Final Unit 9

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?

When an individual comes to a wellness professional for assistance they seek someone who is proficient in every area of their profession.  The professional has the ability to make what they do seem effortless, the exercises seamless and productive.   The practitioner makes it seem this way because they love what they do and it is important to make the healee feel at ease.   In order to create a productive healing plan the healee and the practitioner must have open communication and they need to establish a comfortable and respectful relationship.  The practitioner must be an attentive listener, compassionate, and aware of the healee’s lifestyle.  The practitioner after obtaining all the information from the healee must assess how the path to wellness should be planned and tailored for the individual’s specifications.  The practitioner plays an important role; they actually are the glue that connects the transformation process to the healee by hands on demonstration and by example to what is possible toward their own path of human flourishing (Dacher, 2006).  

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

            Looking back on my blog response to that initial question in January I will have to say I am glad I think I have improved on my scores a bit.  My Initial score for spirituality was an 8, physically, a 5 and psychologically a 7.  I am now happy to say, my spirituality has moved up to a 9, my psychological up to a 6 moving to 7 and physically a solid 6, which is very good for me.  I have started doing a few things different, I have combined meditation with prayer, and it is a wonderful feeling.  Calms you down and leaves you open for such wonderful revelations in the spiritual realm.   Afterward I am so calm and refreshed; that is until the next calamity hits, but the anxiety that usually accompanies these calamities are getting to be less and less the more I practice my meditation.  It has only been twice this month where my headaches were so bad I had to take medication, which was a big plus. My physical score may have something to do with that also.  I had started planning my meals in advance and taking my lunches and packing healthy snack.  In addition to reducing the number of headaches I got, it also reduced my waistline a bit, jeans are not so tight!  I walk the campus and I take the stairs going down I have to say, up is more challenging but I do that occasionally. The hardest for me is the psychological aspect; I tend to allow things stress me that I know I can do little to nothing about.  These are the times I find a quiet place and do my deep breathing and my meditation exercises. I recently learned to visualize the beach and my last vacation when I went on a cruise that is why my score is moving up to a 7.

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

            My goal for the physical aspect of my life is to increase my walking to two miles daily so that I can reach my short term goal of losing twenty pounds by the summer.  Then I aim to lose an additional twenty pounds by the end of summer or the beginning of fall, and finally ten pounds by the end of the year. Psychologically my goal is to let go of stressors that I have little or no control over.  These are stressors associated with my family.  I see where I have allowed some of their issues to become my burdens, and I need to leave them and not pick them up, and realize they are not mine to carry.  I am working toward the realization that the only and the best thing I can do for my family and myself is to pray for them and then let it go. God does not need my help.  He maybe trying to get their attention and I am getting in His way by trying to help them myself; they need to seek His assistance He is the one that can help them. This is how I will reach my goal spiritually.

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.

            I will continue to plan out my meals for portion control, which is one of my main problems with physical area, and psychological also; if it is on the plate I think I should eat it all.  Therefore if I use smaller plates and take smaller containers to work for my lunch and snacks then psychologically I have eaten a whole container.  If I use smaller plates at home then even if I am truly still hungry and get another portion it is still not as much as a standard size plate. The two positives I have working for me is I love fruits and vegetables and bread was never one of my favorite carbohydrates. I will be increasing fruits and nuts for my snacks.  I will continue as I have in the spiritual area combining meditation with prayer.  In addition I will include an exercise with meditation along with visualization, or nature CD’s to decrease stress.

           

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 used to have a journal a lifetime ago; I do believe I will start it again.  In the past it was a wonderful way of releasing my feelings and stress by applying it to paper. It was also a way to maintain track of a personal projects or goals.  I stopped after I had my strokes it was just too difficult to write and my spelling had become atrocious. This time around I think I will start a journal on my laptop, much easier, I think.   I will be able to actually read and understand what I write and there is spell check!

(P.S. My extra big plus I went to the Doctor today and I was told I was doing so well that my next appointment was pushed back an additional month. I usually have to go every two months but this time it’s three months.  This may not sound like a bid deal but it is for me. I think this is due to my two wonderful classes I took this term! I learned a lot.)

Good luck everyone.

Deb-