My Road to Human Flourishing
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?
I think it is very important for health
and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and
physically to be able to provide the best care for their patients. One can only
fully understand and advise others effectively if they have experienced the
same things in their own life. Professionals that are developed in these ways
will also allow their patients to be able to witness the goodness and connect
with the examples that are portrayed to them. They will be able to share
personal experiences when necessary and be able understand better from the
patients’ perspective. Professionals being psychologically, spiritually and
physically developed is a win – win situation for the patient and the
professional themselves. Dacher mentions in his book the fact that medicine is
continuing to evolve and because practitioners are the holder of the tool kits.
They themselves must enter the transformative process. He states, we
(practitioners), must change ourselves if we are to change the medicine we are
practicing (Dacher, 2005).
The areas that I need to develop to
achieve the goals is the physical aspect of my total being, which is exercising
and nutrition. I tend to find myself slipping in and out of my exercise
routine. It seems that when the weather changes, so do I. I will stay with my
routine when the weather is nice, but when it’s cool outside, I don’t really
feel like working out. Sometimes, I need motivation to workout. As far as
nutrition, I don’t think I am too far off track. I don’t keep any junk foods in
the house, but sometimes I’ll run out and get something that I may have been
craving for a while. Once the craving is satisfied, I’ll be okay for a period
of time before I think of that particular thing again.
- Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you
score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
When it comes to my spiritual being, I
rate my wellness a number nine on a scale of one to ten. I give myself a nine
in this aspect because, I know I have room for improvement. I just joined a
church again after retiring from the military and I found a church that I know
that is where I belong. It makes me happy and I can see my spiritual growth
each day. My whole spiritual being has changed.
When it comes to my physical being, I rate
myself seven on that same scale. This is because I know that I have to get
better at staying with my routine of eating healthy and exercise. These two
must go hand-in-hand to be effective. Maintaining a fitness program of any type
is hard at times. It depends on what other obstacles life throws my way. Seven
means I’m on my way but have not reached the maintenance stage yet.
When it comes to my psychological being I
rate myself an eight. This is because, I am not yet where I need to be. I have
suffered from depression in the past doing my time in the military after
deployments, I was on medication for mood disorder. I am supposed to take one
tablet each day but I find myself not depending on the medication to foster my
psychological being. I am no longer taking medication and feel better than I
have in a long time. I contribute my depression to the end of a 21 year career
in the military, but since it’s over I am in a better place now. I look forward
to each day and spending time doing the things I love to do. My scale of one to
ten, with ten being the highest and one being the lowest.
- Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area,
Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
My goal for my physical aspect is to lose
10 pounds so that I will be at my recommended BMI (Body Mass Index). I have
been trying to lose these pounds for a while but the weigh seems to go up and
down. I think the key to it is consistency. I have to have the right balance of
calorie in-take and calorie expenditure. Until I lose those 10 pounds, I have
to expend more calories than my daily recommended intake of calories and ensure
that I am eating well balanced nutritional meals.
My goal for the psychological aspect is to
engage in more than one type of integral practice 3-4 times each week, so that
I can reach that calm mind. Dacher suggests that combining more than one
practice to develop a carefully organized program would be more efficient and
effective than any one practice (Dacher, 2006). I will include a mindful meditation
and visualization practice. Mindful meditation will help me to be aware of my
thoughts but not concentrate on them and later allow me to make better choices
between good and bad decisions. Visualization will help me to gain better
control in my life and my desires.
My goal for the spiritual aspect is to get
deeper into my religious practice and become more spiritual. I intent to read
my bible more and study the “Word of God” as often as I can. I intend to pray
at least once a day, attend bible study and religious services each Sunday. My
religious practice makes me feel whole. I also listen to a great deal of
spiritual music.
- 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.
To foster the growth of my physical aspect,
I have started walking on my treadmill every other day for at least 30 – 40
minutes. Walking has always helped me to keep my weight at a healthy level. I
am also a beginner at yoga and do a yoga workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday
for at least 40 minutes. Yoga helps me to shape and tone my body and relax at
the same time. While I’m working out, whether on the treadmill or doing yoga, I
listen to relaxing music.
To help foster my psychological aspect of
growth, I meditate for at least 30 minutes, three to four times a week. I try
not to use to same meditation practice each time. The loving kindness practice
that we had in class, I started using, because it helps me to look toward
others with a better attitude. It helps me to foster kindness towards others
and feel good about myself at the same time. The second practice I will engage
in to foster my psychological growth is visualization. Visualization allows me
to channel the energy within me and use it for my good. It can help me deal
with stress and anxiety. It give me more control in my life.
To foster my spiritual growth, I attend
religious services each Sunday. Praise and worship that we have before the
service starts really helps me to be spiritual. It allows me to be in tune with
a higher being and be at peace with my inner self. The second practice that I
engage in for spiritual growth is prayer. I prayer each day for myself, peace
and others. I prayer for the world we live in and our leaders. Prayer puts me
at peace and gives me hope.
- 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?
Over the next six months to assess my
progress, I will start keeping a log of my activities. I have found out in the
pass that writing things down helps me because I can actually see a big picture
of where I am slacking or progressing. I plan to record me progress on a
calendar that is placed where I can see it each morning first thing when I wake
up. I that might keep the thought of what I need to do to keep moving forward
in my mind. For long-term, I just have to keep in mind small steps lead to big
differences. This is a life style change and a short-term process.
Reference
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral
health, the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health
Publications, INC. DOI: www.basichealthpub.com
Unit 10
