Final Thoughts

                  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?

While many may agree, leading by example is a highly effective strategy for success, there are other reasons for health and wellness professionals to develop each area of integral health. Spiritual, physical, and psychological growth are very personal experiences, full of trial and error. There are no instruction manuals with clear step by step directions leading to the end result of wholeness, rather the path is full of obstacles and invaluable opportunities for learning experiences. The journey to developing these areas of wellness is infinite. Life is ever changing, and the need to adapt to these changes and continually seek inner peace and well-being remains. The experience of following a plan and consistently seeking new levels of development and growth exceeds the possibilities of textbook learning and provides the necessary preparation for health and wellness professionals to offer guidance to their clients. Current research proves health and wellness practices, such as yoga, meditation, regular physical exercise routines, and proper diet and nutrition programs, contribute to the prevention of stress-related disease. Additionally, finding balance in one’s own life reflects in interpersonal relationships. When the health and wellness professional is at peace and balanced, clients can get a sense of the effectiveness of wellness practices. We become our own greatest healers. According to Dacher (2006), “To become agents of a more expansive health, we must begin with our own life” (p. 167).

Considering the aforementioned reasoning for personal growth and development, each of these areas require constant attention, in my opinion. Spiritually, I believe I am on the right path and plan to continue to grow in the future with an open and understanding mind. Physically, due to pre-existing health issues, I take life one day at a time. I participate in regular physical activity when I am feeling well. I would likely engage in more intense physical activities, if my body would allow. However, the key to reaching my physical fitness goals is consistency. While I do not aspire to achieve the physique of a bodybuilder, I enjoy overcoming small challenges and reaching personal goals. I have learned to accept my chronic health issues, and I strive to do as much as I can handle. Psychologically, I believe I require the most personal development. This is the area in which I feel as if I am taking tiny baby steps. At this point, I am simply committing to daily meditations, calming my mental chatter, focusing on positive self-talk, and attempting to approach the world with feelings of loving-kindness. When these attitudes and behaviors begin to feel more natural and less forced, I will adapt my goals to reflect these changes.  

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

Prior to taking this course, I would score my wellness as ordinary or average. While I was extremely interested in finding alternative methods to treat my physical symptoms associated with chronic pain and illness, I viewed these alternative treatments in a very ordinary way, finding a way to treat symptoms and eliminate suffering. Even though my physical health is not ideal, I take comfort in knowing I have been able to stop taking traditional prescription medicines and avoid the horrible side effects by finding other ways to cope with my illness. As far as physical conditioning, I am probably fairly average for someone of my culture. I am aware I need to improve my physical health. I am slowly working to reach small goals. I am active, not sedentary, yet far from a professional athlete. I monitor my nutrition, yet still enjoy occasional empty calories. I know the changes I need to make in order to see better results. For example, I have set a goal to completely eliminate pizza from a local shop, which happens to be my favorite treat, and replace it with a healthy homemade alternative. Spiritually, I was already passing beyond just living an ordinary life to what is known as a uniquely human experience. By chance, I stumbled upon the idea that there is much more to our existence than living comfortably, while researching health-based nutrition, and this became my motivation to commit to furthering my education in this area. Spirituality is very unique to the individual and deeply personal. The details can be exceptionally complicated, while simultaneously being described in very simple terms, such as: All life on earth is connected, or we are all one. I feel the most mature and healthy in this area simply because I understand that not all ideas are written in stone and proven as fact. My mind is always open to new ideas, although I will often seek logical explanations before agreeing to change my perspective. Psychologically, I would rate my health somewhere between poor and fair. However, this can fluctuate and is heavily influenced by my environment, current circumstances, and stress load. Hopefully, through my new commitment to contemplative practices, I can continue to improve this area of my life.

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

Physical Goals: I want to achieve a level of fitness where I can run or jog for one consecutive hour without stopping to rest or walk. When I achieve this goal, I want to remain consistent and hold onto these results without reverting back to struggling through a jogging session. Additionally, I plan to continue making diet modifications until I identify foods that cause issues with my digestive system and eliminate them while maintaining balanced nutrition.

Psychological Goals: My main goal in this area is to overcome anxiety and panic attacks. Ideally, I would like to replace the negative emotions and reactions to certain environments with positive relaxing thoughts.

Spiritual Goals: I plan to continue working toward finding inner peace and maintaining balance within my life. My main goal is to be so content and calm within that external stressors do not affect my physical well-being.

              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: For the nutritional aspect of my physical health, I plan to continue studying and learning the latest information and discoveries in nutritional science, while avoiding any fads. I will accomplish this through my own research and continuing my education. I plan to continue learning and practicing yoga, and my immediate future goal is to participate in a training program that combines plyometrics and yoga. I am also strongly considering taking a yoga class at a nearby location.

Psychological: The two most beneficial techniques that have made a difference in my psychological state are breathing/relaxation techniques combined with guided meditation and exercising positive self-talk during stressful situations. I plan to continue these practices by engaging in daily guided meditation and using positive self-talk and relaxation techniques throughout the day as needed.

Spiritual: I have two main goals in order to continue to grow spiritually. The first goal is to continue to de-clutter my life. This is a rather vague statement, but to me it means letting go of the things that are preventing me from finding peace. I plan to address past issues or relationships that are weighing me down, resolve these issues, then move on without the emotional baggage. I will use a variety of techniques to reach this goal, to include journaling and meditation. My second spiritual goal is to find like-minded individuals and mentors. I am already in the process of working on this goal, as I have found company in a spiritual healing center in my area.

               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?

For the purpose of tracking commitment, I plan to use journaling as my tracking tool. I also plan to include photos, along with times and personal progress logs, for the purpose of tracking physical fitness levels. Currently, I use a heart rate monitor that can help me track my fitness levels, and I plan to start a food journal starting in May. Physical health is fairly simple to track and assess. Tracking psychological and spiritual growth will be slightly challenging. I plan to journal my moods and behaviors, the times I accomplished my planned daily contemplative practices, and any new insights or ideas as they pertain to spiritual growth. Because I plan to keep this journal private, I will make an attempt to create a very honest and detailed assessment each week. I will include triggers for anxiety, the best methods to overcome stressful situations, things that bother me and situations that bring me joy and peace. I also plan to identify specific personal goals and track any progress I have made that align with these goals. Hopefully, I will be able to review older entries and witness growth over the next six months. I plan to evaluate my circumstances in six months, then decide the best way to maintain a long-term commitment to growth and development. If journaling and recording results is not an effective approach to tracking my progress, I will explore new ways to achieve improvements in the following months.

References

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. (S. Davis, Ed.) Laguna Beach, California, United States of America: Basic Health Publications, Inc.