Wednesday, October 31, 2012

My Holistic Personal Inventory


Based on my self-reflection of my personal levels of wellness and on a scale of 1-10 (ten being optimal well-being), I would score my strengths and needs, along with specific goals for each area, as the following:

          A)    Physical well-being: 7.5. This number is due to the fact that I walk at least an hour everyday and 3 times out of the week complete yoga sessions, but I do not participate in strenuous cardio or aerobic exercises. I am in shape, plan healthy meals, and am well within the body mass index requirements for my height. However, I know this is something that I need to employ and I am working toward incorporating it into my daily routine. My goal in this area is to add cardio slowly to my routine starting with once a week and then moving into workouts that are 3-5 times a week. Mixture of workouts such as Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, Biggest Loser videos, Zumba classes, and running trails outside will all be part of the exercises that assist me in moving toward this goal.
          B)    Spiritual well-being: 8. I believe everything has a purpose, that accepting and growing from what life throws your way will aid in building character, that taking time to reflect will help me resolve my life’s issues, and that making time to spend alone and find inner peace is important. I think spirituality pertains to ones empowerment and realization that even though they have issues, stressors, and challenges, they are not defined by those circumstances and I think religion is the relationship one has with God. Although I believe in both and that there is a higher power looking over us, I do not think they should be interchangeable. Sometimes I have brief periods of disbelief and low points in my life that I know can be altered by experiencing more positive spiritual and religious wellness. My goal in this area is to maintain a balance and control over my life along with finding my purpose in this world. I know time will help with these elements that I wish to pursue but I think that incorporating some spiritual guidance classes or more of the relaxation exercises performed in this class at the very least once or twice a week will assist me in moving in the direction of a higher level of inner spirituality.  
          C)    Psychological well-being: 9. This area is challenged everyday with school assignments and daily work activities, but overall I would say that I am extremely happy and satisfied with my life. I experience positive emotions all throughout the day thanks to close family, loved ones and friends around me. I have a positive outlook on life, I accept myself for who I am and feel that every day my personal growth is developing to higher levels. I do constantly evaluate my situation and judgments which occasionally can result in an off day but mostly I enjoy my perception on life. I gave myself a 9 because I feel that there is always room for improvement. My goal in this area is to never settle for what I already have because if I continue to strive for higher levels of psychological well-being I have the potential to receive a higher income, perform better at my job and increase my life satisfaction and happiness. A few activities that I can implement into my life to help with this is to read books to expand my knowledge, perform brain training activities to strengthen my brain, grow and maintain intimate, loving, caring relationships with others close to me, increase my autonomy by doing new things on my own, embracing my personal values, and lastly I can have a sense of  mastery in my environment by completing this class and receiving my Bachelor's degree by graduating from Kaplan in January of 2014. 


3 comments:

  1. Heather, You seem to be a very well rounded person. I like the fact that you seem to set goals for yourself and have a positive attitude. I understand how you feel when you say that you have low periods with your beliefs but the good thing is that you seem to pull through the rough times using positive outlets including family support:) It is very important to feel you have a purpose in life so in my opinion you are right on track to continue evolving and becoming the total package mind, body, and soul:) Do you think it is necessary for everyone to believe in a higher power or have a spiritual connection? Keep up the good work.
    Rachel

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. Although I believe in a higher power it does not necessarily mean that others have to think the same way. I feel that sometimes individuals just need to believe in something (them self, a loved one, a famous person, a God or Goddess) to reach some degree of spirituality. Of course it will be different and on various levels for each individual. It will be up to them on how they want to reach their overall spiritual well-being. Sometimes it just has to deal with respecting themselves, accepting who they are as individuals and having or applying their values in their life decisions. Methods of meditation, prayer or even the use of relaxation exercises like the ones in our course work are additional ways to improve and achieve holistic health in this area.

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  2. Heather~
    You seem like you are a very well balanced woman, as you have put goals in front of yourself, on a daily basis, that you actually follow through with. I have a hard time with that; I rarely have time for anything other than kids and school, but I have been trying to get some yoga in lately. I have to be honest, yoga is kickin my butt! lol, ouch! And I agree that belief in anything can help ground a person, as long as it is positive. :)

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