The 7: Self-Assessment Questions

How to Use

For each characteristic, answer the questions honestly based on RIGHT NOW or the PAST WEEK. There are no right answers - you're mapping where you are, not where you "should" be.

HEAD

Where's your attention?

H1. Your attention right now feels like:

[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Bouncing       Moveable       Directed      Stuck on
everywhere     flexible       but free      one thing

H2. When you need to concentrate on something boring but necessary:

• ○ Nearly impossible - I'm pulled away constantly
• ○ Difficult - requires huge effort
• ○ Manageable with some effort
• ○ Fine - I can do it
• ○ I might get TOO focused and lose track of time/other needs

H3. Shifting your attention from one thing to another:

• ○ Happens involuntarily all the time (can't stop shifting)
• ○ Easy - I shift when I want to
• ○ Takes effort but I can do it
• ○ Very hard - I get stuck
• ○ Painful - being interrupted feels physical

H4. Distractions (notifications, noises, thoughts, tangents):

• ○ Pull me away constantly - I follow every one
• ○ I notice them but can usually stay on track
• ○ I can ignore most of them
• ○ I barely notice them - very locked in
• ○ Depends wildly on the day / what I'm doing

H5. Hyperfocus (losing hours to one thing, forgetting to eat/pee/stop):

• ○ Never happens - I can't sustain that
• ○ Rarely - only things I love
• ○ Sometimes - usually productive
• ○ Often - can be a problem (neglect other things)
• ○ Frequently - it takes over and I can't stop

H6. Your ideal focus would be:

• ○ More stable - I need to hold attention better
• ○ More flexible - I get too locked in
• ○ It's actually fine right now
• ○ Both - I swing between scattered and stuck

GUARD

How alert is your protection system?

G1. Your baseline sense of safety right now:

[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Oblivious/    Relaxed,       Alert but     On edge/
nothing       calm           not tense     scanning
bothers me                                 for danger

G2. In your body, tension and vigilance feel like:

• ○ I barely notice any - very relaxed (maybe too relaxed?)
• ○ Occasional tension, comes and goes
• ○ Moderate background hum most of the time
• ○ Constant - shoulders, jaw, stomach always tight
• ○ Intense - heart races, can't settle

G3. When something unexpected happens (loud noise, surprise, bad news):

• ○ I barely react - takes a lot to startle me
• ○ Normal startle, recover quickly
• ○ Strong reaction, takes a while to calm
• ○ I stay activated for hours
• ○ I can't calm down without help (substance, person, hours)

G4. Your mind's threat assessment:

• ○ I miss obvious dangers - too trusting/careless
• ○ I notice real threats appropriately
• ○ I notice threats + some false alarms
• ○ Most things feel potentially threatening
• ○ Everything is a threat until proven otherwise

G5. Physical anxiety symptoms (racing heart, sweating, stomach, breathing):

• ○ Rarely or never
• ○ Sometimes, in genuinely stressful situations
• ○ Often, even in "safe" situations
• ○ Almost constantly
• ○ They come in intense spikes (panic)

G6. Going into new/uncertain situations:

• ○ Easy - I don't really think about it
• ○ Slight nerves, but I do it
• ○ Significant anxiety, but I push through
• ○ I avoid when possible
• ○ I can't do it / it's paralyzing

HEART

Can you feel alive?

Ht1. When something good happens (compliment, win, treat), you feel:

[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Nothing/      Muted,         Good,          Intense
"so what"     brief          satisfying     rush

Ht2. When you think about things you used to enjoy:

• ○ I still enjoy them about the same
• ○ I can do them but feel less than I used to
• ○ They feel pointless - I don't know why I'd bother
• ○ I actively avoid them now
• ○ I chase them harder but get less from them

Ht3. Looking forward to something (anticipation) feels:

• ○ I don't really look forward to things
• ○ Mild interest, but muted
• ○ Normal anticipation - I get excited
• ○ Intense - I need the thing NOW
• ○ Anticipation is better than the actual thing

Ht4. After you get something you wanted, you feel:

• ○ Empty - "that's it?"
• ○ Brief satisfaction, then nothing
• ○ Good - it lasts a while
• ○ Already thinking about the next thing

Ht5. Your relationship with pleasure/fun right now:

• ○ What pleasure? Everything is gray.
• ○ I can feel it but it's dulled
• ○ Working normally
• ○ I need more and more to feel something
• ○ I'm chasing highs (food, screens, substances, buying, etc.)

Ht6. Motivation to do non-urgent things (hobbies, projects, seeing friends):

[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Zero/         Hard to        Normal        Driven/
why bother    start          motivation    compelled

GUT

How much fuel?

Gu1. Right now, your energy feels like:

[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Empty         Running        Full but      Can't
tank          fine           restless      stop

Gu2. Over a typical week, your energy:

• ○ Stays mostly flat/low
• ○ Stays mostly steady/adequate
• ○ Stays mostly high/wired
• ○ Swings unpredictably between extremes
• ○ Has a predictable rhythm (high mornings, crashes afternoon, etc.)

Gu3. After doing something demanding, you recover by:

• ○ I don't recover - I stay drained for days
• ○ Sleep helps, but it takes a while
• ○ A break restores me fairly quickly
• ○ I don't need recovery - I just keep going
• ○ I crash HARD then bounce back

Gu4. When you wake up most mornings, you feel:

[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Dread/        Sluggish       Ready         Already
can't move                   enough        buzzing

Gu5. The idea of "doing nothing" for a whole day feels:

• ○ Like exactly what I need (relief)
• ○ Fine, neutral
• ○ Uncomfortable - I'd get restless
• ○ Impossible - I physically couldn't

Gu6. People who know you well would say your energy is:

• ○ "You seem exhausted"
• ○ "You're pretty low-key"
• ○ "You're steady"
• ○ "You're always on the go"
• ○ "You're intense / a lot"

GRIP

How tightly are you holding on?

Gp1. Your relationship to thoughts:

LOOSE ───────────────────────────────────── TIGHT
[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Thoughts       Come and       I can         Can't let
slip away/     go, I          hold or       go/stuck
don't stick    choose         release       loops

Gp2. When a negative thought or worry enters your mind:

• ○ It passes quickly - doesn't stick
• ○ I notice it, might revisit, then let go
• ○ It loops for a while but eventually fades
• ○ It loops for hours/days
• ○ It takes over - I can't think about anything else

Gp3. Routines, plans, and structure in your life:

• ○ Chaotic - I don't/can't maintain routines
• ○ Loose - some structure, flexible
• ○ Moderate - I like routine but can adapt
• ○ Strong need - disruption is very uncomfortable
• ○ Rigid - I MUST follow routines, changes are distressing

Gp4. When something doesn't go according to plan:

• ○ Doesn't bother me - I go with the flow
• ○ Mild frustration, I adapt quickly
• ○ Uncomfortable but I manage
• ○ Very distressing - I need things predictable
• ○ Can cause meltdown/shutdown

Gp5. Acting on impulse vs deliberating:

• ○ I act without thinking - often regret it later
• ○ I lean impulsive but can pause when needed
• ○ Balanced - think and act appropriately
• ○ I overthink - hard to act without certainty
• ○ Paralyzed - I can't decide/act until I'm sure

Gp6. Letting go of things (grudges, mistakes, objects, relationships):

• ○ Too easy - nothing sticks, even when it should
• ○ I can let go when it's time
• ○ Difficult - I hold on longer than helpful
• ○ Very hard - I ruminate, save everything, can't release
• ○ I hold onto some things, let go of others too easily (inconsistent)

GROUND

Are you here?

Gr1. Your sense of being "you" - a continuous, coherent person:

[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Who am I?     Uncertain      Solid         Rigidly
Shifts/       sometimes      sense of      fixed/
fragments                    self          defensive

Gr2. Connection to your physical body right now:

• ○ Disconnected - I forget I have a body / feel outside it
• ○ Muted - I notice it but distantly
• ○ Connected - I feel sensations clearly
• ○ Overwhelmed - body sensations are TOO loud
• ○ Fluctuates - sometimes numb, sometimes flooded

Gr3. When someone asks "how do you feel?" (emotionally):

• ○ I don't know - it's blank or confusing
• ○ I can name basic feelings with effort
• ○ I generally know and can express it
• ○ I feel TOO much - flooded, hard to sort out

Gr4. The present moment vs past/future:

• ○ I'm mostly stuck in the past (replaying, regretting)
• ○ I'm mostly stuck in the future (worrying, planning)
• ○ I'm mostly HERE, present
• ○ I'm nowhere - dissociated, foggy, not really anywhere
• ○ Swings between past/future/dissociated

Gr5. Looking in a mirror or seeing photos of yourself:

• ○ Strange - "that's not me" / unfamiliar
• ○ Uncomfortable but recognizable
• ○ Neutral - "yep, that's me"
• ○ Fine - clear sense that's me
• ○ Depends on the day / my state

Gr6. Your identity and values:

• ○ Change based on who I'm with
• ○ Unclear - I don't know who I am
• ○ Core feels stable, surface adapts
• ○ Very fixed - I know exactly who I am and don't change
• ○ Under attack - I defend my identity intensely

REACH

How do you connect?

R1. Your current need for connection with others:

PULLED IN ────────────────────────────── MERGED
[1]─────[2]─────[3]─────[4]─────[5]─────[6]─────[7]
Don't need    Some but      Connected     Can't be
anyone        space too     boundaried    alone/need
                                          others always

R2. Being alone for extended periods:

• ○ Preferred - I recharge in solitude
• ○ Fine - I enjoy it
• ○ Neutral - okay either way
• ○ Uncomfortable - I get lonely/restless
• ○ Unbearable - I feel empty/panicked

R3. When close relationships have conflict or distance:

• ○ Doesn't affect me much
• ○ Uncomfortable but I cope
• ○ Very distressing but I stay stable
• ○ Destabilizing - it affects my whole sense of self
• ○ Devastating - I can't function

R4. Boundaries (saying no, protecting your time/energy, limits):

• ○ Too strong - I push everyone away
• ○ Clear and maintained - I can say no
• ○ Porous - I let too much in
• ○ What boundaries? I absorb others' needs as my own
• ○ Depends on the person (firm with some, none with others)

R5. Your sense of self when you're with important people:

• ○ I disappear - I become what they want
• ○ I adapt a lot - I'm different with different people
• ○ Core stays same, surface adapts normally
• ○ I'm the same regardless - don't really adjust
• ○ I perform a version of me that's not real

R6. Trust and closeness:

• ○ I don't let people in - not worth the risk
• ○ Slow to trust, but I get there
• ○ I trust appropriately - read people well
• ○ I trust too easily - get hurt often
• ○ I desperately want closeness but fear it (push-pull)

Scoring

Each characteristic maps to a position from 1-7:

1-2 = LOW END (scattered, guard down, numb, empty, loose, floating, pulled in)
3-5 = MIDDLE ZONE (often balanced, but depends on context and your goals)
6-7 = HIGH END (locked, guard up, chasing, overflowing, tight, frozen, merged)

Remember: No position is inherently "right." The question is: Is this position serving you in your current context?