UNIT 9 PROJECT

Tiffany Miller

HW 420-01

Unit 9 Project

I.                   Health and Wellness professionals have a responsibility to patients to provide care and advice to the best of their knowledge. As many people rely on feedback from professionals, it is important that these professionals live up to expectations and meet demands. Health and Wellness professionals are expected to be educated thoroughly on any treatment suggested for their patients. They are also responsible for continuing their education. Health care standards and procedures are always changing; it is the responsibility of the professional to be aware of changes related to their profession. The best way for health and Wellness professionals to keep educated and offer sound advice to patients is to “practice what they preach”. Education is more than just knowledge of materials and teaching is more than just telling others what to do. As a professional in the health and wellness field, it is important to develop in all aspects of health, physical, psychological, and spiritual. First-hand experience in what one teaches allows the professional to flourish in health and wellness.

II.                I anticipate becoming a health and wellness professional when I graduate from Kaplan University. Although my career choice is not definite yet, I do know that assessment of my own mental, physical, and spiritual health will be crucial to it. Until recently my primary focus was on physical and mental health. Spiritual health was not much of a concern to me. I know now, especially after my recent courses, that all three areas of health are imperative to optimal health. Beginning with physical health, I have assessed myself by how much I have to seek medical attention (excluding routine visits). How often I need to seek medical attention coincides with how I feel for the most part, another way that I assess myself physically. In my opinion physical health is easier to assess because changes that are visually evident may take place when physical health is impaired. For example; hair and nails can become brittle due to protein deficiency or irregular thyroid function. I assess my mental health based on how I cope with stressors without the assistance of mental health professionals and/or medication. One aspect of health that I did not really consider much in the past is spiritual health. Spiritual health affects perception immensely. Although impaired spiritual health indirectly affects mental and physical health, it can still have a significant impact on them. Spiritual health addresses perception of stress as well as religious views. I assess my own spiritual health by my ability to trust in a force outside myself and whether I can let go of an issue that is out of my control. I have a very difficult time of “going with the flow”. I find myself trying to fix problems that are clearly not mine to fix. I feel that optimal spiritual health would give me the ability to trust more in the order of things and reduce my stress significantly.

III.             Based on my assessment of my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, I have identified strengths and some weaknesses within myself. There are some areas in which I would like to develop to achieve desired integral health. Physically, I am both satisfied and dissatisfied with my health. I am completely satisfied with my physique; my goal is simply to maintain it. I am dissatisfied with how I feel physically due to issues with chronic pain.  My goal physically is to find a natural treatment for my chronic pain and to feel better in general. My goal psychologically is to change my perception of stress and avoid my habitual tendency to negatively react to it. My goal spiritually is to implement what has been and is being taught to me religiously as a way of coping with stress.         

IV.             To achieve the goals I have set for myself physically, mentally, and spiritually, there are certain practices I need to incorporate into my life. My goal physically is to alleviate chronic pain, naturally. As recommended by my doctor, I will use physical therapy and exercise to achieve my goal. Water aerobics has worked in the past with minimizing joint pain and stiffness. I also jog to help strengthen my muscles and take some of the work load off of my joints. My goal psychologically is to change the way that I perceive stress. I feel that I can achieve this goal by practicing some of the exercises learned in this course. For example; work is one of my top sources of stress, especially because I do not particularly like my job. By viewing this stressor as a stepping stone toward my career rather than something I am being forced to do, I can reduce the stress of work. My goal spiritually is to implement what I believe religiously into my life to cope with stress. To me, the purpose of prayer is to gain a sense of understanding and find some level of contentment. I want to use prayer more often in my life to help me cope with stressors beyond my control.

V.                I can assess my progress with these goals by keeping a journal to record my feelings and a log to record exercises. Journaling can serve as a record of progress and lack thereof, by supplying the user with a source of comparison. The best way to keep track of progress is by making periodic comparisons. Every two months for the next six months, I can assess my health in all three areas and compare it to this initial assessment. I do not have concerns about motivation; my only concern is allotting myself enough time to incorporate these activities into my everyday life. To prevent issues with time management, I need to time each activity and assign them to different days and times that work best with my schedule. The most important thing would be sticking to those times so that these exercises become habit. Changing my perception to reduce stress is a very difficult task if constant effort is not put into it. It is imperative for me to consciously redirect my thoughts to achieve my goals.