Final Project

Introduction

                It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because they set the stage for these methods to trickle down like a waterfall.  If those who take on the role of “healer” are psychologically, spiritually, and physically sound, they are then able to pass down this overall health to their patients who are then able to pass it on to their friends, family, and acquaintances.  This is essentially a domino effect and the end result, ideally, would be, not just national, but global health. Again, ideally, one who is healthy in all three dimensions –psychologically, physically, and spiritually- would be at peace and would act out in Loving-Kindness to all and we would finally be able to achieve world peace.  Honestly, I feel that I need to spend some time developing all three of these areas in order to achieve my personal goals.  Psychologically, it would be beneficial for me to spend some time training my brain to focus more efficiently and not be so easily distracted.  Spiritually, I need to spend more time reading and studying my Bible and in prayer.  Physically, I need to find ways to be more active.  I believe that with the development of any of these three areas, the other two will reap some of the benefits, as well.  For me, I believe that the most important of these three would be the spiritual aspect and yet it is the one that feels like it is the most neglected.

Assessment

            I have assessed my health in each domain and I believe them to all be middle of the road scores.  Psychologically I feel very sound, very even keeled.  However, I am very easily distracted and find myself getting a little stressed out due to procrastination.  Spiritually, I know what I believe, why I believe it, and where I will go when I die.  On the flip side, I know that I am capable of so much more than I am currently offering God and He deserves nothing but the best of me.  Physically, I am less fit than I normally am but am coming around the other side of a foot injury.  I have used this as a crutch and an excuse to not be as active or eat as healthy as I should and I have noticed the effects in my energy level and in the addition of a couple extra pounds.  Overall I would give myself a 5.  I am not at the bottom but I have a ton of room for improvement.  I like being challenged and that is how I can look at this goal of improvement.

Goal Development

            List at least one personal goal for each area; physical, psychological (mental health), and spiritual.

a.       Physical- My goal is to be able to run the Denver Rock N Roll marathon in October of 2012.  I have previously run a marathon so I am aware of the time commitment. The point of this goal is to celebrate the restoration of healing to both of my feet.

b.      Psychological- I would like to master the calm-abiding mind exercises that we practiced in this class.  I think the benefits of learning how to control your thoughts are endless and can have significant impacts on every aspect of your life.

c.       Spiritual- My spiritual goal would be to join a Bible study group as well as to spend time in a personal study.  I believe it is imperative that you develop good relationships with those who share your faith and can support you when you stumble.

Practices for Personal Health

                What practices can I implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual.

1.      Physical

a.       Physical fitness is an area that I have previously excelled in and would like to excel at once again. I would like to commit to exercise for a minimum of 60 minutes, 3 times per week and eventually up this to a minimum of 90 minutes, 4-5 times per week in order to achieve my goal of running the Denver Rock N Roll marathon in October of 2012.

b.      Healthy eating is an area that I have struggled with because I have always been relatively thin and exercised rigorously on a regular basis. Thus I was able to justify poorer eating habits. My current goal and focus is to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet and vastly decrease my sugar intake. I have already started this by replacing desert items with fresh cherries and strawberries. Also, I travel a lot for work and the per diem is not enough to eat very well. I have tried to eat Subway, loaded up with fresh veggies, for at least one meal per day and only drink water and unsweetened teas to help reduce calorie, fat, and sugar intake.

2.      Psychological

a.       I believe that the main strategy I can implement in this area would be to put up reminders in the form of sticky notes or daily reminder memos stored in my phone. I tend to forget the relaxation techniques in the heat of a stressful moment or day. If there were reminders on my desk, refrigerator, and bathroom mirrors, I would be more likely to implement the methods I have been taught to bring my thoughts back under control and to focus on the most pressing issues first.

b.      Another strategy that I think would be very helpful would be to take 10-15 minutes at various points of my day (after breakfast, after lunch, before bed) to indulge in a relaxation or mind-body awareness technique. Since I work from home 3 days a week, I think this would be an attainable goal to achieve. Hopefully, I would be able to make this a habit relatively quickly.

3.      Spiritual

a.       I think that joining a weekly or bi-weekly Bible study that is for girls only would be highly beneficial to my spiritual growth. By being all girls, I could develop friendships along with developing my spiritual life and I feel that I would be more likely to continue attending because of the growth in these areas.

b.      I am already committed to attending church services each week but I would like to step it up in my personal life, as well. I have found a series of personal Bible studies that I really enjoy and have learned a lot. In order to maintain a constant state of development and closeness with God I need to spend regular and quality time in my pursuit of knowledge of Him. Spending time each morning before I start work would help me to begin my day on the right foot and headed in the right direction.

Commitment

How will I assess my 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?

1.      For my job I rely heavily on day planners and reminders that are set in my phone. I believe that implementing weekly, monthly, and quarterly assessment reminders could help re-direct me if I have fallen off track or encourage me in my successes.

2.      I can also use this final project as a way to check in with myself and see where I have succeeded in my goals and which areas still need some development.  While this is not something that I will be graded on or judged on by others, they are all necessary changes and I need to be held accountable, even if it is just to me.

3.      Another way would be to revert back to my childhood chore days where my mom created a big white board that had all of my daily and weekly tasks listed. My sister and I were given check marks once we had completed each day’s chores. I forget what we were given if we accomplished everything with a good attitude but I know that keeping track of our progress each week in a visible way certainly kept us motivated. Perhaps it was just sisterly competition but neither of us wanted to “lose”. In a similar manner, I could create a spreadsheet that listed each of my goals in each of the three areas – physical, psychological, and spiritual - and I could check off each day or week where I followed through on each of them.

Ultimately, my level of success falls directly on my own shoulders. I have to recognize the value of each area and make the decision to follow through on each set of goals and strategies. We all do.  As much as I would love to say that I will be 100% successful in every area I’ve laid out here, I believe that any success in any area will still be a success and will have a direct impact on the other goals and strategies.