# The Eight Dimensions of Wellness Wheel

> A free self-assessment: you rate eight areas of life from 1 to 10 and get questions to ask yourself, small steps and a 21-day plan. Author: Maksym, an engineer. The eight dimensions model was described by Margaret Swarbrick (2006) and underpins the SAMHSA Wellness Initiative (USA). Texts and tips are the author's own. This is not a diagnosis and not medical or financial advice.

Page: https://8areas.com/en/

## How the wheel works

1. Rate each area from 1 to 10, the way it feels right now.
2. For the selected area the wheel shows three questions and three steps matched to your score: 1–3, 4–6 or 7–10.
3. The summary shows the weakest area, your support and the links between areas.
4. 21-day plan: each week adds one step from the three weakest areas. On day 21 you take the wheel again.

## The eight dimensions: questions and steps

### Emotional

Coping with life's difficulties and building relationships that feel good.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: Which feeling is strongest right now: anxiety, tiredness, anger or something else? Which of the people close to you is it safe to talk to about it? What used to help you on a hard day: music, a walk, a conversation?

Steps:
- When it hits, name the feeling in one word. A named feeling is easier to ride out.
- Tell one person you trust how you are doing. Not for advice, just so someone knows.
- If it has been hard for a long time or is getting worse, talk to a psychologist. You don't have to keep enduring it.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: When during the week do you feel worst? What usually knocks you off balance: rushing, conflict, uncertainty? When did you last rest without feeling guilty?

Steps:
- Three minutes in the evening: what I felt, when, and why.
- Before a sharp reply, pause: a long exhale and the question "what am I feeling right now?".
- Split your worries into two lists: what is in your hands and what isn't. Act only on the first.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: What helps you stay steady? Who close to you could use your support right now? Is your calm hiding a habit of not noticing when you're tired?

Steps:
- Write down three ways you recover. On a hard day the list will tell you where to start.
- Practise calming techniques while things are good: under stress you only remember what's familiar.
- Tell someone close what helps you, without lecturing.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: You can notice your feelings and handle them. Ask yourself what you feel when you think about this area and what stops you from starting.

### Financial

Satisfaction with your current and future financial situation. It's about peace of mind, not the balance in your account.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: Do you know how much your household spends in a normal month? Are there payments or debts you'd rather not think about? Does the money last until your next income?

Steps:
- Write all your debts on one sheet: who you owe, how much, the payment and the due date.
- Put fixed payments on autopay or in your calendar so you don't pay late fees.
- If you can't keep up with your debts, go to a free debt counselling service (dluhová poradna in Czechia). A new quick loan won't solve the problem.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: How many months could you live on your savings if your income stopped? Which of last month's expenses would you not repeat? Can you talk about money with your partner calmly?

Steps:
- Once a month, go through your statement: subscriptions, repeat charges, anything you don't need.
- Before a big non-essential purchase, wait 48 hours.
- Set aside a little right after you get paid, not from whatever is left.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: What gives you financial peace of mind: habits, a reserve, a plan? Which goals are your savings working towards, and why do those goals matter to you? Are you cutting back on things that hold up other areas: health, rest, the people you love?

Steps:
- Give each pot of savings a name and a date: "summer holiday", "six-month reserve".
- Put a line in your budget for joy and time with loved ones. That's a goal too.
- Once a year, review the whole plan: income, reserve, debts, protection against risks.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: You can count, plan and keep promises to yourself. Put the step in your weekly plan like a fixed payment and tick off every day you do it.

### Intellectual

The knowledge, skills and creativity you keep developing.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: When did you last learn something new just out of curiosity? What have you wanted to learn for a long time? How much of your day goes to news and social media feeds?

Steps:
- Pick one small skill and give it 10 minutes a day.
- After a video or a book, retell one idea in your own words, out loud or in a note.
- Swap 15 minutes of scrolling for ten pages of a book.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: What have you learned in the past year? Who do you enjoy thinking and arguing with? Do you do anything with your hands: cooking, repairs, drawing?

Steps:
- Teach someone something you know. Explaining it helps you understand it better yourself.
- Go to a talk, a museum or a concert and bring a friend.
- Don't know the answer? Look it up right away and check the source.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: How do you put what you learn into practice? Is learning turning into endless consumption without practice? What knowledge could you share with others?

Steps:
- For every new course, one practical result: make it, apply it, show it.
- Check facts and AI answers against the original source before sharing them.
- Look at a familiar question through the eyes of someone who disagrees with you.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: Learning and figuring out new things comes easily to you. Read or watch one good piece about this area and turn one idea into action right away.

### Occupational

Satisfaction and meaning from work, study or volunteering.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: What at work drains you the most? What in your situation can be changed, and what can't? Who can you talk to about your workload?

Steps:
- In the evening, write down what went well and what was unnecessary. In a week you'll see what to change.
- Tell your manager or a colleague what isn't working and suggest what would help.
- If work wears you out so much that even a holiday doesn't help, see a doctor or a psychologist.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: Does your work use your strengths? Does your work match what matters to you? Where is the line between work and home?

Steps:
- Give your workday an end: a time after which you don't open email.
- Once a quarter, write down what you learned and achieved. It helps you and your CV.
- Keep your CV up to date even if you aren't job hunting.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: What makes your work meaningful? Is work taking the place of rest, family and health? Who could benefit from your experience?

Steps:
- Look at your calendar: what's in it besides work?
- Get back in touch with former colleagues. Connections can help at any time.
- Share your experience: help a newcomer, write a note, become a mentor.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: You can set tasks and see them through. Treat the step as a work task: time in your calendar, a clear result, a check-in on Friday.

### Social

Connection with people, a sense of belonging and support. Family belongs here too.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: Who would you like to talk to more often? Is there someone nearby you could call in a hard moment? What keeps you from meeting people: time, tiredness, a move, awkwardness?

Steps:
- One short contact a day: a message, a call, a few words with a neighbour.
- Write to someone you haven't spoken to in a while. One sentence is enough.
- Find one local group around an interest: a club, a sport, volunteering.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: After meeting whom do you feel more energy, and after whom less? How much time do you spend with family without your phone? Do you get enough time on your own?

Steps:
- Plan one meet-up with a friend in the next two weeks.
- One evening a week: family time without screens.
- Practise saying a calm "no" to what drains you.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: What helps you stay connected with people? Is there someone you know who is lonely right now? Are you giving others more than you have left for yourself?

Steps:
- Invite into your circle someone who has recently moved or been left alone.
- Thank someone close specifically: for what, and what it meant to you.
- Keep some time in your week just for yourself.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: You have people around who support you. Do the step together with someone, or agree with a friend to tell each other how it's going once a week.

### Physical

Movement, nutrition and sleep.

If you have health limitations, discuss activity and routine with your doctor.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: What does your body lack most right now: sleep, movement or proper food? When did you last see a doctor without a specific reason? How do you relieve stress, and does it help your body?

Steps:
- Move a little at a time: stairs instead of the lift, one stop on foot.
- Start with sleep: go to bed at the same time and put screens away half an hour before.
- Book a preventive check-up with your doctor.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: How many hours a day do you sit? What kind of movement do you enjoy, rather than feel you "should" do? What in your eating this week would you change first?

Steps:
- If you sit all day, stand up and walk around at least once an hour.
- One small change in your eating each week, for example vegetables with every lunch.
- Count your sugary drinks and coffees for a week. No need to quit at once; just look first.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: What helps you stay in shape? Do you know your basic numbers: blood pressure, weight, test results? Are you training through tiredness?

Steps:
- Listen to your body: tiredness is a signal to rest, not weakness.
- Make movement shared: a walk or sport with people you love.
- Keep a list of your medications at home and check the dates in your first-aid kit.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: You have a routine and a habit of looking after your body. Tie the step to something you already do: after training, during a walk, before bed.

### Environmental

Surroundings where you feel good and safe: your home, neighbourhood, workplace.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: Where at home do you feel truly at ease? What in your home annoys you every day? Do you feel safe at home and in your neighbourhood?

Steps:
- Pick one corner and clear out everything unnecessary in 10 minutes.
- Get rid of one unneeded thing a day.
- Check the basics: smoke detector, first-aid kit and where your documents are.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: Do you have a place where it's comfortable to work or think? How often do you get out into nature? How many notifications a day pull you away from what you're doing?

Steps:
- Sort papers and mail once a week, and keep family documents in one folder.
- Turn off notifications that don't need an immediate reply.
- Get out into nature once a week: a park, a forest, a walk by the water.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: What makes your home a place that recharges you? How could you help your street or neighbourhood? Does your workplace support you as well as your home does?

Steps:
- Add one thing that makes you happy to your workspace: a plant, light, a photo.
- Make tidying a shared family job, not one person's duty.
- Join a volunteer clean-up of a park or your neighbourhood.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: Your surroundings work for you. Set up your space for the step: put what you need where you can see it and remove what gets in the way.

### Spiritual

The values and sense of meaning that guide your decisions. Not tied to religion.

**Score 1–3.** Questions: What truly matters to you? Name three words. Which decisions in recent weeks went against your values? What do you do what you do for?

Steps:
- Name your three values and write them down.
- Every evening, ask yourself: what mattered today?
- Ten minutes of quiet a day: no phone, no music, no tasks.

**Score 4–6.** Questions: Does your calendar match your values? What would a truly good day look like for you? What do you definitely not want in your life?

Steps:
- Choose one value and one small action for it this week.
- Before a big goal, ask yourself "why?" and answer honestly.
- Every evening, write down three things you're grateful for.

**Score 7–10.** Questions: How do your values show on an ordinary weekday? Do you talk about values in your family? What do you want to leave your children or loved ones besides money?

Steps:
- Put into one sentence with your family why you are together and what matters to you.
- Find people who share your values and do something together.
- Help someone who needs it now, with your time and not only money.

How to lean on this area when it is strong: You know what matters to you. Answer for yourself why this area matters and which of your values it connects to. A clear "why" makes it easier to start.

## How the areas connect

- Money and anxiety often drag each other down. Start with what you can count: one sheet with your expenses and debts already removes some of the uncertainty.
- Body and mood are connected. Sleep and a short walk are the simplest step for both areas at once.
- Loneliness and low mood feed each other. One conversation with someone close helps both areas.
- Work is going well while your health or relationships sag. Check whether you are paying for work with sleep and time with people.
- Your money is in order, but meaning is lower. Ask yourself what your money is working for and what matters to you.
- A home where you can't rest drains you every day. One calm corner is already a place to breathe out.
- This looks like being stuck. A new skill can get you moving at work too: learning opens up options.
- People are your support. Use it for your body: a walk or sport with a friend covers both areas.
- Being short of money often makes people withdraw. Meeting up doesn't have to cost anything: a walk, a call, tea at home.

## Questions and answers

**What is a wellness wheel?**
It's a self-assessment: you give each of eight areas of life a score from 1 to 10 and see what holds you up and where you sag. The wheel helps you choose where to start instead of trying to change everything at once.

**Where do the eight dimensions come from?**
The eight dimensions of wellness model was described by Margaret Swarbrick in 2006. It underpins the Wellness Initiative of SAMHSA, a US federal agency. The areas are equal and connected: when one sags, it pulls the others with it.

**Is this a test or a diagnosis?**
No. It's a tool for reflection, not a psychological test, a diagnosis or medical advice. The scores are subjective and show how you see your life right now.

**Why is the plan 21 days long?**
Three weeks is a convenient first round: one new step a week, and on day 21 you take the wheel again and compare. Not everyone forms a habit in that time: for different people it takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

**Are my answers saved?**
Only in your browser. Your scores are remembered on this device so they survive a page reload, and they are not sent anywhere. To erase them, press “Sample” or clear this site’s data in your browser. Visits are counted with Google Analytics only if you allow it in the cookie banner; your scores are never sent to it.

**How often should I take the wheel?**
In three weeks, when the plan ends, and after that whenever you want to check in, for example once a quarter. What matters is not the average but which area gets in your way most right now.

## About the author

My name is Maksym. I'm a Russian-speaking Ukrainian and an engineer: nineteen years in software development, a family and two kids. I'm looking for balance across the eight areas of life and sharing the journey in public: one area and one small step each week. In the short videos, my AI double speaks for me; the words and decisions are mine.

Channels: [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/maksymsmovziuk), [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@maksymsmovziuk), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs5EzNJDvWRMh6bPjI5Wf7w).

## If you are struggling

In Czechia: Linka první psychické pomoci 116 123 (free, 24/7). If a life is in danger, 112.