A Wheel of Wellbeing

Dear reader, how are you?

Dear reader, how are you? How are you really? I do want to know. What’s something you’re grappling with? And what’s something that brings you glimmers of joy? If you’d like to share, you can simply respond to this email.

I continued to think about my mental health after I shared 9 Things that Support My Mental Wellbeing. I realized that lately, I haven’t been investing as much time and energy into the things that support my mental wellbeing as much as I would like. While I am doing generally well at the moment and there hasn’t been as much of a need, I also want to be proactive where I can.

I realized that I could invest more, when I completed a “Wheel of Wellbeing”—an adaptation of the Wheel of Life exercise. I listed eight of the things that support my wellbeing and scored how satisfied I am with them at the moment. I filled in each slice according to my score to create this visual:

What do you notice?

My attention is drawn to yoga right away. And you know what? I’ve already spent more time on my mat in the last week than I have in the last six months. Simply recognizing that this is an area I want to invest in has resulted in change. I haven’t decided on a specific action (I really don’t want this to turn into a demand) so for now, I am leaving my mat out where I’ll see it often and treat it as an invitation.

Then there are three other areas that scored low: therapy/ coaching, nature, and pets. I’m not completely dissatisfied here, but those are areas I want to invest in: I already signed up for an AuDHD group coaching workshop starting this month. I think I’ll naturally (ha) spend more time in nature now that the weather is nicer. The challenge will be—to borrow Sophie’s words yet again!—to be with nature, not only in nature. And finally, my relationship to my dog Kylo could improve; it would be nice for both of us to play together more often. Maybe I should teach him some more tricks or pick up agility again! :)

kylo_ran_

A post shared by @kylo_ran_

And then there’s gratitude for the areas that are going well! Momentum Muse provides structure every week: I am more intentional and it’s a check-in point that gives me the freedom to let my brain do whatever it wants sometimes—I trust that every week I check in and can course correct if I’m too far from where I want to be. My relationships with fellow neurodivergent (and otherwise) people feel strong; some are solid, others blossoming, and some are… not quite sure what they’ll be, and that’s exciting. The thing is though: I show up as myself and that’s the part that feels good. While I’m still learning and discovering new aspects of my experience every day, I have enough of a framework to make sense of it. And creativity? It’s become so engrained in my life in small and big ways that this one feels really strong.

Now, I invite you to complete your own Wheel of Wellbeing.

First, you’ll need your own list of things that support your mental wellbeing. In case you missed it, Megan Anna Neff gathered insights from their community and shared common themes here. You could use that as a starting point and select 8 that resonate most for you. Or of course, pick your own. If you have fewer than eight, adjust and make it your own! There are no gold stars to earn here.

Instructions

1. Draw a circle and “slice the pizza” into 8 sections (fewer is okay if you have fewer items on your list!)

2. Label each slice with one of the things that support your mental wellbeing.

3. Ask: How satisfied am I with this at the moment on a scale from 1-10? for each of the slices.

4. Fill in each slice according to your number. This doesn’t have to be exact, keep this simple and fun.

Reflection Questions

1. What do you notice?

2. What are your reflections on the shape of the wheel?

3. Which areas are below 6 for you?

4. Where are you satisfied already?

5. What area is a priority for change for you right now?

6. In those areas, what would need to happen for you to score this two points higher?

7. If you could achieve that, what impact would that have on you/on other areas of your life?

8. What would need to happen for you to move up one point on the scale by this time next week?

9. What will you do?
   

Here is my completed wheel as an example. Yours does NOT need to look like this! Make it fun and easy. If you create your own, I’d love to see it!

Finally, did you know that paid subscribers get one free Wheel of Life session with me? You can use the time for a Wheel of Wellbeing, too!

I loved seeing others people’s lists of what supports them: you can find Elly’s post here and Jude’s essay here. If you shared your own somewhere or have an essay that fits this theme, I invite you to share yours in the comments.

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