Unit 9 Final Project

Introduction:

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop their own psychological, spiritual, and physical health to not only be their best but also to have the firsthand experience to share with others and enhance their knowledge. The wisdom of knowing what it is like to find wellness within one’s self can only make that person a better teacher and healer. Experience is the best teacher and unless you have gone through a life changing event how can you give empathy and relate to what you are teaching. Knowing how it feels and the steps necessary to flourish in all aspects of the whole person provides the basis for optimal health for us and the ability to teach and heal others.

Personally I need to develop psychologically and spiritually though I have made great strides in these areas I feel it is an ongoing process to achieve optimal health in these aspects of myself. Psychological health, for me, is to be happy with myself and come to terms with mistakes made so I can move on. We all have regrets and make mistakes it is a natural part of life but to accept them as learning experiences and use them to grow as a person is the goal.

My spirituality has always been strong but due to loss and pain has occasionally made me lose my way. But faith and spirituality is the belief in what we cannot prove empirically yet feel in our soul, it is our deepest self. My plan to develop my spirituality is to use prayer and meditation so I can find the inner peace and connect with my deepest self. Using the exercises provided by Dacher in Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing (2006) such as Loving Kindness and Subtle Mind will help me build my mental fitness and allow me to flourish and meet my goals.

Assessment:

By using Dacher’s Integral assessment (2006) I looked at each aspect of the four quadrants of his integral model and applied them to myself. On the biological level I have been doing pretty good, I have improved my nutrition, fitness, and self regulation all aspects of my physical well being. For the psychospiritual level I reexamined my beliefs and feelings relating to this quadrant and assessed my conative, cognitive, and emotional aspects. On the conative level I am between vision and values and full development, so I need to work on my universal loving kindness and compassion. For my cognitive level I feel I am solid, I encompass logic, reason, and pure awareness. My emotional level is much better than it was a few months ago, I am somewhat reactive but am working on that to become more neutral and calm.

My interpersonal development needs some work I have examined myself and found I need more balance between my personal, family, and community levels. I tend to hold tightly to certain aspects like my family while ignoring the others, so I need to find harmony with all levels and gain perspective.

My worldly quadrant involving generativity, social activism, and work all need to be developed and balanced (Dacher, 2006). This particular aspect of my life has been neglected far too long and is screaming to be nurtured. Every level has been under used or not used at all and these are the changes I hope to make with my education and getting back out into the world. So in trying to score the aspects of myself spiritually, physically, and psychologically I would have to say outside of the physical I am somewhere in the middle and striving for the top.

Goal Development:

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

Physical: My goal is to continue with my fitness and nutrition goals keeping everything in moderation. The one addition I may make is getting outside more to work on general daily physical activity while enjoying the benefits of nature thus nurturing a mind/body connection.

Psychological: My goal here is to continue on my path to self forgiveness and practicing the mental exercises introduced in this course. I would like to be more centered and self assured as well as accepting of things so I can help others realize their goals. Knowing that life is full of ups and downs and accept what cannot be changed and change the things I can while calmly handling the problems that arise is all anyone can strive for.

Spiritual: My goal is to let more of my spiritual self out and come to know my deepest self. By learning more about me this way and opening up I can let God and all of life’s goodness in. So I guess the ultimate goal here is to acknowledge and be aware of my oneness with the universe and the connectedness of all.

Practices for personal health:

Strategies I can implement to foster growth in each of the following domains:

Physically I will add relaxation exercises such as Yoga or Tai Chi to my routine and get outside more to foster growth. I will also add even more organic produce to my diet and continue to stay away from processed foods.

Psychologically I will practice the Subtle Mind exercise as often as possible so I can continue to train my mind to think in the now and not get swallowed up in the mindless chatter that distracts us (Dacher, 2006). I will also incorporate a daily deep breathing/visualization regimen so I can keep my mind calm, peaceful and on track.

Spiritually I am going to pray more and contemplate my beliefs before bed each night so I can access the events of the day and let them go. I am also going to incorporate the Loving Kindness exercise each day as a way to build compassion and foster my ability to share that love with others (Dacher, 2006).

Commitment:

During the next six months I will use self assessment, as explained by Dacher’s model, to see if I am on the right track and if I need to work on certain areas. By looking at myself objectively I will be able to alter my routine to continue down the path to human flourishing and integral health. Some strategies to assist me in maintaining these practices in health and wellness and continue flourishing long term would be to reassess my progress routinely. I will make necessary adjustments as needed and remember the feeling of inner peace and wellness so I will want to continue on my journey.

References

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, Ca.: Basic Health Publications.