Unit 9 Final Paper

The following is my final paper for this course. I have enjoyed it even though I feel like I need another 10 weeks to fully grasp all of the concepts. I have likewise enjoyed meeting all of my classmates and while I know that there will be yet one more post to this blog it kind of feels like the end already. Until next unit...

I.            Introduction:
Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

Developing ourselves psychologically, spiritually and physically is important not only for ourselves but to allow us to better guide and teach others to do the same. This process is ongoing and ever-changing so there is always room for improvement and goals are just nearly or temporarily met as our lives take on new directions and meanings as we grow into ourselves, becoming who we want to be. I personally need vast improvements in all three areas in my life but firmly believe that as I make improvements in each area it will directly improve the other two.

                II.            Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

Having assessed my health in each domain by looking at how I feel overall and my general state of mind I feel like I can score myself as follows. On a scale of one to ten I would score my spiritual wellness at about a 5.5 now, my physical wellness at a 6.5 and my psychological wellness at about a 6.

 

               III.            Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

Self-improvement is probably the hardest to attain, it’s much easier to see what other’s need to change and how they can achieve said change. This project will serve as my written reminder of my goals. Physically my goals are fairly simple but not easy by any means. I would love to lose weight or should I say, drop 2 pants sizes and to increase my strength and flexibility. Psychologically I would like to be able to manage my anxiety and stress better and spiritually I would like to become a more enlightened individual and find a deeper sense of myself although I am still working to try and clarify my own definition of sprituality.

              IV.            Practices for personal health:
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.

The best way for me to start fostering growth in the physical domain is to increase exercise and decrease calorie intakes but it’s not really that simple because each domain is connected to the other. Therefore, not only do I need to exercise and eat right but I need to decrease my stress level through meditation and create within my mind a healthy outlook (Dacher, 2006). Meditation and contemplative practices are integral for healthy psychological growth and a healthy mind means a healthy body (Dacher, 2006). Contemplative practices can be used to foster growth in the spiritual domain as well. Utilizing the Subtle Mind practice as well as the Loving Kindness practice and by following these, again physical and psychological health are affected as well (Dacher, 2006).

So, by getting up an hour earlier in the morning I can implement some additional physical conditioning and flexibility training, adding meditation to it as well. I can also carve out some time for a walk mid-day which will not only benefit me physically but psychologically as well because taking time out for oneself creates a better state of mind. Exercise clears the mind and reduces stress and anxiety which in turn increases physical and psychological health. Using meditation and visualization techniques learned during this course I can foster better growth psychologically and calm the mind, even using the subtle mind in order to calm my mind and create a healthy outlook on life in general (Dacher, 2006). Finally, developing my spirituality can be done by opening my mind to the betterment of self and others. I know that allowing myself to connect both physically and mentally my overall health and wellness will improve daily even if it’s just a tiny bit at a time. I will set a reminder to make sure that I do what is necessary to be happy, healthy and wise.

               V.            Commitment:
How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

It’s easy to talk about what you want to do and make it sound great but it’s another thing entirely when push really comes to shove to actually act on it. By telling others of my goals and setting reminders on the computer and phone I think that I can maintain these practices long term and keep working toward my goals. I think another way to stay on track is to find a friend to help me to be accountable and to remind me that while I may not want to get up and exercise, I will feel better when I have done it and while I may feel like meditation sometime is difficult to do with a busy schedule, my mental well-being will be much improved and therefore so will my physical well-being. I will continue to post on my blog, if nothing else using it as a journal to remind myself of what I need to do. I will get rid of all excuses and push forward I know I want to improve all aspects of myself not only for me but for my family as well. This is my motivation and six months from now, I will post on my blog another assessment and will update my goals. Do I think it will be easy? Do I think I will always succeed at each goal? No, I know that it will be difficult and that I will often fail to remember my goals and will lose motivation but I will always move forward, regaining momentum and focus until I am successful.

 

References:

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health; The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, INC.