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?

A professional must develop psychologically in order to grow and understand not only how the mind works but how to heal it. The best way is to begin with ourselves. We cannot possibly begin to understand or help others until we begin the healing ourselves. As they say, practice makes perfect.

As for the spiritual aspect it is part of the integral healing process. It is an important part of our being whether we pray to God, visualize a place, or meditate or all of them to being in touch with ourselves outside of our physical and mental beings. It is a development that is instrumental in wholeness. It is important for a professional to consider the individual and their beliefs and take them into consideration when recommending a spiritual healing practice.

When it comes to the physical aspect of wholeness it is important for a professional to practice some sort of regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and other physical activities in order to represent a picture of health to a client. It is living by example which is more encouraging to a client seeking to live a healthier life.

I am working on becoming more physically fit to live the example I plan to teach. I don’t think anyone is ever completely spiritually or psychologically healthy all the time. I believe it is a way of life and everyday becomes better than the last and one step closer to the goal, wholeness and happiness.

II.                Assessment:

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

Spiritually I have a good relationship with my creator, God. It grows everyday and my understanding becomes clearer everyday. I would rate myself a 6 in this area because I feel I still have so much to learn. I was raised in the Catholic Church but have since been exposed to more beliefs and have yet to pick a group to worship with. It is hard for me because I feel like I am more of a free spirit and don’t want to conform to one specific way, making everything else wrong (which seems to be what most churches I have been to preach). I hope to be free-spirited and all loving and not just tolerant. I think we as people should embrace each other despite view of spirituality.

Physically I am not anywhere near where I used to be. I have suffered some personal setbacks but I am now running and practicing yoga to get back into shape. On the grade scale I have to say I am at a 6. I am training to run the mini marathon as part of the Derby festivities so I have a goal. But even when I reach my goal I will continue to strive for better. Maybe take on a new form of yoga.

Psychologically I should probably be medicated. Since I don’t believe in treating the symptoms but solving the problem it is an uphill workout. In the end I know I will be better for it and stronger than most. It is a personal choice to go about things this way and in no way does that reflect on how I would treat a client. In this area I would give myself a 5, simply because I have some grief issues I never resolved. It has been 12 years since my younger brother committed suicide. We were extremely close and when he died I pretty much lost my mind and haven’t quite found it.

III.             Goal development:

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

In the physical realm my goal is to teach yoga at least 5 days per week, 3 or 4 times a day. For my own personal physical growth I plan to continue to run and practice yoga 6 days a week. When the weather is nice I plan on hiking or walking through the park, which is roughly 2 miles.

Psychologically I will maintain my subtle mind, loving-kindness and visualization exercises. I plan to do at least one of them per day.  I have seen such great improvement in the loving-kindness practice that I am a little biased so I will probably do that one a little more than the others.

Spiritually I plan on finding a place of worship that share my views of love and acceptance. I have come across a few people in my life that disagree with meditation but I do not plan on stopping because of that. Although religion is an important part of my life I am an open-arms person and I do not believe spirituality begins and ends with religion or worship. It is part of it for some folks but not everyone. If I plan on being integrally healthy and teaching wholeness to others than I have to have an open mind to all aspects of spirituality as it pertains to the individual.

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 the physical aspect I plan to implement a workout time in order to achieve my goal of running and practicing yoga at least 6 days a week, when I am not instructing. Until I start teaching I plan to run at least 30 minutes and practice yoga routines, which vary between 30 to 90 minutes. When the weather permits me to walk and hike outside I will do just that.

In the world of psychology I hope to find a support group for survivors of suicide, an organization that helps people who have been affected by suicide cope with the loss. Aside from that I plan to use the practices provided by Dacher, loving-kindness, subtle mind, and visualization. I also plan on visiting some websites or classes to learn more on coping with some other areas I may be struggling with but not realize.

Spiritually I have so much to learn so I will continue to follow my reading plans for the Good Book. Aside from that I hope to learn more about meditation and how to effectively do it better. Hopefully through more yoga classes I can connect better in my spiritual mind and learn how to become more enlightened.

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 the maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

My plan is to have my certification to teach yoga. That being said I do not think it will be hard to maintain myself physically since I will have to do that in order to instruct. I do plan to have a calendar and maybe a blog where I have to share with others my goals, as far as how much exercise I have done and what I’ve eaten. That way I can be held more accountable for my plan and have my feet held to the fire as opposed to doing it on my own, when no one is looking.

 Planning to teach yoga means I have to be in a good place mentally. Since I am already being held accountable for my physical aspects I may as well open the door to my inner struggles, as far as where my mind is or what may be going on with me personally. I know I am not the only person with struggles so maybe by sharing my story with others I can hear their stories or advice and we can possibly heal each other psychologically.

Spirituality is such a personal journey. I plan to keep writing about my experiences in meditation or passages that I have read and studied.  I plan to continue to practice loving-kindness and making it a part of a particular class that I will instruct. I like to be held accountable as it seems to be a great motivator to keep on track.

 In the end I hope to develop a plan that is beneficial to the person as a whole. I will be counted on to provide ways to self improve and I hope to be an inspiration and good teacher in that aspect. Happiness is a gift and I plan on achieving it everyday of my life and spread it to the people around me. I plan to implement the aspects of integral health into my everyday life and the lives of others. Maybe I could write a book about my journey-that would be a sure fire way to note my commitments and progress, and lacks thereof as I am sure I will have a few.