Unit 9 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?


”Unlike all other living beings, we are born with a unique and highly developed consciousness that endows human life with the capacity for language, creative imagination, self-reflection, discriminating intelligence, loving-kindness, and a good heart. If we choose to fully develop them, they enable us to realize in our lifetime an expansive and sustained flourishing of body, mind, and spirit” (Dacher, 2006, p. 7). I think it is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because if they are not fully developed in these areas they will not fully be able to help their clients. The area I feel I need to develop more to achieve the goals I have for myself is physically. At times I find myself extremely tired because I do not do what is necessary such as exercise to take care of my body. I eat unhealthy things and do not take the time to work it off. In order for me to someday be a counselor, I not only have to be psychologically and spiritually fit but I have to be physically fit as well because in order to help others to the best of my abilities I must first take care of myself.


II Assessment:


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


Spiritually- For my spiritual wellbeing I would rank myself 9 out of 10. I rank myself this high because I am a strong believer in God. I do not just call on God when things are going wrong but I talk to him when things are just right. I find this a problem with a lot of people today; they only call on God when they need something but never take the time to thank him for the good times in their lives. I must admit that at times my faith is shaken but I always know through prayer God will see me through whatever trials and tribulations I am going through.


Psychological- For my psychological wellbeing I would rank myself 8 out of 10. Before taking this course I use to allow the stressful things in my life to take over and get to me but I have learned exercises such as loving-kindness and relaxation to help me ease my stress. I find myself meditating more, praying more, laughing more, and not allowing my stress to control me but me to control my stress.


Physical- For my physical wellbeing I would rank myself 5 out of 10. I definitely need to develop more in this area. I find myself starting an exercise routine but after a while I stop. I eat unhealthy things that I know can eventually take a negative toll on my health. I need to find ways to develop fully in this area.


III Goal development:


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


Spiritual- The goal I have for myself in this area is to start going to church more often. I go to church but not as often as I should and I need that to change.


Psychological- The goal I have for myself in this area is to meditate more often because I find that meditation calms my body, mind, and soul.


Physical- the goals I have for myself in this area are to start an exercise routine and continue it, go to the gym at least twice a week, and start eating healthier.


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.


Spiritual- I will start reading my bible on a daily basis. I have a children’s bible that helps me understand the stories a lot better. Each night before going to bed I will read a scripture out of the bible and reflect on what I read. I think this will bring me closer to God and help me grow in the process. I would also like to find a church that I can call home. I think the reason I do not go to church as much as I would like is because I have not found a church that I can truly say I want to be a part of. I will do this by going to church’s I have recently visited and see which church I feel has a plan for me. Finding a church to attend every Sunday would allow me to be part of something big and help me grow spiritually.


Psychological- I will start practicing more relaxation exercises. I will do this by continuing to listen to the relaxation exercises we completed in this course. I know after listening to the guys soothing, calm voice and the soft music I felt more relaxed than normal. I will also start taking more time out of my life to focus on myself. I find myself catering to everyone else’s needs and not taking the time to see what it is I need. Sometimes I need to enjoy myself and I do not do that much. I will do this by taking myself shopping, cuddling up with a good book, writing poetry, and many other things I enjoy doing.


Physical- I will join a gym in order to get physically fit. I will do this by going to a gym and getting a personal trainer that is going to push and motivate me. I will also start going to the track more often. My sister always goes to the track but I am always too lazy to join her. I will become more dedicated to getting physically fit and start pushing myself in order to grow in this 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?


I will assess my progress by writing out a list of goals I want to accomplish mentally, physically, and spiritually. Each time I accomplish a goal I will check it off the list. Once my list is completed I will make another list and do the same. I think that being dedicated and reflecting back on what I have learned from each and every course here at Kaplan will assist in keeping up with these practices long-term. Although, I may have grown in each of these areas, I still have a lot of developing to do. As Dacher said, “Human flourishing is an opportunity. No one can do it for us. We must choose it for ourselves” (Dacher, 2006, p. 48).






Reference


Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA. Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Unit 8

1. 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.

The two exercises that I find to be the most beneficial are the Loving Kindness because it teaches you that before you can truly love others you must love yourself.  Also the visualization because it allows you vision your greatest moments in your head.  I can implement these practices in my personal life by loving myself completely and fully in order to be able to completely and fully love others.  Also when I’m having a bad day I can think back on the times that made me happy and turn my bad day into a good one

Unit 7

1.  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 enjoy each exercise we have to do.  The more relaxtion techniques we do the more I feel relaxed, a peace of mind, energetic, etc.  I can continue to apply these practices by continuing to do these exercises and finding more time to meditate alone in peace and quiet.







2. 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 be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

This saying is simple and straight forward and I find myself saying it to a lot of judgmental people in my life.  You can't tell someone about where not to go, how to do something, etc if you have not been there or experienced it yourself.  I remember when I first enrolled in Kaplan and there was this certain person that told me I wouldn't enjoy this experience because nothing is like hands on experience.  I asked her if she had ever tried going to school online and she said no.  I simply asked her how can she tell me I wouldn't enjoy this experience if she had never experienced it herself?  I can tell you that this has been one of the most exciting, fufilling, enjoyable experiences for me.

Unit 6

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?



I really enjoyed the Loving-Kindness exercise because it made me feel like I was truly helping others if only in my mind. My passion is helping others and I wish that I could help each and every individual gain freedom from suffering. Being able to meditate and have these thoughts in my mind was relaxing; it removed all of the negative thoughts in my mind and replaced them with positive ones. The Integral Assessment made me focus on the most difficult aspect of my life, in which ways I could change it, in what area of my life needed more development, etc? This assessment allowed me to view my life and the things in my life which needed changing. After doing this I realized that I needed to grow emotionally because I do allow certain things in my life to make me cry, stress, and feel bitter. I realized that most of these things I allow to control me are things from my childhood. I need to work on letting these things go and growing from them.


I think some things that I can implement to foster greater wellness in this area is to first pray about the things that bother me; I find great strength in prayer. Talk to others that will listen and give good advice, and learn to confront my past with positive emotions rather than negative.