Final - Becoming Whole!!!

Greetings Wellness Peers!

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?

We have all heard the saying, “practice what you preach”.  I think it is crucial for professionals in any career to incorporate what they do into their own lives.  I wouldn’t go to a hairdresser with bad hair, a dentist with bad teeth, and certainly not a wellness professional that does not incorporate integral health practices into their own life. “To become agents of a more expansive health, we must begin with our own life.” (Dacher, 2006, pg. 167).  It is crucial for professionals in the health and wellness field to incorporate integral health practices into their own lives before offering treatment to others. The reason for this is because it will help these professionals offer more expansive health care to each and every patient.  According to ( Dacher, 2006. p.167), when professionals implement integral health in to their own lives, they “will come to know that the alleviation of suffering and the ascent to human flourishing are more than ideas.” These professionals will than want to end needless suffering to the best of their ability and therefore, “the soul of medicine returns.”   When it comes to integral health, you can only learn so much from books and reading material. It is important to also experience the effects of a developed psychological, spiritual, and physical wholeness to fully grasp the possibilities of human flourishing. When we gain this confidence it gives us the ability to “help others and create a better world.” (Dacher, 2006, pg 167).

Honestly, I need to develop all three areas to achieve my goals. I am considerably stronger physically then I am psychologically and spiritually. I would like to find balance between these three areas to obtain integral health.  Two areas that I need to develop in order to achieve optimal psychological, spiritual and physical wellness are the implementation of regular meditation and daily exercise. I’m confident that if I do develop these two strategies then my overall psychological, spiritual and physical health will improve drastically because these three factors will become more balanced as one.

II - Assessment:

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

There are several exercises and/or processes which will successfully assess an individual’s need for psychological, spiritual and physical improvement. According to Dacher, a mini meditation exercise “can be quite powerful in expanding your mind and heart. Practice of meditation can serve as an antidote to anger and hatred as well as help to shift your focus from personal love to universal loving-kindness” (p.93).  I have a lot of built up anger and resentment from past abuse and trauma.  According to Dacher (p.115), an assessment process can also be completed by asking a series of questions. The five questions which may focus on healing and promoting integral development are:

1. “What aspect of my life-psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly- is the source of difficulty and suffering?” (Healing)

2. “What line of development is most essential for me at this time?” (Healing)

3. “What is my current level of development and what can I aim for.” (Healing)

4. “What area of my life is ready for growth and development?” (Promoting)

5. “What would the next level of development look like?” (Promoting)

Currently, my physical, spiritual and psychological wellbeing are scored as a 5 to 7. I think early in our class these numbers were higher. Not that anything has changed it is just that I am now more aware of how off centered I truly am. The numbers are low because I do not get enough physical exercise, my spirituality is tested with negative drama and due to moments of anxiety and depression my psychological state is sometimes in turmoil.

III - Goal Development:

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

Physical:

Continue with my Zumba classes. They are scheduled for one hour three times a week.  I am also interested in tennis and now that the pool is open I will incorporate swimming 5 days a week.  For now I will start with doing 4 laps and increase it by one lap every two weeks.

Spiritual:

To practice and master forgiveness by first starting with myself and then those who have hurt me will help me spiritually.  I recently started reading this Buddhist Boot Camp book. It is not necessarily about becoming a Buddhist but moreso incorporating their practices on a daily basis. To love oneself and to love and treat others with kindness. Believing in myself and others and trusting my higher power and knowing that what I put out in the universe is what I will get back. Looking for the positive in everything and everyone will also help me connect and be more loving and kind.

Psychological:

Stop my negative talk in my head and replace with positive talk. Quieting my mind through breathing, journaling and meditating are all effective ways to become psychologically fit.  This will allow me to not sweat the small stuff and teach me how to pick my battles by alleviating factors that cause undue stress.

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.

Right now I believe that my personal life needs work because there are times when my psychological state is in complete turmoil due to moments of depression and anxiety. Two ways that I can foster my psychological health are by practicing mini meditations and gentle yoga exercises.

For many years my spirituality has also been tested due to the negative actions of others. Two ways that I can foster my spirituality are by believing in others for their good qualities and in me for being a beautiful human being. I can also improve my physical wellness by developing strategies to decrease periodic fatigue. A few ways that I can accomplish this task is to implement regular daily exercise, journal, and stop eating fast foods every day.

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?

I will need to evaluation my progress consistently and in order to successfully achieve my goals to acquire optimal health and experience human flourishing. One strategy that I can use to accomplish this task is to keep a daily diary of progress levels. If certain levels appear to be lower than others, I can implement new processes which foster further growth in these areas.

After a few months of monitoring these levels of progress, I’m confident that I will be able to experience a balance between my psychological, spiritual and physical health. Once this balance is obtained, I will then try to ensure that this evaluation process remains a regular part of my daily life. I’m hoping that in 6 months I will not only see constant improvement but these practices will become secondary to breathing. 

I think I am going to assign an accountability partner. Perhaps I will assign a few folks.  I will do weekly check-ins via text, skype or even facebook inbox.  My inner circle knows how important this lifestyle change is to me and they will gladly participate to ensure I succeed.  After all they always wanted me to be happy, healthy and whole. Oh, I may even work this into my Mother/Daughter bonding J

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