Unit 10

Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas . How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?

     

        In unit 3 I scored my physical well-being at 7, spiritual well-being at 5 and psychological well-being at 8. I would now score my physical well-being at 8, spiritual well-being at 7 and psychological well-being at 7. My physical well-being as slightly increased because I have dramatically increased the intensity of my workouts, my spiritual well-being has definitely increased because I have been committing to this and feel a big difference in this area and finally, my psychological well-being has decreased slightly because as I prepare to leave for the military and school winds down I find myself mostly just drained and not as mentally prepared as I would like to be at this point in time.

Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

      Unit 3 goals were: 
               Physical goal: I ship off for the military at the end of August and my goal is to be well above the military physical testing standards. I want to push myself to reach a high level of physical fitness.               Spiritual goal: I want to get the closeness to nature feeling I get and the wash of pure awe and relaxation at least twice a month.
               Psychological goal: I am fairly happy with where I remain psychologically, but I will end my current job soon and my living situation will change, so that will help with the issues I currently have. I just want to remain confident in the person that I am and continue to live life.
      I have definitely made giant strides towards my physical goal as I can now surpass the minimum standards of the physical testing. I am still pushing towards higher levels of fitness, but it's always a work in progress. I have definitely made steps towards getting myself out to do the nature involved activities I love to do and I have been doing so more than twice a month. Therefore, I have surpassed my spiritual goal so far. I remain fairly content with my psychological health, but continue to search for confidence and assuredness. 

     

             Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.

                   

                       As mentioned above, I have implemented techniques or activities to achieve more of a balance between the three areas. 

Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?

     The meditative exercises proved to be most difficult for me unless they focused on breathing and did not leave my mind a ton of time to wander. Most rewarding has been the connection I have been able to gain back to the outdoor activities I love to do. I do believe my overall well-being has improved because I was so lacking in the spiritual wellness area of my life for quite some time. This experience will help me to assist others to improve because I can talk about my struggles and what worked for me. Assuring others that they are not alone in their struggles to keep progressing provides confidence and a boost of motivation.

Final Project: Unit 9

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?

     As a health and wellness professional it is important to be well rounded in the areas they support as professionals. This is a matter of practicing in the belief system the health care professional is going to be trying to convince others to follow. I need to develop in all aspects of health and wellness because it is a continuous journey of progression, but the area that needs the most help is spirituality. I want to be more at peace with circumstances in life and connected with nature.

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

     My health has been repeated assessed, measured, contemplated and thought about weekly throughout this course, not only through the exercises, but in the time I have on my own to think. Physically I am more fit than I have been in several years and I am constantly pushing myself to think of ways to keep improving. I would rate my physical wellness quite high, but not perfect because there is always room for improvement. Psychologically I would also rate my wellness high because I enjoy being mentally challenged and stimulated. I often also contemplate and analyze many situations so that I know how to handle them more efficiently and effectively. I am the type of person that can handle a lot of stress and stressful situations without feeling too overwhelmed or breaking down. Spiritually I am not completely lacking in, but I feel this area needs the most improvement. I often am too busy with life and all the stressors that I forget to take time for spiritual growth, but I have made a conscious and significant effort the past month to really develop this area. I have found that my overall mood has improved.

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

    Physical: Improve physical fitness and nutrition levels.

    Psychological: Improve mental sharpness.

    Spiritual: Find peace and draw on it when I am not able to be out in nature, away from the business of life.

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: Continue to train with workout partners, leave for basic military training, move up levels in cross fit, continue to eat and develop paleo diet.

     Psychological: I enjoy mind games, word games and trivia games to exercise the brain, continue to pursue mentally stimulating and challenging topics, assignments, or activities.

     Spiritual: Make a nature based activity a priority at least once a week and continue to progress to 2-3 times a week.

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?

     Self-assessments are a critical part of evaluating progression. If evaluations are never done then a progression may not be noticeable and defeat could set in, but even small steps are worthy of celebration. Also assessing growth allows for continual progression to occur. Journaling about daily progress and or strategies, frustrations and ideas can help to maintain long-term practices. This will also help track growth and progression.

Unit 8

For the majority of the exercises I struggled to make it through them, but there were two that still stick out in my mind as the clear winners for me. They were the only two I could truly feel like I had some sense of calm, focus and was able to reach a meditative state. The first one was back in Unit 2, The Journey on Relaxation exercise, and I was able to reach a calmer state because the man's voice and the background sounds were so soothing, but also because the exercise focused on breathing and the body. I can easily identify with the body and I immediately associate slow breathing with relaxation. The other exercise I can't seem to find the name of it, but it had oceanic sounds and also focused on breathing. I remember not being able to connect with it as much as the Unit 2 exercise, but it was the only other one where I felt I could maintain the goal and focus. I honestly struggled with the rest and found it difficult to reach a sense of connection. I have mentioned many times that for me the spiritual aspects come forefront the most when I am in nature and outdoors doing the many activities that I love. I just got back from a trip exploring different parts of Southern Alaska and Vancouver, Canada. I was able to rock climb in Skagway, Alaska, hike through rain forests, waterfalls, and glaciers in Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska, ride bicycles through Stanley park in Vancouver, Canada and all the while I was observing amazing wildlife and scenery. I saw oral whales, humpback whales, dolphins, bald eagles, bears, puffins, mountain goats, etc. The glaciers, mountains, ocean and trees in my daily view were just utterly breathing taking and overwhelmingly beautiful. I plan to integrate more of the outdoor activities that I love so much to help me reach a sense of connection and peace. On a smaller scale I want to continue kayaking more regularly and hiking because those activities are readily available to me so they are easier to achieve.