Responses that may need maintaining  Do you have high scores for any responses, say 7 or above, that your Emotional Self will definitely want you to maintain and keep in good shape?

Responses that may need attention soon  Do you have medium scores for any responses, say 5 or 6, that your Emotional Self will want you to start addressing once you have made progress with the areas above?

Responses that may need immediate attention  Do you have low scores for any responses, say 4 or below, that may be causing concern for your Emotional Self and which it will want you to prioritise?

What’s influencing your responses?  Explore the factors that might explain the response scores you gave and the thoughts you recorded. These could include personal factors e.g., your confidence, motivation or willingness to make changes; relational factors e.g., the support, encouragement or resistance of a partner, family member or friend; or environmental factors e.g., whether your circumstances make it easier or harder to take the actions you need.

What emotional messages are you receiving?  Consider what your emotions might be telling you about your responses. Positive messages, such as relief, confidence, calmness or satisfaction, may indicate that your Emotional Self likes what it sees and that your responses are working. Negative messages, such as stress, anxiety, low mood or frustration, may indicate that a response needs adjusting, that more needs to be done, or that more time is needed before you experience the benefits.

What roles do stories, beliefs and assumptions play?  Consider whether your stories, beliefs or assumptions are influencing how you respond to the areas of your life that need attention. For example, does believing you should be able to sort things out for yourself stop you from asking for help; does assuming a partner will resist change prevent you from starting an important conversation; does believing you are too old to start again stop you from exploring new possibilities; or does a belief about what retirement should look like keep you pursuing something that is not working? Consider whether these stories, beliefs and assumptions are supporting effective responses or getting in their way.

Emotional Weight: Heavy or Light?  Consider whether some responses feel more emotionally difficult than others. For example, does starting an important conversation with your partner feel harder than changing how you spend your time; does asking for help feel more uncomfortable than taking action alone; or does making a significant lifestyle change generate more anxiety than maintaining what you already have? Understanding the emotional weight attached to different responses can help explain why some actions are easier to take than others and where your Emotional Self may need greater reassurance.

Recent or Long-Standing?  Consider how long you have been responding to a cause in this way and whether the response predates retirement. For example, have you recently started avoiding difficult conversations, or has this been your approach for years; have you begun withdrawing from activities since retiring, or have you tended to respond this way during previous periods of change; are you trying something new to improve your wellbeing, or relying on approaches you have used for much of your life? Understanding the history of your responses can help you identify which are relatively new and which may represent established patterns that need to be maintained or changed.

Influence and Control: Within Control or Beyond Control?  Consider how much influence or control you have over your responses. For example, you can choose to initiate an important conversation, change how you spend your time, ask for support or take steps to improve your wellbeing. However, you may have less control over what happens as a result, particularly when your response involves other people or circumstances beyond your influence. Distinguishing between the two can help you focus your efforts on the responses you can control, without judging their effectiveness solely by outcomes beyond your control.

Internal or External?  Consider whether your responses come primarily from within you or involve resources and support outside you. Internal responses might include changing how you think about retirement, challenging an assumption, making a decision or managing your emotions differently. External responses might include seeking professional advice, having a conversation with your partner, joining a group or changing something about where or how you live. Some responses will involve both: you may need to change something within yourself before you are ready to take action in the world around you.

Stability Over Time: Temporary or Persistent?  Consider whether your responses change with your mood, circumstances or what is happening in your life, or whether they remain relatively consistent over time. For example, do you withdraw from others only during particularly stressful periods or is this an established response; do you make positive changes to your lifestyle but struggle to sustain them; or have you consistently taken action to maintain an important relationship or sense of purpose? Understanding the stability of your responses can help you identify which are temporary reactions, which have become established patterns, and which positive responses are worth maintaining.

What Stands Out?  Which areas feel most important right now? What seems to need understanding before action?

Signals for Change  Where might your Emotional Self be asking for balance? Where might it be asking for reassurance? Where might it be asking for change?

Turning Score into Insight  Your scores are not just numbers. They are signals helping you understand what matters to you right now.