Final Project: tying it all together

   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 in all aspects-psychologically, spiritually and physically to be a role model for their patients of sorts. If we are recommending our patients to adapt these beliefs and practices, we have to have a true knowledge of what we are expecting of our patients. We cannot talk the talk if we do not walk the walk. To develop psychologically we must be able to open our mind and be able to assess things differently. On a spiritual level for health and wellness developing means that you have to be able to free your mind, body and spirit into a of a more spiritual state of thinking. You have to be able to let all of the negative energies leave your body. For the physical part of health and wellness part you have to be healthy to teach your clients to be healthy. All three concepts tie into one another in Health and Wellness because your body has to be free of impurities first and then you are able to pass this training onto your clients and be able to show them the best techniques in doing so. I feel I still need to work on the psychological aspect in my life since I too frequently allow negativity to affect my life. Being able to push those energies out and allow only positivity to protrude will allow me to truly reach all of my goals.

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

Being on a path to physical therapy, I consider the physical aspect the most developed with both the spiritual and psychological aspects needing more assistance. I would rate my health physically an 8, psychologically a 6 and spiritually a 5 since those areas are newly developed and need the most work.

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

In the physical aspect I would like to lose a little more weight by incorporating a slightly healthier lifestyle. I think by eliminating some foods consumed that are not the best for me will help me do so. Psychologically I want to live a much more positive life and not allow myself to sweat the little things as much. Instead of succumbing to negative thoughts or energies, I want to live a happier lifestyle that comes more naturally. Spiritually, even though I went to 16 years of Catholic school, I am not a very religious person and instead use religion as a basis for morality. Spiritually though, I would like to become more connected as a whole and include more meditation and visualization into my everyday.

  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 example.

In order to truly foster growth in any area of our life, we must continuously assess and make changes to accommodate those that we have already made. Physically I will make myself go to the gym more by either adding another day or staying longer on the days that I am there. In addition to exercise, I will better my food and water consumption to eat a better well-balanced and organic diet. Psychologically I want to give myself some more “me” time. Especially after graduating in July, I would like to give myself the ability to unwind and concentrate on what it is really important in life to deplete the aspects that are pulling me away from achieving goals. Spiritually I want to participate voluntarily in more exercises. I want to designate specific time to self meditate to reflect on my life and where I can improve. I also want to designate time to use visualization to achieve my goals and become more connected. I think by using all of these examples of how I can implement growth in my life I can become a much better health care professional as well as simply a better human being.

   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?

As I stated above, it is important to continuously monitor our progress and assess the goals we have set to determine if they are still desirable and achievable. By regularly using meditation and visualization I feel I can track my progress. Also the use of physically tracking certain goals like weight loss with pictures and transcribing weight will be beneficial. I feel the most important strategy to utilize in maintaining such practice is repetition. It only takes 21 days for an activity to become a habit; by pushing myself in those first 21 days, participating in certain activities to achieve my goals will no longer feel like a chore.

Reference:

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:           Basic Health Publications

Getting Centered

Review the exercises and practice sessions you have completed in this course. (Loving Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation etc.) Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

I found the Meeting Aesclepius and meditation exercises the most beneficial for me. I personally believe that to foster mental fitness we need to regularly self reflect on all aspects of our life. If we do not "check-in" on ourselves every now and then we can lose focus of what is important to us and the goals we want to achieve. Taking time each day to find my center is what I have found to be the most beneficial for me. Having danced for 19 years, I find that performing activities like dance, yoga and really any physical activity helps me clear my mind and become centered. I have found that this class has helped me become more aware of aspects of my life that I otherwise would not be as connected to.

Being MindFULL

Complete the Meeting Aesclepius mp3 (located in the Doc Sharing area). Describe your meditative practices for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

I try not to look at meditation in its cliché idea of sitting cross legged, thumb and middle finger touching, saying ohmm. That is what the cartoons made us think of meditation and I think this weeks meditation exercise helps us realize this; we do not have to act like a cartoon to meditate. We can use meditation as a self-reflective tool at any time of the day. Applying mindfulness to every part of our day will actually increase our psychological and spiritual wellness by creating a better internal unity. I find that while these areas still need some work in my life, these exercises are helping get there.

Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (p.477). How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to he developing your health psychologically, physically and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

The saying listed above is one that I firmly agree with since we truly do not know how to assist another in an experience we know nothing about. I have heard a chiropractor friend of mine tell me about an experience she had with a headache that she never had prior and how it helped her connect with her patients better since she had a better idea how they felt. As healthcare professionals, the industry is constantly evolving so we must keep up with it with CEUs. In the future as a physical therapist it will be extremely important to implement these areas for growth since there are always new techniques to apply and I will not only have to keep up mentally but physically as well.

Using yoga to de-stress

1. Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise on p. 93

I found this exercise a little difficult since it required me to read what I was going to say and close my eyes. I felt as if I was concentrating more on the words and getting them correct rather than actually on how it effects me. However, after doing it a few times, the repetition of what I was saying became easier and I was able to relax better and internally and mentally open up. 

2. Complete the Integral Assessment discussed in chapter 11 (p.115).

3. Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

Of all the exercises we have done so far, I found this the most beneficial for me since it allowed me to look into my actions and evaluate my life. I frequently get caught up in my day to day activities and the stresses that come from it instead of being grateful for who and what I have in my life. From these exercises I decided to concentrate on my psychospiritual side since that is the area in my life I think i neglect the most. I find that I can be quick to judge people and almost selfishly separate myself from others when I should instead be embracing their differences so I can learn from them and grow. Some exercises I do to help with my overall greater wellness are yoga, dance and exercise. All of these exercises allow me to separate my everyday stresses and focus on the activity in front of me. Also, I feel that these exercises help improve my body which in turn assists my mind to be clearer and much more positive.