Unit 9 Final Project

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?

As we have learned throughout this course, our physical health is only one component of integral health. In addition to our physical being, we are comprised of our emotional/psychological being, and as a spiritual being. When one or more of these areas are lacking, it will affect our overall health and well-being. As health and wellness professionals, if we have not taken the integral journey and developed psychologically, spiritually, and physically, we will be lacking in our full potential to show our clients/patients the full benefits of health of wellness. By taking the integral journey and developing ourselves in all aspects of our being, our clients/patients will witness first hand human flourishing. I am firm believer that actions speak louder than word.

The area that I feel I most need to develop to achieve my goals is in the physical aspect. As I have mentioned previously, I used to be an avid runner and participated in power lifting, but all that changed due to an accident that I had. The physical limitations took a toll on me; exercise was a huge part of not only my physical wellness but also my emotional wellness. At this point, I have improved greatly in my emotional wellness, I am much more excepting of my limitations, and I am ready to put a new exercise plan in place and get back to eating a more healthy diet.

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

            I have assessed my health in each domain by reflecting on where I was in each area in the beginning of the course to where I am now. I would give my physical wellness a score of six. I have battled pneumonia twice over the last several months so it cut down my time in physical therapy and slowed down my progress with my new workout plan. However, I am starting to feel better and am looking forward to getting busy with my new plan.

I would rate my psychological well-being as an eight, despite all the added stress over the past few months; I feel my psychological well-being has improved.  I think my journal writing has been very beneficial (one of the goals I set early in the term). In addition, I feel the insight I have gained in this course has shown me that with time commitment and practice, I am quite capable of reaching integral health. This has helped me look at and except things in a more positive light.

I would rate my spiritual well-being as an eight and half. I continue to be strong in my spiritual beliefs and have benefited from spending more time in prayer and am slowly getting better at mediation practice.

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

My goals for physical health are to incorporate yoga into my workout routine and to work on eating a more healthy diet. My goals for psychological health are to master the subtle mind practice and continue with my journaling. Lastly, my goal for spiritual health is to continue my meditation practice and to spend more time involved in church activities.

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.

In terms of physical health, I plan to implement yoga into my exercise regimen and to improve on my diet. My strategy is to use to visualization exercises, seeing myself be successful in the practice of yoga and in preparing and eating a more healthy diet. I also have enlisted the help of my sister; we are going to meet up three times a week to practice yoga. I also have begun preparing a weekly menu on Sunday’s as well as a list for grocery shopping to ensure I have all the needed items for the week.

In terms of my psychological health, I plan to continue the subtle practice and have included it into my schedule four evenings a week. I also will continue fostering my growth by continuing my daily journal writings.

In terms of my spiritual health, I will continue working on my meditation practice and have added this to my morning schedule three times a week (eventually, I would like to add additional meditation time). I also plan to spend more time involved with church activities; I will begin my new Sunday school class next week and am volunteering twice a month for children’s church.

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?

To assess my progress over the next six months, I will write a short, daily progress report in each wellness area. Writing a daily progress report will not only help me short-term, but long-term as well. I am better able assess information when it is written out and I am more apt to follow the goals I set when they are written in front of me. My other strategy will be my strong commitment to integral health; I believe if I follow through with the practices it will become a lifestyle change and an everyday part of my life. I have already begun to see positive changes in myself since the beginning of this course by having a much better understanding of the concept of integral health as well as the small changes I have already made.