- 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?
Working as a healthcare
professional, it is important for me to develop psychologically, spiritually,
and physically. If I am going to give
advice about integral practice as a healthcare professional, I need to bring it
into my own life. Dacher states, “the holder of the tool kit, the practitioner
himself or herself, must enter the transformative process” (p. 166). We cannot teach something we are not willing
to change ourselves. I need to practice the integral approach so I can know
firsthand what can actually happen when it is incorporated in my life, which
will also give me the confidence to teach others about it. I know I don’t want to listen to someone talk
about health and wellness who hasn’t incorporated it in their life or
experienced it in some way themselves. Once
you see the positive effects something has on someone, it makes you want to try
it yourself. I feel that in order to be
physically healthy we have to start with a healthy mind and being more spiritual
will also help us achieve this optimal wellness that we all want. Spirituality and being physically active also
helps clear our mind and will also help improve our mental health which will
keep us more focused on what is important.
- Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your
wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
Spirituality is something that is more difficult for me. I
give myself a 6 in Spirituality. I do
believe in a higher power, but I haven’t been to church in a while. I know there is a lot more to spirituality
than going to church and reading the bible, but this is an area where I need to
work on. I know that having positive thoughts does bring more good than
thinking negatively. There has been a
lot of research that shows that staying positive and having hope and faith
improves health compared to not having much hope, which research has shown
people’s health to deteriorate more quickly.
Physical health can be easy if you are disciplined and can
exercise routinely and eat healthy most of the time. I am not obese nor do I take any medications
for health problems on a daily basis, but I know I need to do better with
taking care of my physical health. I
will rate myself a 7 for physical wellness.
I feel that I eat pretty healthy most of the time, but I could do
better. I have a weakness for chips, candy,
and Mexican food. I exercise sometimes,
but I need to get into the habit of doing it at least three or four times a
week. I get so exhausted from work that sometimes I don’t want to do anything.
That needs to change! Plus I should have
more energy just from eating healthier and exercising more.
Psychologically, I am pretty healthy; at least I like to
think so. I was having some anxiety the
last couple of years, but there have also been a lot of life changing events
that happened such as moving, getting married, a new job in a busy hospital, and
while going school. I will give myself a
7 for psychological wellness also. I
feel that lately my anxiety has been better since I have incorporated
relaxation exercises into my life to help relieve stress. I think exercising
more will also help calm my mind. I still
need to learn how to control and calm my mind more. I know that being healthy
starts with the mind, so I need to work on my psychological wellness a little
more.
- Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical,
Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
A goal that I have for Physical fitness is to exercise three
times a week from now on. I want to lose
10 pounds this year also. I will only
allow myself to have a few chips once every two weeks as long as I have been
eating well and exercising. A goal that
I give myself for psychological fitness is to not stress the small stuff
anymore and to meditate or use other relaxation exercises at least twice a
week. A goal for spiritual health would
be to be more positive, less judgmental, and to meditate more. I tend to be pessimistic at times and people
call me out on it. I want to start being more positive and looking at the glass
half full and stop looking at the negativity.
I feel that being more positive will bring on more positive energy and
maybe bring more good thins my way.
- 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.
Strategies I can implement for physical wellness would be to
sign up in advance for my yoga and Pilates classes that way I have a dedicated
time to go and I cannot slack off. I
will also go to the gym with my husband when he goes. Another strategy for physical wellness is to cook
at least 3 meals a week, because I always eat better when I eat at home, and I
also always have enough for a few days.
A strategy for spiritual wellness will be to put a positive spin on
things and to stop talking about thinks such as work in a negative way. Another
strategy for spiritual wellness would be to do relaxation and breathing
exercises when I feel stressed or anxious.
The strategies for spiritual and physical wellness will also help me with
my psychological wellness. I want to schedule
times in my calendar to meditate.
- 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 assess my progress or lack of progress by seeing if
there is a change in my health 6 months from now. I will track my weight loss/gain, hopefully
feel less stressed and anxious, and hopefully hear positive things from my friends
and family about my mood (hopefully about being positive, calm and happy more
often).
VI.
VI. Conclusion
I
feel that these goals are not hard to attain and that if I put my mind to it I
will see results within six months. This
class has helped me see that positivity can get you far. It was a new year’s
resolution of mine to be more positive and I feel that I am doing a pretty good
job at it. I know I can be healthier in
all domains if I put the effort in. I am
young and have so much to live for, and I need to be healthy for my future children.
References
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: the path
to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic
Health Publications.
