Final Project

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 so important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because first and foremost, we need to be healthy first, before we can help others be healthy. Being healthy must have all components of physical, psychological and spiritual health. All aspects are interconnected and all affect each other.
Physical health helps with decreased adverse biological effects such as cardiovascular risks related to obesity, poor nutrition, decreased energy, and decreased motivation. Psychological health helps with finding ways to decrease and alleviate stress in our lives, achieving emotional satisfaction, having a sense of happiness towards yourself and others, and having healthy relationships with your friends, family and co-workers. Spiritual health helps with understanding the importance of religion and how powerful “forgiveness” can be in everyday life. Spiritual health helps soothe our mind and our body. It provides a sense of peace and harmony in our lives.
I need to work on all parts to achieve the goals I have for myself. I eventually want to become a pediatrician and so I need to be physically, psychologically and spiritually well. Physical health will be important in getting through medical school and sustaining that health to improve my physical performance. Psychological health will be important to find ways to decrease stress and find ways to have a balance of my mind and body. Psychological health helps with fostering relationships with others and this will especially be important in my journey to becoming a pediatrician. Spiritual health is important because there will be times of struggle and uncertainty and I need to be able to work through that. I think this will be especially important in working with children and their parents to find ways to implement spiritual health into their lives as well.
II. Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
Physical- I rate myself about a 7-8. I rate myself at a somewhat lower level than what I would have about three months ago. If I would have rated myself then it would have been at least a 9. Recently I got diagnosed with lupus and it has taken a toll on me physically and emotionally. I am unable to work out as often if at all. I have to be careful not to cause over-exertion that may cause a potential flare. I do walk as much as I can and I do watch what I eat. I hope to work back up to at least 3-4 times a week cycling at the gym but for now, I am doing what I can at this time. I think this is the most important thing I can do for myself at this time related to my physical health. I do stretch on a daily basis which I also find beneficial as well.
Psychological- I rate myself about a 7-8. I rate myself this way because my emotional stability has been really affected by all that has happened in the last few months. I find that having the strength of family and friends really were my main motivators. Looking through this experience has really taught me that I need to have more of a psychological health. I need to find ways that I can be mentally, physically and spiritually happy. I found that the loving-kindness exercise really helps with how I view myself and others. It brings together that separation between me and others. I find that this exercise is really beneficial. I love the relationships I have and continually build with others and I want to be a person that is free, kind and someone others can talk to.
Spiritual- I rate myself about a 6. I rate myself this way because I really need work in this area. I know that all areas always need work but I struggle the most in this area. I think I struggle with spirituality because growing up my family was very catholic and spiritual. We faded at a time but eventually came back to the church. I think I am unsure spiritually of where I want to be. I love my faith and my religion but I don’t think I should be forced to worship god in a church. This is my personal opinion. My parents however have a different view and I think this is where my struggle comes into play. I need to figure out how to find my spiritual health through the ways of which benefit me but also respect my family. This will be difficult to do.
III. Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
For my physical health, I really want to get back to working out at least three times a week. Before when I used to work out I used to cycle and read. This physical activity was such a great stress reliever for me and I want to get back to this again. This will be my goal. I feel like I am starting to gain my physical strength back but I think once I start exercising (slowly) I will gain my overall integrity back. All aspects really are connected and once I couldn’t work out, my mental wellness started to suffer too. I think this is a good goal to start with as I don’t want to have so many goals that I feel overwhelmed. This wouldn’t be good either.
Psychological Health- I really want to maintain a balance of my emotional stability and not let all the little things bother me. I get too tied up with unimportant things and if this is one thing I would change it would be this. I hate getting stressed over something that really isn’t that important. I only think it’s important because my mind is telling me that it is. If I train my mind to look past uneventful and unimportant things, I will be less stressful and calmer. I will look at the day and see friendly, loving and kind people. I look forward to meeting all people and getting to know them for who they are. To be able to experience this feeling towards everyone is my goal.
Spiritual Health- My goal is to be able to experience and find what spirituality means to me. I need to be able to know what it means to me and how it makes me feel in order for it to benefit me. I believe in god and all the practice that surrounds being a Christian but I need to understand what that means to me. What is Christian supposed to mean? What is the difference between that and someone else? Should it matter? These are all questions I need to answer. This is my goal. Understanding what I feel and believe is necessary in order to find my spiritual balance.
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.
Physical Health-
I will continually stretch on a daily basis and motivate myself to go to the gym 3-4 times a week. I need to assess myself and make sure physically I am able to go to the gym and know when not to push myself. If there are times when I am unable to go to the gym I will practice yoga exercises at my house but I will only choose the less invigorating activities. I will also try to look closer at all my food choices. In understanding that I can’t work out like I used to I will have to modify my diet as well.
Psychological Health-
I will utilize the loving kindness exercise as this exercise really benefited me on how I look at strangers. I think this exercise will open my heart to new opportunities and make me understand everyone in their own way. I will use this exercise throughout the day, especially times when I find myself being hurt by others. I need to breathe in their negativity and breathe out forgiveness. Another exercise I can utilize will be meditation. I find meditation is the most beneficial activity for me. It helps my physical, psychological and spiritual health. When I meditate I feel a sense of peace and calmness. It forces me to find my happy place and helps me foster relationships. I will do meditation exercises at least once a day but hopefully at least two times throughout the day. During the work day or when I get home are all good times to do these exercises.
Spiritual Health-
I am going to spend some time by myself every Sunday and reflect on the importance of my family and friends. I say Sunday because if I can understand what my spirituality means then I can best utilize my health towards that. Reflecting will be very important. This is one exercise I am going to do not only on Sunday but every day. Whether I am sitting in my office or driving home from work, these are all times I can reflect on my life, friends, family, work, or whatever comes to my mind. Another exercise is yoga meditation. I can use this exercise along with my physical yoga exercises as well. Yoga meditation is very powerful towards achieving harmony in nature and in your life. It offsets your mind and almost makes you feel like you are floating on air. The feeling is amazing and is a positive exercise along with reflection. These exercises will help me find my spiritual health and these exercises I can do when I get home from work or even on my lunch break.
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?
In assessing my progress I will have to break down each category and ask myself how I rate. I will see where I rate myself in each category and see where I need further work. If I still struggle in some areas I will have to develop different techniques that I can use besides what I have been doing. Having a balance of physical, psychological and spiritual health is always changing and we must change with our growth. We will evolve, change, and grow but we must understand how to handle these changes. We may have to find different exercises but we may just need to modify those exercises as we have matured and need more challenging techniques. It all depends. In order to maintain my long-term practices for health and wellness I need to remind myself on why having a balance of all three aspects are so important. In going through and assessing my physical, psychological and spiritual health, I will be reminded on where I stand and where I need to improve. These then “long-term practices” might essentially be short term practices and revamped to fit my needs. This is how I will monitor my progress and my current health and wellness needs.