My Plan - Unit 9

I. Introduction
It is extremely important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically in order for them to help their patients/clients reach that path to integral health. Professionals in the health and wellness field must first develop psychologically by learning to open their hearts and mind to the positive things in life. Once they are better prepared they can provide the healing that their patients need. Spiritually they have to be able to have traveled down the road to integral healing by doing so it becomes personal and then they will know firsthand what will happen as the advance into a more spiritual expansive life. By becoming spiritually in tune with the mind and body they will be able to open up and their patients will see the transformation that they have gone through. It allows them to develop confidence about the inner aspects of health and life. Physical wellness is also very important and these professionals have to practices what they preach. They cannot tell their patients that they should exercise or do meditation exercises if they themselves are not doing it. Professionals that exercise regularly and practice find that inner peace, are full of life, less stressed and they have that willingness to share their experiences as they now have a sacred responsibility in helping others to gaining integral health and healing.

The aspect of my life that needs continued growth is spirituality. I feel that this is the most underdeveloped aspect of my life and I need to learn how to let go of all the negative thoughts and emotions, and replace them with positive thoughts. I need to be able to get where I feel that inner peace and connection with God. Being able to be spiritually in tune will help me to reach that level of wholeness, this will in turn open my mind and spirit to reunite with my physical body by having a closer walk with God.

II. Assessment
Since I began this class I have learned the importance of having integral health. By doing physically exercising and doing meditation practices it will open my heart and mind to become a more humble person. On a scale of 1 – 10 I have scored my spiritual wellness as a 6 as I need to continue meditating on the good things in life and be grateful for what I have. I want to be able to increase my faith and allow God to handle the problems by praying more. As they say I have to “let go and let God.” Physically I rate myself as an 8, I love exercising and it helps me to relieve stress from work and things difficult situations in life. Psychologically I rate myself as an 7 - learning to keep a still mind would allow me to focus and concentrate on my well-being. Being able to grow psychologically is something that I need to do in order for me to let go of obstacles that may arise. Once I can reach that stage of growth I will be able to handle and overcome anything that life may throw my way.

III. Goal Development
A goal that I have set for myself is to practice the meditation exercises that I have learned on a daily basis. Physically I want to be able to reach ultimate health and these exercises will help me to get rid of stressors, help with diseases and keep my body and mind healthy. Spiritually my goal is to read more spiritual books that will allow me to find that inner peace and wellbeing. It will also open my heart and mind to looking at things in a positive light and increase my faith. Psychologically I want to be able to calm my mind from “mental chatter” and allow it to focus on the positive aspects of life. My mental health is very important and once I can continue with the subtle-mind exercises it will allow me to grow spiritually, physically and psychologically by connecting my mind, body, heart, and spirit.

IV. Practices for Personal Health
The exercises that I will use regularly to help me reach integral health are the loving-kindness exercise and subtle mind. I will also begin eating the foods that are healthier and that will help me to sustain my physical health. Meditation is great for my psychological well being and it will help me to relax my mind and body. The loving-kindness exercise has helped me to release negative emotions and stress. By practicing this exercise on a daily basis I can begin my day feeling refreshed and renewed without being easily frustrated. Whenever I practice this exercise I find that I have this inner peace and calm about myself and I can focus more on positive emotions. Doing the breathing techniques is also essential and it helps to relax the body allowing the mind to become at ease. In my spiritual life I can attend bible study and join a group that will help to uplift my mind and spirit. These exercises helps to open my heart and mind to becoming a better person and to refocus on my spiritual well being and getting all aspects of my life together. When doing these exercises I tend to feel a sense of relief, relaxation and inner peace.

V. Commitment
I have made a commitment to myself to meditate and practice loving-kindness at least once per day. I will monitor myself by beginning a journal log, which will help me to see just how far I have gotten with my spiritual, psychological and physical well-being. Keeping a journal it will help me to write out my feelings and what happened during the day, whether I allowed the negativity of others to get me frustrated or I was able to stop, take a minute and do some breathing exercise that will calm my mind. I can also monitor my progress with eating and exercising and what I learned as a result of attending groups mentoring sessions at church. The strategies that I can use to assist in maintaining my long-term practice for health and wellness is to get up each day and read a positive quote that will help me on the right track, I will also start off my mornings with meditation and allow my mind to be clear before I face my day. I will continue to exercise regularly and monitor my transformation of finding peace, calm, and integral health.