Unit 9 Blog Entry and Final.

Unit 9 Blog Entry:

Tidings,

   Welcome again, everyone. This entry doubles as both this unit's blog entry and the introspective final project. Let's dive in!

                  I.            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’s very important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically for the same reason that it’s important for them to know when their clients are developing in those very same aspects. As well, it’s important for them to be well versed in ways to help their clients improve in every one of those aspects. The knowledge that you have been at a place where your clients are and that you are now at a place where your clients want to go can be a powerful ally in being a professional in that arena.

Personally, I need to work more on the psychological and spiritual aspects. I’ll never stop working on the physical aspects, but that comes naturally to me. Psychologically I’m strong and efficient. I always feel as if there’s always room for improvement there, though. Spiritual I’m at a pretty severe deficiency. I’m big on face value and tangibility. I’m slowly wrapping my mind around compassion and kindness in a very general sense.

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

Physically: I give myself a 9. While I would never consider myself a physical specimen of any kind, I dedicated myself to living fit so long ago that it is now just a part of my life. Living a healthy life physically comes very naturally to me now. It’s about as common to me as blinking. I was easily able to assess myself as I used to be a personal trainer. It is not often I come across someone who is more physically fit than I am.

Psychologically: I give myself a high 8. I’m a very low stress individual and I don’t let anything linger unnecessarily. I’m a veteran of combat and I’m almost completely unaffected by the stresses that the environment had placed on me and my fellow soldiers. I’ve trained myself to get out of my mind as much as possible when the only thing that it would do is bring detriment to my mentality.

Spiritually: I give myself a solid 5. I’m a very compassionate person when it comes to my children and some friends. I don’t suffer the need to empathize with many people and I find myself less often spending time worrying about the plight of others. Because of this class, I understand how developing in this area can help with others parts of my life. Perhaps most specifically psychologically.

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

Physical: Earlier in this class I mentioned the half marathon that I was going to run. Complete. My next endeavor is a full triathlon. I’ve already started training for it and to be honest it’s somewhat of a grind. Long hours of cardio and endurance development uninterrupted by weightlifting. I miss the weights.

Psychological: While I don’t have much stress and I respond to stress well, I’ve noticed that when I do respond to stress initially it is sometimes a sharp immediate response. Perhaps it should be but I don’t like the way it makes my body feel during or afterwards. It’s a painful reminder of how I need to develop to blunt the effects of stress on my mentality and physically.

Spiritual: I need to get better all around here. I’ve started volunteering more and have gotten my children involved in that effort as well. So far we’ve helped out at a soup kitchen, spent a weekend day helping to build a house for a disadvantaged family and helped host a food drive for a battered women’s shelter. My goal is to continue these efforts and connect more with the people that these efforts impact.

              IV.            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: To foster growth in my physical development I know what I need to do. 1) I need to be equally as dedicated to proper rest and stretching principles. I’m a very “go, go, go” individual and I rarely slow down. Even when my body is exhausted I go to the gym and tell myself that it’s going to be a “light workout”. That has to stop. 2) I need to also be equally dedicated to proper nutrition not just during the week but also through the weekend. I commonly tell myself that I did well enough during the week and that I can forego proper nutrition during the weekend. Training for a triathlon means that I have to take that a bit more seriously.

Psychological: To foster psychological growth I need to do two things: 1) I need to continue calm-abiding practices. This will allow me to blunt my response to stress. 2) I need to continue meditation practice. These will continue to assist me in developing a powerful mindfulness that will allow me to better in every other way.

Spiritual: To foster growth in spiritual development I need to do two things: 1) I need to do a better job of seeing myself in others. I have to understand that we’re all just a few bad decisions away from having a completely different life. Sure, some things have swung my way and some things haven’t, but for the most part I’ve had a good run. I have to consider myself fortunate and attempt to use that to ground me. 2) I need to continue my efforts in volunteering and assisting those less fortunate for me. It’s a way of me being able to give back to the community and support those that are less fortunate and provide for them.

               V.            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’ll assess my progress or the lack thereof by being committed to keeping this blog open and writing weekly updates on my journey towards integral health. The strategy I will use to assist me in this endeavor will be the same that I use in my pursuit of physicality. I will consistently make these efforts a part of my life with passion, dedication and vigor.

Thank you,

James Banks