HW420- Unit 9- Just Me

1. 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?
   
   
   I have always been different.  People have commented on it all my life.  I always wanted to be me authentic and unapologetic about whether or not it rubs people the wrong way.  I didn’t want to ever live a life where I couldn’t actualize my dreams and purpose.  Now, growing up in the South, I’m from Atlanta, GA, that can be a quite challenging.  Here people want to you to be someone that carries their same values.  They don’t look too kindly upon those who step outside of the scope of what they believe life is about.  I’ve been fortunate to have a very supportive family and lifelong friends who just accept me for who I am.  As a wellness professional I feel that in the end everyone simple wants acceptance. 
   
   
   My psychological development has been a reflection of my own will.  I don’t believe there was anything with wrong with me being my own person.  There have been times in my younger life when I tried to “fit in” but each time it only made me feel unhappy.  I knew that I didn’t want to spend my life people pleasing just so they could feel more comfortable about their choices.  My parents say that I was a strong willed child and I think that has followed me throughout my life even through various life struggles.  I know that as a wellness professional many people come to me with this same struggle and feeling as if people perception of them is most important.  If I had not been through something similar I couldn’t say to my clients, “You are just fine the way you are.”  So often society make people feel they need to change the way they feel about themselves.  I take comfort in the fact that we are all here for a purpose and I feel it is our job as wellness pros to help people understand that they psychological wellness grows through self actualization. 
   
   
   My physical health has always been important to me.  I have always been active.  In high school, I ran track and was a cheerleader.  After college, I became a fitness instructor and then a yoga instructor.  I love running, gardening, hiking and of course practicing yoga.  I teach various styles of yoga and have gained quite a bit of physical well being from my practice.   I feel that it is important to get out of your head and into the body.  I think being active myself allows me to share with my clients the benefits of maintaining good physical health.  I have seen so many clients with weight issues who really don’t concern themselves with anything below their neckline.  They are unhappy with what they see so they began to ignore their body all together.  Though, I am quite physically active, I also find it important to focus on ways to restore that body to a balanced state.  I frequently visit a massage therapist for deep tissue massage.  I also utilize a reflexologist and acupuncturist when I feel out of balance in certain areas. 
   
   
   Spiritual wellness is of great importance as well.  For me, I am always mindful of how I reflect my spirituality in my daily life.  I understand for some it is religious practice and though I was raised in religion, I consider myself to be quite spiritual.  My spiritual practice is grounded in meditation.  I practice meditation most days.  I love practicing meditation on the breath as well as walking meditation.  Since taking this class, I have worked on other types of meditation, which I have also enjoyed.  I feel that our spiritual development as health and wellness professionals helps us to be accepting of all clients regardless of their walk of life.  It allows us to see them from a non-judgmental stance and get out of the way of our client needs to see how we can be most helpful to them. 
   2. Assessment:
      How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
   
   
   Week 3 Assessment
   I would rate my physical wellbeing at an 8 of 10, with 10 being ideal.  The reason I choose an 8 is because I am just getting back on track with my physical fitness goals.  I found the first of the year quite a challenge because I was dealing with an increase in clientele in my yoga classes, my children’s schedules as well as a demanding workload in school and work.   In my yoga practice, I set a monthly goal to work on a pose until I am able to really feel balanced in that pose.  I also run a few times a week and am working on my next 10k.  To prepare, I am running 3 times a week and will increase my miles and frequency as I get closer to the race.  Since, I am only taking one class this term, I am back on track with my fitness goals. 
   I would rate my spiritual wellbeing at an 8 as well.  During the first quarter of the year, when it seemed my schedule was bursting at the seams, my meditative practice is what helped me through.  I would take few minutes to breath and align myself before I proceeded with my daily demands.  I would like to improve my meditative practice, however, by increasing the amount of time I can sit in silence. 
   I like to think that my psychological well-being is quite good.  I am not ready yet to say it is a 10 but I will give myself a 9.  The reason, I choose 9 is because there are not a lot of situations that take me out of my optimistic and positive view.  Typically, if my mental state is low its because I am tired.  I try to approach everything even obstacles with positivity.  I believe you get what you give so I want to make sure that I am always giving the goodness that I would like to see.  I think the reason I have a healthy mental state is because I do the work to maintain it.  I try to stay physically well and spiritual well so that translates to my mental health as well.  I surround myself with good people and have a great connection with my children and my family.  I also keep a journal, which helps me pour out anything that hinders my mental flow. 
   
   
   Week 9 Assessment
   Well, on week three I thought I was going to get back on track with my physical wellbeing.    However, I know that life happens.  I did start back running but so far am only halfway to my goal.  I am still only getting to run 3 days per week.  As for yoga, I have managed to get work on two new poses, one per month as planned.  However, I did make sure that I have increased my practice of each pose and have almost perfected one of the two I was working on.  And since I did meet my yoga goal and am still trying to carve out more time for my running goal, I would still rate myself at an 8. 
   However, when it came to my spiritual goal, I will increase my score to a 9.  The reason I upped my spiritual wellness is because of my consistent practice and reading of the Dacher text.  I have so many corner pages folded down in the book and I consistently practice the meditations in the morning and at night.  I think this book and this course have both come into my life at the right time because this has been such a challenging time for me.  I am thankful that making more time to sit in silence has kept me still in the midst of the storm. 
   My psychological wellbeing has been tested as well.  I think it is because I almost gave myself a 10.  I am still a 9.  Life decided to send some things my way to see if I could hold onto my sanity.  I am happy to say I did but I feel it is mainly do to my spiritual practices that I was able to work through all that has happened.  I will admit I did feel really emotional quite a few days.  But when it seemed I couldn’t carry on I relied mostly on the loving-kindness practice. 
   
   
   3. Goal development:
      List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
   
   
   Week 3 Goals
                           I.         My physical goal is to be able to run my 10k in less time than last year.  I would like to complete the race in 72 minutes this year. 
                         II.         My spiritual goal is to more time for my meditative practice.  I currently meditate 30 minutes per day.  I would like to meditate one hour daily. 
                       III.         My psychological goal is to make sure that I maintain my positive outlook at work.  I currently work in an environment with quite a few unhealthy people who keep a lot of negativity going. 
   
   
   Week 9 Goals
                           I.         My physical goal is being met due to my running every evening.  I am now up to 3.5 miles.  My timing is still off but I will work on increase my pace when I get to 4 miles by May 31^st.  I did say that I would be running 6.2 miles in 72 minutes, which is a big goal but I know that at my current pace I will improve my time this year. (The Peachtree Road Race is July 4^th)
                         II.         My spiritual goal at week three was 1 hour per day. I am currently meditating over 40 minutes per day.  I foresee that by the end of June I will be there. 
                       III.         My psychological wellness was centered on maintaining a positive outlook throughout the day in my work environment.  Since setting this goal all hell has broken loose at work.  I have come home a quite a few days feeling overwhelmed but each day I rise with Dacher’s meditation exercise and yoga.  I go to work with the faith that I will be of service and I will not stop doing what I am here to do because there are some who crave drama.  I have been in positive work environments before and I know there is not anything that will not stop me from experiencing that again. 
   
   
   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.
   1. Physical
   1. Running – I will continue to run at least 3 days per week. 
   2. Yoga- I will continue to practice yoga daily.  I practice 4 days of power yoga and 3 days of hot yoga. 
   2. Psychological
   1. Running – Running helps me clear my head and get away from constant mind chatter. 
   2. Yoga –Yoga allows me to be present in the moment.  I get to focus on this breath and this moment and let that moment be what it is without judgment. 
   3. Spiritual
   1. Meditation – My meditative practice has grown and become my lifeline for getting centered for my day’s beginning and decompressing from the day’s challenges. 
   2. Yoga –Yoga allows me to connect all the pieces of my integral healing.  I feel light after practice.  I see how all elements of my own wellness come together when I practice. 
   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 brought a dry ease board and put my monthly goals on them.  I have listed each month and listed my physical, psychological and spiritual goals on each board.  It is of the upmost importance to me to be well and I know that consistent practice is how I will get there. 
   
   
   Namaste.