My Final Project

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?
It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically so that they can best help their patients. To truly understand a patient and where their suffering is coming from, health care professionals must know what aspect of the patient’s life to look at for the source of the problem (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005). That would not be possible if the health care professional had not developed those aspects of their own life. Giving someone a quick pill instead of taking the time to teach the patient how to heal himself does not get to the root of the problem, but only masks the symptoms. One cannot teach what one has not learned.

Personally I need to continue to develop psychologically and spiritually. Physically I am very healthy. I exercise regularly, eat nutritious foods, and rarely get sick. Psychologically I need to work on managing stress and my perception of what is stressful. Spiritually I need to find a connection to something greater. I was unaware of the importance of developing spiritually until taking Creating Wellness.

II Assessment:

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

My assessment of my spiritual health is that it needs a great deal of development. Until a few weeks ago I would say my spirituality was nonexistent. I have begun to work on developing that aspect of my life and currently consider my spiritual wellness a 3 on a scale from 1 to 10.

Physically I look at how well my body functions. I am strong and athletic and am generally happy with my physical self. I would rate my physical wellness a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10.

I need to continue to develop psychologically. I suffer from anxiety disorder and take medication to control anxiety attacks. However, I must note that my psychological development has improved due to Creating Wellness and the exposure to mental exercises. I would currently rate my psychological wellness a 7 on a scale from 1 to 10 as I am generally happy and confident.

III 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 self would be to lose approximately ten pounds. I am within a normal healthy weight, but toward the high end of normal. Losing ten pounds would put me in the lower range of normal (Health Check Systems.com).

My goal for my psychological self is to manage anxiety without medication. I want to get to a point where anxiety attacks are no longer a part of my life. I want to be in control of my emotions instead of reacting to situations (Schlitz, Amorok & Micozzi, 2005).

My goal for my spiritual self is to find that something that makes me feel connected (Dacher, 2006). I do not know if that will be God, nature, or something else, but I want to find that greater power.

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 practice.

Strategies for physical growth are easy for me to determine. I can add more resistance training to my workout. I will add one exercise for each target muscle group when working that muscle group. I will add hiking to my exercise regime to get more cardio and enjoy the outdoors. Walking and hiking are excellent ways to get a good workout (Waehner, 2005).

Determining strategies for psychological growth is a bit more difficult. I can practice visualization exercises as part of my daily routine to help control anxiety. After my morning jog I have time to sit quietly for a few minutes. That would be a good time to do the visualization exercises. Another strategy to help control anxiety is to practice the subtle mind exercise (Dacher, 2006). This exercise provided me a sense of peace and calm. I can use this exercise interchangeably with visualization in the morning after my jog.

Implementing strategies for spiritual growth is the most difficult for me. I believe that spending time hiking and being in nature will help me feel connected spiritually. When I am in the woods on a hiking trail I realize there must be something greater to have created so much beauty. The other strategy I will use for spiritual growth is the Loving-Kindness exercise (Dacher, 2006). This exercise makes me feel connected to everyone. I can perform this practice a couple of times a week before I go to sleep at night.

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 recently bought a journal to begin writing down my thoughts and feelings each day. I will use this journal to track how I feel about my physical, psychological and spiritual growth. This way I can see if something is or is not working and make changes accordingly. The journal can also be an outlet for stress by writing down the negative thoughts and feelings and getting rid of them (Dacher, 2006).

In order to maintain my long-term practices for health and wellness, I will ask for assistance from others. There is a wellness clinic in my town where they practice different spiritual and healing techniques. I will keep an open mind and try some of the techniques. If the technique is not for me, then I will know. But maybe I will stumble across something that works great or someone who can be a mentor (Dacher, 2006).


References:
Dacher, Elliott S., M.D. (2006). Integral Health, The Path to Human Flourishing.

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm.
Schlitz, Marilyn; Amorok, Tina; Micozzi, Marc S. (2005). Consciousness & Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine.
Waehner, Paige, 2005. Take it Outside. About.com, January 3, 2005. http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/hiking.htm.