Beyond the Score: How to Truly Understand Your Wellness Wheel Results

You've taken the time to complete your wellness wheel assessment, and now you're looking at the results – a colorful, segmented circle. Perhaps you see areas of vibrant green, indicating satisfaction, and some less-than-stellar shades suggesting areas needing attention. But what does it all really mean? It's easy to glance at the wheel and walk away, but true growth comes from understanding the deeper story behind the scores. This post is about going beyond the score and using your wellness wheel as a powerful tool for self-discovery and meaningful change.

The Wellness Wheel: More Than Just a Snapshot

The wellness wheel, at its heart, isn't just a pretty picture – it's a map of your current state of well-being. It's a visualization of how you're balancing different dimensions of your life, offering you a snapshot of your overall satisfaction. But like any map, it’s only truly useful when you know how to read it and extract valuable insights. We will explore how to interpret the wellness wheel results and focus on understanding the why behind your current situation.

Simply seeing a low score in a particular dimension isn't enough; you need to understand why that score is low and what steps you can take to improve that specific area of your life. To be able to perform a meaningful wellness assessment analysis, we need to go beyond a basic understanding of the dimensions.

Identifying Imbalances: The Story Behind the Shapes

Look closely at your wheel. Are there any significant dips or spikes? These are indicators of potential imbalances that you need to explore. An ideal wheel would be a perfect circle, but that's rarely the case.

• Large Imbalances: Significant differences in satisfaction levels between different dimensions point to areas where you may be overinvesting your time and energy at the expense of others. If one area is very high and others are very low, this clearly shows an imbalance.
• Spiky Wheels: If your wheel has many spikes and dips, it might indicate instability. In this situation, you might have short periods when you feel great, followed by periods of struggle.
• Small, Uneven Wheels: When overall satisfaction is low across all dimensions, it may indicate a need for fundamental life changes, or addressing your basic needs.

Asking the Right Questions: Probing Deeper

Once you see imbalances, it's time to dig deeper. Ask yourself:

• What specific circumstances contribute to these scores? Don't just settle for "I'm not happy in my career." Ask what aspects of your career are causing dissatisfaction. Is it the job itself, your work environment, or your professional relationships? Use your self exploration skills to try to understand root causes.
• Are there underlying patterns in my life that contribute to this imbalance? This requires being honest with yourself. Is the imbalance related to a lack of time, money, or motivation? Is it the result of external factors or unhealthy habits?
• Are my needs being met in each dimension of my life? This is the main goal of the wheel of life assessment.
• How does this area impact other areas of my wheel? Remember that all the areas are interconnected. A low score in one dimension can affect your scores in other dimensions. Understand those connections and use them to improve your life.

Understanding the Root Causes: The "Why" Behind the Scores

It's tempting to address symptoms without understanding root causes. For example, if you have a low score in "Physical Health," you might try to start a new fitness routine. But what if the real root cause is stress and lack of sleep? Without addressing the stress, the new routine might be difficult to maintain.

Some examples:

• Low Financial Score might be related to bad spending habits, but can also be connected to job related dissatisfaction, if you are underpaid.
• Low Score in Relationships can be connected to your own emotional immaturity or maybe it is related to unhealthy relationships with other people.
• Low Score in Personal Growth might be a result of not putting the effort into development, but maybe it is related to the lack of time, that you are spending at your job, that is not beneficial to you.

Uncovering root causes will allow you to implement changes that will have a long lasting and positive impact on your overall well-being. Use this assessment to gain more clarity on where to invest your time and effort and focus on setting wellness goals that are realistic and have a long-term impact on your life.

Translating Insights into Action: Creating a Personalized Wellness Plan

Now that you've identified imbalances and understood potential root causes, it’s time to create a personalized wellness plan that will work for you. Here are some steps:

1. Prioritize Areas for Improvement: You cannot fix everything at once, so focus on 1-2 key areas to improve and work on those first. Starting small and working your way up is the way to success.
2. Set Realistic Goals: Be realistic about your goals. Aim for progress, not perfection. Break larger goals into smaller, manageable steps.
3. Be Specific: Vague goals like "be healthier" aren't actionable. Instead, create a plan with concrete and measurable steps. For example, "Eat one healthy meal per day" or "Go for a 30-minute walk three times a week" are good starting points.
4. Monitor Your Progress: Keep track of your progress and be sure to adjust if necessary. Using a tool like a mood tracker, will give you great insights into your emotional state.
5. Be Patient and Compassionate: Real change takes time. Be patient with yourself, celebrate small victories, and don't be afraid to adjust your plan as you go along.
6. Revisit Your Wheel Regularly: Retake the wellness wheel assessment every few months to track your progress and make sure your plan is still working for you. Your needs might change with time, and it is important to be flexible and adapt your approach if necessary.

Key takeaways:

• Do not rush with an assessment analysis. Take your time to fully understand your current position.
• Be honest with yourself. You cannot improve if you are not aware of your weaknesses and struggles.
• Use your results to focus on areas that need most of your attention.
• Do not be afraid to make small steps to improve. Consistent, gradual change is the best way to transform your life for the better.
• Create a personalized wellness plan based on your specific needs and always stay flexible.

The Power of Thoughtful Self-Reflection

The journey of wellness is not about achieving a perfect score. It’s about cultivating self-awareness, understanding your unique needs, and making conscious choices that align with your values. Your wellness wheel is a tool that can help you understand yourself better and make meaningful changes in your life.

By going beyond the surface-level scores and engaging in thoughtful self-reflection, you can use your wellness wheel as a compass that guides you towards a more fulfilling and balanced life.