
0= I disagree 3= I sometimes agree 5= totally agree
Section 6 - Spirituality:
Rate these statements as follows: 0= NEVER 3= SOMETIMES 5= ABSOLUTELY
I believe we are all infinitely connected. I know that I am part of the living whole and my thoughts and actions affect the evolution of the universe. I believe everyone and everything is conscious and because of this I honor and respect all life forms.
I feel totally supported in all areas of my life. I believe I am safe and supported by a higher power and am open and available to the opportunities that emerge in my life to support my sacred journey.
I feel that I am the co-creator of my life experience. I am responsible for everything in my life. My thoughts, actions, words and intentions are the keys to what I manifest in the world. I focus on the good in every situation.
I spend time in prayer, meditation, contemplation or silence as a way of communing with my soul. In these quiet times I sit open and available to divine wisdom within to be revealed.
Final Thoughts:
I haven’t totally decided the number of questions that will be in each section. Ideally we will have just 4 questions. Answer the questions and score each section. The range is 0-20 for each section.... I am working on what a score means... I would like people's feedback on that as well as suggestions on how to bring up a score.
Once you’ve read this I'd love to here you comments and suggests here on Steemit.
Thanks for your participation.
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That's very well thought-out, and really brings home the importance of a grounded and calm mental state to general wellness. (Our physical health is important too, of course.) But if mentally/emotionally, we don't have it together, there's not a great deal we can do to improve things.
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Thanks for taking the time to read through the assessment and giving your feedback @michellegibson
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