Most people go to the doctor when they’re sick and get physicals every year, but that only covers physical health.
Overall well-being includes your mental and emotional health, which are just as important. A well-being assessment gives you the opportunity to get a picture of your complete health. Here are five reasons that you should be going through a self-evaluation process on a regular basis.
[RELATED: Discover everything you need to know about employee well-being here.]
1. Reduce the Risk of Professional Burnout
Many factors influence whether you end up getting burnt out at work. High-stress environments, a lack of acknowledgment of your efforts, toxic coworkers and disengagement can lead to you checking out when you’re at work. When you self-assess your well-being, you can see the signs of burnout well before you’re beyond the point of no return.
You can work with your employer to find ways of reducing the factors that fuel your stress and job dissatisfaction. For example, they may move you to a team that doesn’t interact with toxic coworkers or provide you with professional development courses and leadership opportunities.
2. Plan Health Improving Changes
Sometimes you don’t know that anything is wrong until an objective third-party points it out. In this case, it’s the self-assessment test. You can get an idea of when things aren’t quite right and the areas that are most affected. With that information, you can start to make changes to improve your health.
This early heads-up can be essential for staving off long-term problems. Think of it as the Check Engine light on your vehicle. The engine is still functioning, but it needs some attention before it breaks down. This practice also gives you an idea of where to start making the improvements. You can focus your effort on the most important areas and take care of other ones down the road.
3. Manage Mental and Emotional Health
Mental and emotional health may get overlooked when you have a hectic schedule and barely any time to think. Over time, it can lead to all sorts of problems in your personal and professional life.
The self-assessment gives you a way of looking at your mental and emotional health so you don’t neglect them. If you see problems in this area, it might be time to take a vacation or otherwise give yourself some time for self-care. Being able to pinpoint what in your personal or professional life may have caused a low wellness score is a valuable life skill to learn and know.
4. Reduce the Risk of Getting Sick
When you’re taking care of your health as a whole, you can reduce the chance that you end up catching the latest bug going around the office. This benefit occurs overtime, so don’t expect your immune system to get supercharged overnight. As you work on boosting your well-being, you’ll start seeing the changes.
5. Track Well-Being Trends Over Time
You can see whether you’re improving your well-being or running into problems with you can compare your data over the years. Some insights that you can gain from this approach include whether you get more stressed during certain times of the year, if you find yourself getting sick less when you practice healthy behaviors, and changes associated with different life events.
In regards to medical personnel burnout, the ACGME-accredited Well-Being Index helps individuals assess their well-being over time. This feature helps medical students and professionals measure their wellness and make action plans for down the road.
Don’t neglect your well-being. Use a self-assessment tool as part of your health check-ups. You’ll get many benefits by being proactive about your overall well-being, whether you’re using this as a way to figure out how stressed you are or you want a guide to make long-lasting changes to your life.