Take two minutes to check in with yourself. Assess your mood, sleep, energy, connections, stress, motivation, and enjoyment across 7 simple questions.
Answer 7 questions about how you're doing right now. This takes about 2 minutes.
This check-in assesses seven key dimensions of mental wellness: mood, sleep quality, energy levels, social connection, stress management, motivation, and the ability to find enjoyment in daily activities. Together, these dimensions paint a picture of your overall mental health.
Regular self-assessment is one of the most effective ways to maintain mental wellness. Research on ecological momentary assessment (EMA) shows that people who regularly check in with themselves are better at noticing early warning signs and taking action before things escalate.
Unlike clinical assessments, this tool is designed for everyday use. It helps you build self-awareness and track patterns over time. Whether you're going through a difficult period or just want to stay in tune with how you're doing, a quick check-in can make a real difference.
Each question targets a research-backed dimension of mental wellness: mood, sleep, energy, connection, stress, motivation, and enjoyment.
Each dimension is rated on a 1-5 scale from struggling to thriving, allowing nuanced self-assessment without clinical complexity.
Your total score (7-35) maps to five categories from Crisis to Thriving, giving you a clear snapshot of where you stand right now.
Self-monitoring is a well-established practice in psychological research. Studies on ecological momentary assessment (EMA) — the practice of regularly checking in with your own mental state — show that it improves self-awareness, helps people identify triggers, and leads to earlier intervention when problems arise.
The seven dimensions in this check-in map to key areas that clinical psychologists and researchers consistently identify as markers of mental wellbeing. Mood and enjoyment relate to emotional functioning. Sleep and energy reflect physical-mental health connections. Social connection addresses the relational dimension. Stress management and motivation capture your ability to cope and engage with life.
Research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that regular self-monitoring of mood and behavior was associated with improved mental health outcomes, even without additional treatment. The simple act of pausing to reflect can be therapeutic in itself.
This doesn't mean self-assessment replaces professional evaluation. But as a daily or weekly practice, it builds the kind of emotional literacy that helps you advocate for yourself, communicate with providers, and catch problems early.
This check-in is a triage step — a fast, plain-language read on where you are before you decide which validated, scored instrument is worth taking. Here's how it relates to the standard screeners clinicians actually use.
| Instrument | Measures | Length | Range | Cutoff | Best for | Vs. this tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This Check-In | Broad well-being across mood, anxiety, sleep, function | ~10 items | Qualitative tiers | Directional (no clinical cutoff) | A no-jargon 'where am I right now' snapshot before choosing a specific screener | This page. |
| PHQ-9 | Depression severity | 9 items | 0-27 | ≥10 (moderate) | The standard depression screen in primary care; tracks symptom change over time | Single-condition and scored. If this check-in flags low mood, the PHQ-9 measures it. See our [PHQ-9 page](/tools/phq-9). |
| GAD-7 | Generalized anxiety severity | 7 items | 0-21 | ≥10 (moderate) | The standard anxiety screen in primary care | If this check-in flags worry or anxiety, the GAD-7 quantifies it. See our [GAD-7 page](/tools/gad-7). |
| WHO-5 Well-Being Index | Positive well-being (not symptoms) | 5 items | 0-100 | ≤50 (screen for low well-being) | A strengths-based read on quality of life rather than pathology | WHO-5 asks what's going well; this check-in and the PHQ/GAD ask what's wrong. Complementary lenses. |
| Kessler K10 | Non-specific psychological distress | 10 items | 10-50 | ≥20 (elevated) | One global distress score when you don't yet know if it's anxiety, depression, or both | K10 is the validated, scored cousin of this check-in — a single research-grade distress number. |
| DASS-21 | Depression, anxiety & stress (3 subscales) | 21 items | 0-42 per subscale | Varies by subscale | Separating three overlapping states in one instrument | DASS-21 splits distress into three measured subscales; this check-in points you toward which to pursue. |
Honest summary: this check-in is triage, not diagnosis. Its job is to help you pick the right validated instrument next — PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, K10 for general distress — or to skip straight to a clinician. If any domain here feels severe, don't re-take the check-in; take the matching screener or talk to a professional.
This is a brief, general well-being check-in — not a diagnostic instrument and not a screen for any specific condition. It points you toward which domain (mood, anxiety, sleep, day-to-day function) might warrant a closer look; it does not measure or diagnose the way a validated screener like the PHQ-9 (depression) or GAD-7 (anxiety) does. ILTY hosts it free and does not store your answers. If a domain here feels severe, the evidence-based next step is the condition-specific screener or a licensed clinician — not a repeat of this check-in.
This tool is for self-reflection, not clinical diagnosis. If you're in crisis, please contact 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or your local emergency services.
No. This is a self-reflection tool designed to help you check in with yourself across key dimensions of wellbeing. It's not a diagnostic tool and doesn't replace professional assessment.
Weekly check-ins work well for tracking trends. Some people find daily check-ins helpful during difficult periods. The value is in noticing patterns over time, not any single score.
The results reflect how you're doing right now across mood, sleep, energy, social connection, stress management, motivation, and enjoyment. They're a snapshot, not a permanent label.
No. Everything runs in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server, saved, or shared with anyone. Close the tab and it's gone.
ILTY is available 24/7 to help you process how you're feeling. Real conversations, not scripted responses.