Under Construction cont.(Unit 9 final project)

                         I.            Introduction:
When I think of a professional, I think of someone who has taken the time to master a skill that can be used to provide a service to others. I have come to learn that in order to be successful in achieving a goal you should find someone who has what you want and do what they do; there is no need to reinvent the wheel, a professional is clearly just that. The importance of a health and wellness professional to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically is for the benefit of self as well as paying it forward and giving the best of themselves to excel in helping others live their best life. Development should be a never ending process that continues to uncover deeper levels of an individual’s mind, body, and soul. I am someone seeking complete fullness and balance psychologically, spiritually, and physically; I feel at this present time I am not equipped with the proper tools to achieve this goal without the guidance and support of a wise person. Integral health is wellness of the whole being and aims to eliminate needless suffering. We cannot master one area and allow turmoil to exist in other areas. A professional is someone who can step in and offer a perspective to move a client further along on their health and wellness journey. The most effective way for a professional to assist a client is to become relatable and offer advice based off of personal experience. Choosing to continuously development ourselves is the only true way to give back to the universe. Operating from a place of service gives us complete freedom to know we are cultivating a society that will ultimately flourish to the highest level but we can only do that if we ourselves are reaching for complete wholeness. I need further development in all areas of my life. At this moment I feel my psychological aspect is the weakest because I am my worst critic. I have the gift of speaking blessings and loving-kindness to others while I allow inner dialogue to do just the opposite. I have to admit I am better than I used to be but the transformation is still at work. My goal is to have balance in all areas without neglecting my loved ones especially my husband and my son.

                      II.            Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically? Assessment of self can be a challenging yet enlightening task to complete. Often times we can be extremely critical of ourselves which can cause discouragement and completely deter us from moving forward in our journey; however, understanding that an assessment is clearly an opportunity to open the door for growth can only make us better and move us closer to our goals. In order to assess my health in each domain I closed my eyes and moved my mind to a place of calm-abiding; a place where my Teflon mind reflected any thoughts that were not serving me. In that moment I reflected on my interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit. I felt the deepest connection with my God. I felt His presence within my soul, gently rocking me and filling me with His love. I felt confident in that moment to know that this aspect of my life is the strongest. I would score this area a 7 on a scale of one to ten. Moving along to my physical domain, I reflected on what my body used to be from my face to my upper body, to my lower body and then my complete appearance. I then visualized where I see my physical abilities progressing over the next six months; there was a moment of discomfort but I quickly allowed that moment to pass. I moved into the present where I know and I can see the muscles that have developed and made me stronger, I see the abdominal muscles that are softly appearing and although I need more work I know I am in the best physical shape of my life. On a scale of one to ten, I give myself a rating of 6. Moving on to the most challenging domain, psychological, anxiety reared its ugly head and I quickly ignored it until the feeling passed. I feel like I am destined for greatness but the confidence of this truth falters from day to day. I have hope that the belief I have in others will, without a shadow of a doubt, be engraved in the depths of my soul. On a scale of one to ten I rate my psychological health as a 5. A self-assessment does wonders for the soul. It is impossible to move forward on a journey of integral health without knowing where you currently stand. It sets the basis of creating an effective plan that will assist any student with goal development.

                   III.            Goal Development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual. Goal setting provides purpose in our lives. One of my physical goals is to reduce my body fat by 5% within the next 3 months and improve my cardiovascular fitness. I would like to complete a 5k run in under 25 minutes. My psychological goal is to consistently perform the contemplative practices introduced to me in this term. In particular, my goal is to use the Subtle Mind and Visualization practices to progress my mental confidence to a place where I am no longer full of self-doubt and I am able to accept myself as I am with all of my gifts and my faults. I can effortlessly give loving-kindness to everyone I meet but this gift is not easily accepted when attempted to give to myself. My spiritual goal is to invite Christ in to everything that I do; from daily meditation, work, school, daily chores etc. I desire to operate from an attitude of gratitude in all things.

                   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. It can be easy to set goals but the challenge becomes visible when creating a strategy to support forward progress to reach those goals. A strategy I can implement to foster growth in my physical health is setting a date with myself to perform physical activity. For me, exercise is easily put on the back burner but I know if I plan to execute my workout first thing in the morning I will have more energy to be productive for the remainder of the day. I also plan to lead a challenge group of ladies who have a common goal of losing weight and creating a new lifestyle habit. This challenge group will foster accountability for myself and allow me to encourage others to live a fulfilling life through health and fitness. To promote growth in my psychological domain I will plan time daily to participate in my contemplative exercises. I will use the Subtle Mind practice to set the tone for my devotion time with God first thing in the morning. Allowing 30 minutes at the start of my day will foster growth within my mind and allow synergy for my mind, body, and spirit. One other activity I can adopt is positive affirmations placed in visible common areas in my home, car, and on my phone to provide a source of mental redirection when the moments of doubt appear. Spiritual growth can be cultivated by creating a gratitude book where I can adopt the habit of writing all the things I am grateful for in a tablet. Before going to bed each night I can journal about these things and allow my subconscious to marinate throughout the night. Another strategy I will use to foster spiritual growth is to pray without ceasing. I will use God as my sounding board in all things that I do; in moments of anger, fear, doubt, happiness, gratitude, peace, and stillness I will honor him and be thankful for the opportunity to just exist. Faith without work is dead; creating strategies without implementation is useless. I am committed to living a healthy and fulfilling life and I will do this by taking it one day at a time and having faith in myself that I can change and reach my goals.

                      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? There is no doubt that I am a work in progress, I am committed to myself and I am committed to change. In the next six months I will assess my progress or lack of progress by using the lines of development to gauge the four aspects of human experience. I will evaluate my psychospiritual, biological, worldly, and interpersonal aspects and gauge where I stand on my journey to human flourishing. I will assess my growth by individually examining the full spectrum (used in our text) with the hopes of discovering the areas I am weak and have neglected and celebrate the areas where I have excelled. In order to assist me in maintaining my long-term practices for health and wellness I will surround myself with like-minded, positive people who are eager to learn more about themselves and show a willingness to pay it forward to others. I will also continuously work on self development by reading and listening to audio and books that encourage growth in everyday life. Ultimately, I would love to find a practitioner/teacher who can offer wisdom and insight to my journey of integral health.

 ~Kanisha Washington