Spiritual, Physical, & Psychological Growth

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?

                I personally believe that you have to experience the various principles you attempt to pass on to others, especially when it comes to the field of Health and Wellness. A health and wellness professional could go to school for years and years and gain all of the knowledge offered by the courses like the back of his or her hand, but until they have done what they are trying to convince others to do, it seems to me that it is contradictory. I would not want to take advice regarding my physical, mental, or spiritual health from a person who has not had the experience they want me to have. Book knowledge coupled with life experience is the best way to pass on advice to those seeking it. They will be able to help others to the best of their ability, enhancing the quality of advice and help offered.

                I need to better develop my stress (and time) management to better achieve the goals I have set for myself. This course has helped me to make it a point to set aside time to relax and meditate, or clear my mind, and although it may have been only briefly (I have not yet made a habit out of this), I noticed the calmness and peacefulness I am capable of feeling. I am very independent and am a go-getter, often getting myself in over my head and then having an overwhelming sense of taking on more than I can handle. I plan to make it a point to practice relaxation exercises, including different types of meditation practices, on a regular basis as a way to manage, deal with, and prevent stress. If I can learn to manage my stress and anxiety levels more effectively I can better help those around me in both my personal and professional life.

               

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

                Spirituality (9): I have always had a strong spiritual belief system and this class helped me to embrace it even more. There are times I make myself crazy over things that I have no control over (my car recently broke down, I didn’t get enough financial aid this school year to pay for my classes, and we became short staffed at both my jobs), and I have better learned to put faith in the fact that God has a plan; everything happens for a reason and in the end it is to make us stronger while learning through the trials.

                Physically (6): In the last few weeks I have slipped and am having a hard time keeping up with getting my workout in on a daily basis. There has been so much happening that is out of my control that I have little time to work out let alone get in a solid 7 hours of sleep. I have been pulling doubles (working one job and going straight to the next) while trying to keep up with the house, grocery shopping, school, and everything else my life requires and there are days where I am so busy and exhausted that I might not even eat three meals a day. This is something I have to take charge of right away and make it a priority because without keeping up on my physical health I am putting myself at risk for getting sick or lacking the energy I need to get through each day.

                Psychologically (8): I’ve actually surprised myself with how well I have been able to maintain my mental wellness despite the things I have recently experienced. I don’t always keep the negative thoughts and emotions out of my thought process, but I have noticed that something as simple as a quick cry makes me feel like the weight has been lifted and my demeanor changes. This goes back to my spiritual wellness by changing my thinking to “God has a plan for all of us and everything we experience is for a reason”. I am making it a point to start working on some of the activities from the course to help boost the “efficiency” of my thinking processes.

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

Spiritual Health: Keeping my Sunday mornings open to get back in the routine of attending Mass on a regular basis.

Physical Health: Making it a point to set aside time every single day, even if it’s just 20 minutes, to get in a good cardio and or strength/toning work out.

Psychological Health: Taking at least three days out of the week to spend at least one hour on relaxation and/or meditation exercises/practices to help better control my thoughts and rid my mind of negative thoughts and emotions.

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.

Spiritual:

(1)    Praying on a daily basis; this will help me remain connected with my spiritual beliefs while strengthening them at the same time.

(2)    Looking for meaning in nature; this will help me clearly see the connection among all of the creations of nature. Our man-made materialistic world has made this harder to do in todays ways of life.

Physical:

(1)    Working out at least 5 days a week, if not 6; I will follow the TurboJam work-out regimen alternating cardio, strength training, and flexibility.

(2)    Making it a point to buy and cook “clean” food; I don’t buy junk food or sweets all that often at all, but I sometimes give into temptation (especially when I am stressed). Eating clean is not only super healthy but it helps enhance energy and prevent illness.

Psychological:

(1)    Picking three days out of the week (such as Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) to participate in the activities we have done throughout this course; I will complete the exercises such as the subtle mind and loving-kindness activities we did in class.

(2)    Waking up early enough to sit on the patio with some coffee or tea while watching the sun rise a few times of week; I really appreciate the world we live in and by something as simple as witnessing how beautiful the things around us can be is practically therapy in itself. It is something that has made me feel at ease time and time again.

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?

                I think the best and easiest way to asses my progress or lack thereof is to concentrate on how I am feeling. This can help determine each aspect of health and wellness. I can ask myself: Do I feel fulfilled spiritually? How is my overall physical health? What are my thought patterns and what emotions dominate my daily life? I can then record my “findings” and what I have on my plate, per se, on a weekly basis to be able to analyze what I am doing right and what I can improve on. I think this will be a very effective way to determine what is working for me and what is not. This will help bring awareness to what activities bring me happiness and those that may need to be tweaked in a way that results in positive outcomes. For example, if I am working 6 days a week with little time for other things I want or need to do, I can consider cutting back on my hours to reduce my stress and negative emotions.