Week 9 Project

               I.               Introduction:
As Health and Wellness professionals, we experience a lot of great joys and sorrows and everything in between.  It is our duty to our patients to be prepared physically, mentally and spiritually to be able to deal with the demands of our jobs.  In most other service industries, workers see people at their best, not when they’re sick or even dying as we do as Health professionals. It is our job to be a smiling emphatic face that they can rely on.  If we are not prepared by addressing our own mental, physical and spiritual needs we can’t be prepared to meet theirs.

All of the areas of Integral health are important to develop and I would be remiss in saying that I don’t feel that I need any work in any area.  The truth is that I need to continue to work in all areas.  People often view the role of a Health Care professional as easy, weather in a hospital or private practice setting the job is physically demanding. Hours of walking bending over lifting or assisting can take a toll on your body; being physically fit should be a pre-requisite for any Health Care position.  My goal for this area of my life is to lose weight that I’ve gained sitting for 8 hrs a day for the past 20+ years and regain my good health. 

Health care requires that you remember large quantities of information because one poor calculation or misdirection can lead to serious and sometimes deadly consequences.  My goal for this area is to keep my brain sharp, study and read as much information regarding Health Care as possible.  Also to do mental exercises to help strengthen my ability to recall information, games like “Brain Age” and doing crossword puzzles help mental fortitude.

I believe that in Health care you must have a strong belief system or system of spirituality weather you be atheist or somewhere in between.  The reasons I believe this is because you can’t take in that much suffering and pain and have no way to release it.  My goal spiritually is to continue to grow and explore my spirituality through meditation/prayer and Biblical understanding.  

              II.               Assessment:
I wish that there were some written test you could take to say “nope” you’re not there yet or “yes” you are right on the mark.  The truth is that only you can judge yourself.

If I had to score myself on the area of Wellness on a scale of 1being poor and 10 being the best I would score myself a 4.  I have quite a few issues that I need to address in the area of Wellness, including some chronic issues such as Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, and Weight issues.  

In the Area of Spirituality, using the same scale, I would give myself a 4.  While I have some very strong beliefs I do believe my relationship with The Creator is still in its infancy and I have a lot to learn.

The Physical Domain has been my Achilles heel of sorts.  I have as a skeletal muscle problem with my legs since I was a child and because of that I was excluded from a lot of physical activity as I matured I began to use that problem as an excuse to keep from being more active, or physically fit.  I understand now that it my choice to continue to believe my programming or to transcend it.  Using the same scale as the previous questions, I would give myself a 3 as this is an area which still needs lots of work.

I think this class has done a lot to help me grow physiologically and has allowed me to explore avenues which I would have previously discounted or over looked.  It has helped me gain a greater understanding of myself.  On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest I think that I am a 6.  I believe that I still have a lot of work to do in this area but I am growing.

             III.               Goal development:

Physical Goal –

           Lose 20lbs by the January 31, 2012 (already have lost 9)

Spiritual –

           Meditate every morning

Mentally –

           Learn Spanish this year

            IV.               Practices for personal health:
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains;

1. Physical -  

In the physical area I need to get an exercise routine and stick to it.  I recognize that because I have not exercised in some time that I can’t just jump into something and expect over night results.  It is important that my support group recognizes this as well and is not pushing me beyond my physical limitations.

I also need to commit to eating properly and refrain from over eating or making a habit of eating out because I feel pressed for time.

                    II.        Psychological

Growth psychologically and spiritually are interdependent on each other because I feel as I grow spiritually, I have a better understanding of what makes me tick psychologically. 

Learning the power of forgiveness is a great tool for psychological growth.   Allowing yourself to let go of the baggage and the pain that you’ve been carrying is liberating.

Learn to release psychological stress by eliminating patterns which cause me stress.

There are two great books I’ve discovered, “The Law of Forgiveness” and “Be Set Free Fast”.  Working though the exercises in these books will help to foster my psychological growth.

             V.               Commitment:

I’m finding in life you need a road map (GOALS) to help guide you to where you’re going by setting goals on paper you are able to see where you are headed and where you need to be this is how I will keep myself on track and focused on my commitment to become healthy.

I will also ask for support from friends and family to help me remain on track.

Maintaining  my long term practices for Health and Wellness include making sure that I get regular physical checkups, making sure that I feed my body only things that are good for it, exercise regularly, reduce the stress in my life, sleep, pray regularly, continue other meditative practices, develop a satisfying social network, and work on my self-esteem