Wellness is not merely the absence of illness or distress — it is a lifelong process of making decisions to live a more balanced and meaningful life. There are always opportunities for enhancing our wellness. A good way to start is by evaluating our current state and establishing systems to guide us towards a fuller sense of well-being.

Within the totality of wellness, according to Princeton’s Wellness Wheel & Assessment, wellness can be defined by (1) emotional wellness, (2) spiritual wellness, (3) intellectual wellness, (4) social wellness, (5) physical wellness, (6) occupational wellness and (7) environmental wellness.

In my recent years of research addressing young generations’ priorities and lifestyles, today’s young millennials and Gen Z are most concerned about emotional wellness and spiritual wellness, which to some degree, indicate their overall mental health and wellbeing.

Therefore, here I highlight how Princeton suggests we can self-evaluate our emotional and spiritual wellness:

1. Emotional Wellness

Emotional Wellness is understanding our own feelings and expressing emotions in a constructive way, and having the ability to deal with stress and cope with life’s challenges.

This can be measured by the following seven assessment criteria:

1. I find it easy to express my emotions in positive, constructive ways
2. I recognise when I am stressed and take steps to manage my stress (e.g., exercise, quiet time, meditation)
3. I am resilient and can bounce back after a disappointment or problem
4. I am able to maintain a balance of work, family, friends and other obligations
5. I am flexible and adapt or adjust to change in a positive way
6. I am able to make decisions with minimal stress or worry
7.  When I am angry, I try to let others know in non-confrontational or non-hurtful ways

Assessment of emotional wellness basically evaluates our positive coping ability when handling stress, as well as how resilient we are when facing it. Here in socio-psychology, negative coping strategies can include drug abuse, sexual misconduct and heavy smoking and drinking when facing stress. 

Alternatively, positive coping strategies can be, for example, how well we can maintain balance in life despite the continual exposure to stress. Also, how often we do physical and spiritual exercises to defy stress can also be known as positive coping strategies that facilitate our emotional wellness.

2. Spiritual Wellness

While emotional wellness focuses on handling stress, spiritual wellness instead indicates how well we manage our lives in a positive fashion. Generally, spiritual Wellness is having beliefs and values that provide a sense of purpose and help give meaning and purpose to our life, and acting in alignment with those beliefs. 

This can be measured by the following seven assessment criteria:

1. I take time to think about what’s important in life — who I am, what I value, where I fit in, and where I am going
2. I have found a balance between meeting my needs and those of others
3. I engage in acts of caring and goodwill without expecting something in return
4. I sympathise/empathise with those who are suffering and try to help them through difficult times
5. My values are true priorities in my life and are reflected in my actions
6. I feel connected to something larger than myself (e.g., supreme being, nature, connectedness of all living things, humanity, community)
7. I feel like my life has purpose and meaning

To understand our spiritual wellness, we need to self-evaluate whether we have purposes in life, whether we value things that seem important to us, and whether we are willing to help those in need, for example.

What’s Next?

Princeton’s Wellness Wheel & Assessment serves as a concise and user-friendly self-evaluation toolkit that helps us assess our wellness. In addition, the assessment criteria, as listed above, can be seen as the guidelines or goals for us to seek improvement in our long-term wellness. We can regularly (such as weekly or monthly) revisit these assessment criteria to keep track of our trajectory of emotional and spiritual wellness. Such a strategy is conducive to analysing our mental health and wellbeing, as well as life satisfaction, too. 

Remember: health is the new wealth.

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