Unit 9 Project

      Health and wellness is so vital to us all.  It is something that all too often we take for granted.  I know this from experience, and find that it will catch up to you in the end.  This is one of the many reasons health professional needs to develop their mental, physical and spiritual health.  When the health professional develops these things they are a well-rounded.  This means that they can see the person as a whole and not just the one area that needs treating.

For me, I know that I need to develop all areas, mental, physical, and spiritual to achieve optimal health and wellness.  I am stepping back into reality and I am facing those things that need to be worked on.  I know that this is easier said than done but a challenge that I am willing to accept.

How have I come to my assessment of each domain?  First I look at myself mentally.  At this moment I score myself as a 7, I think this is pretty good considering this term I had a lot of ups and downs.  The things that I know that I need to work on are:

Asking for help when I need it

I also need to learn to be ok with myself – accepting myself as I am

Stress reduction

            Second I look at physically; I rate that as a 5.  This one needs a bit of work.  I know that I am overweight and do not eat as healthy as I should.  I have just started exercising so I know that I am working in the right direction.  I also need to get my diabetes under control.  These are some pretty big things to take on, but I know that once I put my mind to it, it will be done. 

            Finally I look at spiritually; I rate this as a 5 too.  I wonder if actually I should rate this one a little lower.  I know that this is the one area that needs the most work.  There are so many ways to look at spiritually.  I know that spiritually does not necessarily mean going to church and believing in God, but when you are raised that way it takes a bit to bring in something new. Especially when you have a lot of doubt about it all.

            Now that I have done a self-assessment, the next step is setting goals for each area.  What are some of the things that I can do to achieve I can do to develop myself on the whole.

            Mental Health goal: stress reduction.  For this goal I will continue with the meditations that I have learned in this class.  It still amazes me that something as simple as meditation can bring a calm about you.

            Physical Health goal: losing weight.  This is something that has to be done. 

            Spiritual Health goal: to be more spiritual-meaning that I need to learn that it is not all in my hands.  That I have to give it back to the world and see that it can take care of itself.

 
            Now you may say how am I going to obtain these goals.  It is always good to have a plan when trying to reach for the stars. 

For mental health-For this goal I will continue with the meditations that I have learned in this class.  It still amazes me that something as simple as meditation can bring a calm about you.  I am also looking into taking some yoga classes.  I know that these classes will help me to get center.  It will help calm my mind which in turn will calm everything else. 

For physical health- I have started a Zumba Gold class this weekend.  It was a lot of fun and something that I know I will continue to do so that I can lose the necessary weight to be healthy again.  I have also started the Kaiser Weigh and Win program that is being offered to Colorado residents.  It is a healthy weight loss program that gives a meal plan and then every quarter I will weigh in.  As long as I have lost a certain percentage of weight each quarter, I win money.  I see this as a win/win.

For spiritual health- On the nice days to get outside and be with nature.  Smell the air, soak in the sun and just be.  I know continuing with meditation will help with my spiritual growth; it will help bring love to myself and to others. 

            Now that I have set these goals and plans to attain these goals, how am I going to assess my progress 6 months down the road?  I will be checking in all the time with a good friend of mine about the meditation and yoga.  She will be the one to help guide me on the way of the meditations I can do.  She is also going to be another check in person for my weight loss.  It helps that I work with her so staying accountable will be easy.  With the Kaiser Weigh and Win program will also keep me accountable with the weight loss with the quarterly weigh in, plus if I plan on winning any money I have to lose weight.  I know that winter is now upon us but that does not mean I can’t get outside.  I do live in Colorado that has the most sunny days a year than any other state.  No excuse to not be able to spend some time outside, getting the natural vitamin d.  

            I have to stay that this has been a great class.  I have learned so much that I can share with others.  I can continue my learning process of the new information and will be able to turn my life into a “whole” instead of the sporadic mess it can sometimes be.  

 

Stacey Clark