Unit 9 Final Project - Anita's Fully Integrated Wellness Program

Introduction 

It is crucial for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because those are the root components of integral health. By Dacher’s (2006) definition,  integral health is “self-generated and self-cultivated, (it) leads to a comprehensive, holistic, and far-reaching healing of body, mind, and spirit and that is immune to life’s adversities, including disease, aging, and death” (p.3). As he further explains, “the healer is the key to the evolution and fulfillment of the integral healing process” (p. 167). To me, this requires the process to not only begins with the healer, but also to grow and expand outward from this base into the healee, and into the world. As we go deeper, “we begin to know firsthand what can actually happen as we evolve a more expansive life” (p. 167). We cannot teach the amazing possibilities beneath the surface understanding of integral health unless we are continually and intentionally experiencing them. As we peel back the layers of the onion, be find deeper meaning and the desire for more grows. If we have not experienced this, how can we even begin to “sell” even the surface experience to our students effectively enough for them to want to immerse themselves in the experience as well? I love how Dacher describes how “our personal work becomes a sacred responsibility, a way that we can help others and create a better world” (p. 167). In this area, one must be able to teach what she knows experientially in order to have long lasting impact on a client’s lifestyle changes. If the practitioner is not making or has not made the any part of the journey, there is nothing to teach beyond textbook prose drawn from the experiences of another’s. As a business professional in my current career, I liken it to the old adage, people can be taught to manage effectively, but leadership is another matter entirely.

This desire is woven throughout the contribution I wish to make as a health and wellness practitioner. While I will admit to the need to continually work on all areas, the one requiring the most critical level of development would currently be the physical realm.

Assessment
Based upon my reflections throughout this course, on a 10-point scale, I would rate my physical well-being at a 6, my spiritual well-being at a 9, and my psychological well-being at a 9. Things have been very stressful for the past 8 months, and it feels as if I have been running back to back marathons. No matter how much I know about taking care of myself first and then nourishing others from the overflow, when I find myself in the trenches, neck deep in the one crisis after another, I slip effortlessly into survival mode. Most days I eat enough to keep some fuel, sleep just enough to bypass deprivation, barely find time for myself, let alone time to make an appointment to see my counselor for a tune up and check in. I pray to stay centered and focused - that is my sustenance. I simply have not had time for me, and instead of making myself that priority I've slipped to the bottom of the list.

Goal development
My physical goal is to returning to caring for my physical body as the gift it is. To further explain this goal, I will endeavor to become my primary focus again by sleeping more, eating healthier, making time for cardio, strength, stretch and flexibility. My spiritual goal is to renew my spirit through contemplative prayer practices, fellowship with other Believer’s, studying my Bible, making praise music part of each day, and sharing my faith whenever and wherever I am called. My psychological goals are to utilize more of the relaxation techniques we are learning in this course as well as those learned in my stress management course, and to make an continue spending time with my counselor for support, guidance, and encouragement.

Practices for Personal Health      

I have brainstormed extensively and developed numerous creative strategies to begin implementation in fostering growth in my Spiritual, Psychological, and Physical domains. All of the exercises and practices identified will require intent and planning. To be successful, my primary focus will have to return to being inward, with Anita being my first priority. This will require a dynamic paradigm shift and will initially demand adherence to somewhat rigid scheduling so that “my” priorities are not bumped in lieu of the needs and desires of others, at least until they have become habits.

Spiritual Domain

Spiritually I will begin by incorporating bible study with my weight management program utilizing The Lord’s Table: A Biblical Approach to Weight Management by Mike Cleveland. It is a 60-day course of biblical instruction designed to redirect the focus of gluttonous behaviors through scriptural teaching. I will also return to my daily practice of intention daily contemplative prayer practice and bible reading. Finally, I will begin reading one book each month on spiritual growth and development. My currently reading list includes Experiencing God by Richard Blackaby, The Gospel According to Jesus: What is Authentic Faith by John MacArthur, The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living by Cindy Trimm, Commanding Your Morning by Cindy Trimm, and Word, Spirit, Power: What Happens When You Seek All God Has to Offer by Kendall, Carring & Taylor.

Psychological Domain

In addressing the psychological domain, I will first maintain my monthly visits with counselor – twice monthly when needed. I will begin reading one book each month on personal growth and development. My currently reading list includes           Changes That Heal: How to Understand Your Past to Ensure a Healthier Future by Henry Cloud, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey, Beyond Fear: A Toltec Guide to Freedom and Joy -Don Miguel Ruiz, The Five Levels of Attachment: Toltec Wisdom for the Modern World by Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr., The Voice of Knowledge – Don Miguel Ruiz,  The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz, The Fifth Agreement by  Don Miguel Ruiz, Destructive Emotions: How Can We Overcome Them? By Dalai Lama and Daniel Goleman, and Genuine Happiness: Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment by Alan Wallace.

I will seek to incorporate Loving Kindness and Subtle Mind practice into my daily routine, utilizing the former in the morning upon starting my day and the latter in the evening to unwind and off-load daily thoughts and worries before going to sleep. Additionally, I will begin making a concerted effort to read for pleasure more often, crochet for stress relief and enjoyment, set realistic goals for the next two semesters to finish my degree, and begin exploring the Body Talk CAM therapy.

Physical Domain

I will focus on a commitment to intention health through nutrition. This will be accomplished by increasing hydration, decreasing unnecessary calories from junk food consumption, eliminating deep-fried foods, eliminating artificial sweeteners, planning healthy meals, keeping healthy snacks on hand, and increasing fresh fruit and vegetable intake. Daily intentional movement through structured exercise will include strength training 3 days /week, cardio training 30 min 5 days/week minimum, and flexibility training daily. The final critical key to this triad is the attainment of consistent, deep, restorative sleep. I will commit to increasing sleep quantity and quality by winding down prior to bedtime and eliminating computer or TV/tablet use within 30 minutes prior to bedtime.

Combined spiritual/psychological/physical strategies for implementation

I have also identified several strategies that will foster ongoing growth in all three domains. These include visiting my chiropractor once each month, visiting my massage therapist two times each month, visiting my acupuncturist once each month, visiting my Reiki practitioner once each month, and making a concerted effort to begin journaling consistently.

Commitment
I possess a strong analytical background and I am a master planner. I have begun devising tracking mechanisms to help me in logging and assessing my daily, weekly, monthly physical goals. Additionally, I have several wellness/fitness applications loaded to my smart phone and my iPod, I have a new piece of electronic equipment that will track my sleep quality, my daily steps taken and synchronizes to my phone so I have up-to-the minute data and trend lines to follow. The spiritual and psychological aspects will not have to be tracked in the same manner. By entering everything from workouts to wellness appointments on my integrated calendar system, am making these exercise key priorities in my personal health and wellness. In six months’ time I will reassess and determine what is working well and what needs to be redefined and/or streamlined in the process. I will also be in a good position to review my original assessment of each domain to determine to where I have progressed on my journey to holistic wellness and designed next steps for further progress.

References

Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

 

Still in this together :-),

Anita

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