Are You Thriving? Here Are Seven Questions to Ask Yourself

PHOTO: UI Tippie College of Business Rong Su is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship and the Mahoney Fellow at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business.

Forget online quizzes from questionable sources. When it comes to mental health, Rong Su, an associate professor at the Henry B. Tippie College of Business, empowers people to use research-based wellness assessments for insight into their overall well-being.

“Every year, we do [physical] checkups to make sure we’re healthy,” says Su. “But we rarely think about doing a mental checkup.”

To encourage mental wellness, Su helped develop the Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving (CIT) and the Brief Inventory of Thriving (BIT), which were featured earlier this year in The New York Times. Organizations can use these science-backed inventories to help individuals evaluate their mental health on an average day, rather than waiting until symptoms of depression or anxiety strike.

“The most helpful feedback is to figure out where are your strengths and where are your weaknesses.” —Rong Su

Both inventories dive into more than whether a person feels happy or unhappy. Instead, they examine seven interconnected areas of life, such as how someone feels about their relationships and how much optimism they have for the future. By reviewing one’s thoughts on a series of statements, the inventories can draw attention to the aspects in someone’s life that could be improved.

“The most helpful feedback is not always positive,” says Su, who has been named a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in recognition of her contributions to the field. “The most helpful feedback is to figure out where are your strengths and where are your weaknesses.”

By assessing strengths and weaknesses, a person can then break down their larger goals into smaller, more manageable steps. It can prevent someone from becoming overwhelmed by unhappy feelings.

For example, if someone wishes for more autonomy at work, they can start by finding time frames on their calendar when they can exercise control. The first steps could be as small as making new decisions on how to spend a single hour.

As people seek resources to help them thrive, Su stresses the importance of using research-backed assessments, such as the ones provided on her website.

“Hopefully, they will gain a better picture of themselves as a holistic person,” says Su.