Introduction
1. Why is it important for health and wellness professionals
to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically?
The importance of being well-rounded or developed in these
three key fields (psychological, spiritual, physical) is experience and
knowledge. Knowledge in any given field is of great advantage to anyone hoping
to pass on information to others, but this can only go so far. Experience is
the key that can make a teaching experience like no other. When a professional
is able to fully experience these three aspects of wellness he/she not only has
the information of how these aspects benefit us, but also how they work.
Knowledge to me is great in understanding how something
works but not the operation. Experience is how we understand the operation and
if any faults. Experience will also guide us with its past experiences and show
us what modifications or directions may change due to complications. You cannot fully understand this with
knowledge alone. Therefore it is of the
utmost importance any professional practices what they teach, as it connects
them to the experience and material and allows them to help clients on a scale
unreachable to those who do not.
2. What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals
you have for yourself?
The area I must concentrate on to fully envelop the complete
spectrum of wellness is that of spirituality and psychological wellness. I
believe that the in my spiritual path I will find what is right for me when the
time is ready and that this is not something I can force myself into. The
psychological side is something I can correct with daily mental practices and
routine.
Assessment
1. How have you assessed your health in each domain?
In the physical side of wellness I have regularly utilized
many fitness tests and monitored my physical health through annual check-ups
with a physician. Some of the fitness tests I utilize are a comparison of a 3
mile run time every 6 months (cardiovascular), a one rep max (strength), and a
non-distance set bike path routine (endurance). I unfortunately at this time do
not submit to a regular flexibility test.
Since the beginning of this class I have never had a method
in place for measuring the wellness of my mental state. However, I have
recently been looking at my life as a whole and how my mind-set throughout the
day’s activities can affect my overall health. I have created a routine were
every night whilst in bed I run through the experiences I had and think about
my action/reaction to the events. This has proved helpful in both understanding
why I acted/reacted in these ways and allowed me to create methods of repeating
unhealthy decisions in similar scenarios. I believe I have a journey ahead of
me to complete mental enlightenment but I am on the right track and light years
ahead of where I was.
The spiritual aspect of life for me has always been
different than most would consider “Spiritual”. For myself I do not have faith
in any divine being or religion, I however look at the earth as a whole. My
spiritual side is alive when I am getting back to the basics and surrounding
myself with nature. This is difficult to maintain at times as I cannot spend my
entire life in these settings and therefore I am not “Spiritually” whole
always. The assessments I have had in
place are a simple matter of listening to my feelings and how I feel overall in
all aspects of my day.
2. How did you score your wellness spiritually, physically,
and psychologically?
The highest scoring aspect of these three areas in my life
would have to be the physical side of life. I routinely involve myself in
activities that will help improve this aspect of my life and allow me to
flourish in the results. My mental state is a close second as it has been
something of great importance lately. The beauty of the psychological aspect of
life is it is always accessible. You may not always be able to exercise, play,
or partake in an act of faith, but you can always enjoy the sanctity of your
mind. Finally, the spiritual aspect is one that is still growing with me and
thus ranked last. I believe as I find new avenues into this world I will enjoy
the full bodied wellness that accompanies all three aspects.
Goal Development
1. List at least one goal you have for yourself in each
area?
The goal I have set for myself just recently is that of
maintain proper nutrition. This is an important goal and the emphasis is on
maintaining. I believe that all of the other aspects mentioned can be greatly
affected by what we ingest on a daily basis. This goal is to not only prohibit
“junk food” from my diet but also the mass produced chemical foods that are
everywhere. My goal is to eat only foods with ingredients I understand and
those that have less than 5 ingredients total.
In the psychological aspect in life I have been maintaining
the goal of replaying the day’s events and selecting at least one scenario I
could have done something different in. I then ensure I correct this action the
next time it arises, or make amends if it had a negative effect one someone
else. My goal is to maintain this practice as it will only allow me to grow as
a person.
My spiritual goal has been one of great strides. I currently
have in place a goal for feeling connected with people and the community I live
in. My goal is to partake in community events throughout the year and volunteer
time with local charities.
Practices for
Personal Health
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each
of the following domains?
In the physical domain I will implement a flexibility
routine such as yoga (this can act two-fold, physical & mental). The
flexibility routine will help balance out my physical exercise routine as well
as my capabilities. Second, I will utilize group training (spiritual &
physical) as up until now I have trained predominately solo. I believe that by
group training 1-2 times a week I might open myself up to learning new exercise
routines and beginning new friendships socially.
Psychological strategies would be implementing a yoga
routine to help me better control not only the flexibility of my body but also
my mind body connection. I believe that by implementing this routine 2-3 a week
can greatly improve my mental health and mind-body connection. Second, I would
like to research other styles of meditation and find one that best suites me. I
believe that by finding the form most enjoyable to me I can more thoroughly
envelope myself in the practices.
Finally the spiritual practices I would enjoy involving in
my daily life would be those of reflection upon the positives of the day and
trying to decipher how the universe helped assist in making them possible. I
would also like to participate in more charitable organizations such as the
local Red Cross or helping in local soup kitchens (especially at the holidays)
as this has always been a dream that my wife and I have.
Commitment
1. 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 of health and wellness?
My assessments will be simple, in the few practices I have
put in place success is determined by attendance. If I am able to ensure
participation in these activities regularly I can expect to see improvements in
these areas of my life. The three fields can only grow with routine work and
that is a positive step I have put into place. However after the 6 month period
is up I believe a stringer focus will be needed to help in mastering these
parts of my life and can be assessed by a series of personal questions. These
questions will all be ones that I can answer no too in my current state and
upon meeting my 6 month assessment and positive yes’s can be accepted as progress.
Some examples can be: Are you truly happy with your day to
day routine? Do you feel stressed multiple times throughout the day? Do you
experience complete happiness all day long? Do you wish to change anything
about your life?
