Introduction:
“One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself,” these are great and powerful words for any health and wellness professional to live by. I believe that if professionals truly want to help their patients flourish they will develop wellness in their own life. Practitioners will be more affective and more respected in their practice if they develop their own wellness. It is very important that professionals take care of their own health and wellness before they try to help heal others because this insures the flourishing of both the patient and the practitioner. The reason I believe the practitioner should focus on their health and wellness first is, because there is an energy that we all carry, most will call it mood, and if a practitioner’s energy is not in the right place for healing than they may not be really helping others achieve wellness.
Knowledge is also an important development for any professional to have. The more one knows and is open to new information the better they will be in assisting others in their journey to creating wellness. This is the area I need the most development.
Assessment:
Almost always = 2 points Sometimes/occasionally = 1 point Very seldom = 0 points
Spiritual Assessment-
__²___1. I feel comfortable and at ease with my spiritual life.
__²___ 2. There is a direct relationship between my personal values and daily actions.
__²___ 3. When I get depressed or frustrated, my spiritual beliefs and values give me direction.
__²___ 4. Prayer, meditation, and/or quiet personal reflection is/are important in my life.
__¹___ 5. Life is meaningful for me, and I feel a purpose in life.
__¹___ 6. I am able to speak comfortably about my personal values and beliefs.
__²___ 7. I am consistently striving to grow spiritually and I see it as a lifelong process.
__²___ 8. I am tolerant of and try to learn about others' beliefs and values.
__¹___ 9. I have a strong sense of life optimism and use my thoughts and attitudes in life-affirming ways.
__²___ 10. I appreciate the natural forces that exist in the universe.
__17___ Total for Spiritual Wellness Dimension
Score:15 to 20 Points - Excellent strength in this dimension.
Score:9 to 14 Points - There is room for improvement. Look again at the items in which you scored 1 or 0. What changes can you make to improve your score?
Score:0 to 8 Points - This dimension needs a lot of work. Look again at this dimension and challenge yourself to begin making small steps toward growth here. Remember: The goal is balanced wellness.
Physical Assessment-
__¹___1. I exercise aerobically (vigorous, continuous) for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times per week.
__²___2. I eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day.
__²___3. I avoid tobacco products.
__¹___4. I wear a seat belt while riding in and driving a car.
__¹___5. I deliberately minimize my intake of cholesterol, dietary fats, and oils.
__²___6. I avoid drinking alcoholic beverages or I consume no more than one drink per day.
__²___7. I get an adequate amount of sleep.
__¹___8. I have adequate coping mechanisms for dealing with stress.
__°___ 9. I maintain a regular schedule of immunizations, physicals, dental checkups and self-exams.
__²___10. I maintain a reasonable weight, avoiding extremes of overweight and underweight.
___14____ Total for Physical Wellness Dimension
Score: 15 to 20 Points -Excellent strength in this dimension.
Score: 9 to 14 Points - There is room for improvement. Look again at the items in which you scored 1 or 0. What changes can you make to improve your score?
Score: 0 to 8 Points - This dimension needs a lot of work. Look again at this dimension and challenge yourself to begin making small steps toward growth here. Remember: The goal is balanced wellness.
Emotional Assessment-
__¹___1. I am able to develop and maintain close relationships.
__²___2. I accept the responsibility for my actions.
__¹___3. I see challenges and change as opportunities for growth.
__²___4. I feel I have considerable control over my life.
__²___5. I am able to laugh at life and myself.
__²___6. I feel good about myself.
__¹___7. I am able to appropriately cope with stress and tension and make time for leisure pursuits.
__²___8. I am able to recognize my personal shortcomings and learn from my mistakes.
__¹___9. I am able to recognize and express my feelings.
__²___10. I enjoy life.
___16____ Total for Emotional Wellness Dimension
Score: 15 to 20 Points -Excellent strength in this dimension.
Score: 9 to 14 Points - There is room for improvement. Look again at the items in which you scored 1 or 0. What changes can you make to improve your score?
Score: 0 to 8 Points - This dimension needs a lot of work. Look again at this dimension and challenge yourself to begin making small steps toward growth here. Remember: The goal is balanced wellness.
(Definition of Wellness)
Goal development:
My goal for spiritual wellness is to keep on right as I am. I would like to get to the point where I can openly talk about my beliefs. I feel like I am on the fence when it come to an optimistic attitude towards life and I know I’m getting better but even now and again I just feel life is not fair.
My goals for physical wellness are to get back into an exercise routine and adopt stress management techniques. I should make acupuncture and massages a higher priority in my life to release tension in my muscles.
My goal for emotional wellness is to learn to express my feelings. I have a hard time letting other people know what I am thinking and feeling and I’m sure this plays a part in why I don’t maintain close relationships. I currently do not have any close friends and would like to get back to having relationships with people other than my family.
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.
Practices I have already implemented in my life that foster the growth in my spirituality are meditation and visualization. I also believe eating foods that come from the earth is a good way to foster spiritual wellness. Foods that are unprocessed and untreated are what we call in my family “God’s food,” because they were made by God and in God’s earth. By eating God’s food, I believe you become closer to God.
Exercises I already do to improve my well-being:
§ Use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, and walk whenever possible
§ Get consistent and adequate sleep
§ Listen to my body
§ Eat a variety of healthy foods
§ Meditate and visualization
§ Be inquisitive and curious
§ Practice acceptance
§ I am playful and laugh often
(Definition of Wellness)
I need to practice becoming more comfortable with my beliefs and feeling and express them more freely so I can build and maintain close relationships.
Exercises that could improve my personal well-being:
§ Smile at least 20 times each day
§ Get to know my personal needs and pursue things and people who nurture those needs
§ Join a club or organization that interests me
§ Positive self talk in regards to myself, life and situations I encounter
§ Use seat belts
§ Eat breakfast every day
§ Get back to exercising
§ Get a massage/acupuncture once a month
Commitment:
I will reassess my health and well-being by asking myself the same questions I did in the assessment portion. Now that I understand how important overall wellness is I hope I can continue to grow and learn more along the way. My goal is to make creating wellness my career, so I hope that I can help others to grow and learn as well. Have really enjoyed the practices that I have incorporated into my life from this class so I am going to keep go doing them until them don’t work for me any longer.
