Are you happy and satisfied with your life? You can use the Personal Wellbeing Index to rate your level of wellbeing. The Personal Wellbeing Index is the same scale that is used to measure the wellbeing of the Australian population in the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index surveys. Before you complete the Personal Wellbeing Index, it’s important to understand exactly what it is measuring and what the results mean. The Personal Wellbeing Index measures subjective wellbeing. This refers to a deep, long-lasting sense of contentment as opposed to a passing moment of happiness we experience when, say, we buy a new TV or hear a funny joke. Subjective Wellbeing is a normally positive state of mind, and it is quite difficult to change these feelings. Even when life goes wrong, over time people are usually able to adjust, and recover to keep feeling positive. (For this reason, the Personal Wellbeing Index is not the kind of thing you should check on a daily basis. It is designed to focus on your overall state of mind, whether or not something unusual has happened in your life recently.) While people are generally resilient, everyone has a limit to the degree of challenge or stress they can handle before it’s too much. If the strength of challenge becomes too great, people may not be able to maintain their normal level of wellbeing and lose their sense of feeling positive. This can lead to a deterioration in a person’s state of mind and possibly result in depression. The Personal Wellbeing Index measures wellbeing by asking how satisfied you feel with different areas of your life on a scale of 0-10. The responses are then combined to give a percentage score out of 100. You can then compare your score against the wellbeing score for the average Australian who is aged 18 years or older*. Keep in mind that there are a number of factors that can affect your score. Everyone is different, so not making the average doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unhappy, it just means that your normal level of wellbeing is above or below the average score. A very low score can be an indicator of depression or other mental health issue, however a low score SHOULD NOT be interpreted as a diagnosis. Always consult a trained mental health professional if you’re experiencing ongoing depressive feelings or difficulties in your daily life that cause you anxiety or worry. Resources are provided at the end of the questionnaire that can point you in the right direction for help. Please note: This questionnaire is a guide to wellbeing and is a general indication only. It should not be considered a recommendation or diagnosis. It is not an indication of any mental health condition nor should be relied on as a substitute for proper medical or professional advice. All responses are anonymous, so you cannot be identified in any way. The data will be anonymously recorded and may be collectively grouped for research and reporting purposes. * There are different versions of the Personal Wellbeing Index for children and people with intellectual or cognitive disabilities. For more information go to: http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/acqol/instruments/wellbeing_index.htm By clicking 'Next' I confirm, that I have read the above terms and understand the nature of this questionnaire and that it should be used as a guide only, and I would like to complete the Personal Wellbeing Index