The Plan (Unit 9)

 

The unit nine project is an opportunity for you to create a plan that applies concepts you have learned regarding holistic/integral health. The plan is created to foster growth and health spiritually, physically, and psychologically in your personal life.  Complete each of the five sections below and post the project in your blog, also submit it as a single Word document in your drop box.

1. 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?

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because that is what they teach and live by.  Health and wellness goes far beyond the hospital walls and the prescriptions we take.  In fact, they are closer to a sign of illness, than of true health.  Integral health and wellness are a way of living.  They require not only knowledge, but also action.  Therefore, it is only possible to be healthy in the true sense of the word if health is a constant part of life.  Lets think of it from the patient’s point of view.  Would we admire, respect and trust a doctor giving us advice is they were healthy-looking but we knew that they were clinically depressed?  What about an educated health care professional that gave us nutritional advice by the pound but was so obese that it was impossible for him to take his own advice? 

Personally, I need to develop all levels, psychological, spiritual and physical.  The least developed would be the psychological aspect of my life.  I find it easier to make restrictions that affect myself and only myself, which is why I am critical of myself physically and why I am very into my spirituality.  The psychological part I feel is underdeveloped because I find it hard to control the parts of my life that affect me as well as other people.  For example, I do not say no to people and I end up stressed because I do not have the time to do everything I promised, or I have people in my life that cause me more grief than joy, leaving me anxious.  I definitely need to work on that area of my personal development.  I need to heed my mother’s advice and “learn the power of the word no”.   

2. Assessment:

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

Spiritually, I would give myself a 7/10.  I feel that I am very aware of my spirituality.  I have a close connection to nature that fosters this awareness.  Without it, I would feel numb and non-existent.  I feel my soul move and my spirit soar to a beautiful place when the wind blows or waves crash.  It brings me to life.  My family has recently traced itself back hundreds of years to the Wyandot (Huron) Indians near Ontario, Canada.  I grew up on the boarder of New York and Canada, on a huge farm in the country.  I think all of this ties in with me being very connected to nature and my spirituality. 

Physically, I would say I am a 7/10 as well.  I practice yoga, run, eat well and stay active.  I could do much better, but then again I could be so much worse too so I have to be thankful for the physical health that I do have.

Psychologically, I am a 5/10…maybe even a 4/10.  I see so much potential in the mind and I am eager to discover it but scared of the unknown at the same time.  I know a few people who are so at peace.  Nothing seems to shake their world and I want to be like that.  This course has helped me see that it is possible for me to be lie that and it has helped me start to map out the steps I should follow.  It has been an exciting journey so far and I have a feeling that I am just getting started.

3. Goal development:

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

Physical Goal: Some of my goals are to eat proper nutrition and to make time to eat.  I ran my first 5K run a few weeks ago and I would like to do another within the next month or two.

Psychological Goal: My goal here is simply to be more in control of my mind.  I want to have a subtle mind.  I want to have peace.  And I want it all to help me create the important questions of my life.  I am on a hard path, but I think it is a good one.  I think it is the correct one for me.

Spiritual Goal: I would like to be more connected to my spirit and more guided by it.  For this, I feel like I have to practice listening to the soft whispers and be in quiet places where I can hear it when it speaks to me.  More meditation, more yoga, and more time in nature will help with this goal.

4. 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.

Physical: I can run a few miles three times a week and get physical exercise everyday.

Psychological: I will get outside often and go to a peaceful place to meditate because that helps calm my mind.  I am going to research parks and beaches in my area to find good places to do this.

Spiritual: I will continue to think of all people as one, with no one more important than the other.  I will see myself as a part of this whole and ask how I can better it all.  I want to be useful, to be positive part of change in the world.  My goal is to make time to be quiet and be aware of my spirit and its reactions to my environment.

5. 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 have mapped out my goals in each area of human development on a poster board.  I dated the map so that I can recheck myself every month and see if I am inline with my goals.  What I find interesting about these goals is that it none of them are dependent on my location.  I cannot use travel to run from them.  They all originate inside me.  For each area, I wrote something positive, something I can work on, and a relative question.  For example, psychologically, I feel like am in an interesting place in my development and understanding of the world.  I can see the issues with increasing clarity.  That is the positive.  The part I can work on is being less disturbed, mentally, by these problems.  This relates to my family, my work and my view of the world.  All of it would benefit from less debilitating emotions and more action and strength.  The question is: “How can I find the unhealthy sources of stress and let them go?”  I did this for each area of my development so that I have something positive to be grateful for, something else to work on, and a question to ponder because I find the questions to be just as interesting as the answers.  One question always leads to more, such as “Why did I ask that question?” “How long has that been there?” “What experience caused it?” “What do I want to do with the answer?” “Am I scared of the answer?” and so on…

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."

-Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1709