Unit 9- Final

Unit 9: Final Project

Self-Review of Human Flourishing

ShaunaDowis2

January 14, 2013

   It is extremely important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically,

spiritually and physically in terms of their own lives because in order to help an individual,

one must be centered themselves.  According to Dacher, psychological development for a

health care professional “expands consciousness, strengthens our capacity for attention,

focuses our intention, reveals a penetrating wisdom, opens the heart, and brings to life the

qualities of human flourishing” (Dacher, p.106).  Areas in which I need to develop in order to

achieve a greater human experience, are all three aspects of, psychological, spiritual and

physical..  I believe that a path to human flourishing is an ever-changing and ever-long

process in which perfection is never reached.  Perfection is inhumane, for it is human to have

flaws and imperfections.  It is also human to embrace the imperfections in order to

grow as an individual and learn from past experiences to better future experiences and

relationships. 

   The human mind is a tool I wish to train in order to maintain a better mental

state more consistently, no matter what environmental or social cues may try to interfere.  I

wish to improve my psychological wellbeing by keeping up my self-confidence and trusting

my instincts, trusting my soul.  I wish to improve my spiritual wellbeing by first understanding

that I am as an individual in the present moments, and finding my own significance in this

World.  Then, I feel I can develop spiritually by connecting with nature, the divine Universe

and God.  All of the above are significant in my life because nature gives me inner peace and

surrounds me with beauty.  The Universe is made up of all of us, the planets, the stars, space,

etc.  To feel a connection to the Universe is for me to feel a connection to all that is.  God,

more so as a spiritual essence rather than a religious figure, grounds me and gives me an outlet

that I can trust where there is no judgment and an everlasting place of hope.  God is the means by which I can pray for others to find comfort in their lives, as well as pray for myself to find comfort.

   I wish to improve my physical wellbeing lastly because this is the area that I have the least trouble with.  While I always am striving to become more physically fit, I am studying nutrition and find being healthy to be a way of life for me through my diet of veganism and my love of the outdoors and nature.  I will develop my physical fitness by challenging myself more in terms of my body and mind.  It is amazing how fast or far I can run when my mind is in the right place of perseverance and determination.  On the other side, it is easier to have a great mind set while exercising when my body is in optimal physical shape.  Breathing is easier, my mind settles into meditation, and the natural high of exercise is implemented into the present.

   I would like to share a quotation from the text Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing that I found inspirational.  Dacher states, “Once we hold the preciousness of life and the possibility of human flourishing near and dear, its remembrance no longer fades with the busyness of daily life.  Rather than laid out by our current culture, we begin to demand more from ourselves.  We are willing to set out on this new adventure in search of life’s greatest treasure, the flourishing of human health, happiness, and wholeness” (Dacher, p.14).  In terms of a self-assessment, I have rated my health in all three domains of spirituality, physicality and psychological status.  On a scale of one to ten, ten being the utmost development, I rated myself an 8 spiritually, a 7 physically and an 8 psychologically. 

   I think it is extremely significant to not just be present in the moments of life, but to participate in those moments. It is important to make a realistic goal, while simultaneously set for oneself a challenging goal.  For example, my physical goal is to jog 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes, keeping my heart rate up for that duration of time as well as participating in strength exercises.  I know that this is a realistic goal because I have at least 90 minutes a week to devote to my physical well-being.  I will begin each day with 20 push-ups and 1 liter of water before breakfast to keep myself hydrated.  Second, I will plan ahead the days and times I can exercise.  This week I can exercise on Wednesday late afternoon, Friday late afternoon, and Sunday late afternoon.  I feel confident that I will follow through with my physical goals.

   Being prepared to accomplish goals is the ultimate way to ensure that the goal itself is personally possible.  In terms of my psychological goals, I truly believe that I can accomplish any goal that I set my mind to through the virtue I have adopted for this week; diligence.  According to dictionary.com, diligence is “the conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation; preserving determination to perform a task (2012).   I have been applying this to my day-to-day life by acknowledging the tasks at hand I must complete, realistically organizing my thoughts and actions in order to implement a plan for each tasks, and then taking action to complete them.  Diligence is teaching me to break away from the feeling of becoming overwhelmed, and instead taking a step back, a deep breath, and tackling my goals head on.  I also have set a psychological goal to repeat 5 things that I am grateful for each day out loud.  This way, I am bringing forth my gratefulness out into the real world.  This mindfulness practice will help me to focus attention outward in a positive manner, rather than to become focused too inward.  In my opinion there is a difference between self-reflection and self-obsession.  It is healthy to self-reflect because it allows the self to become comfortable with one’s own strengths and weaknesses in order to find peace with past choices, comfort in the present, and braveness for the future.

   My spiritual goal is to continue having a connection with things greater than myself, larger than materialism, and deeper than the physical world.  I truly feel that there is a divine spirit that helps to enforce universal laws such as when you put ideas, hopes or dreams out into the world, they have a way of coming back to you.  I plan on implementing my goal of developing a stronger connection to the spiritual world by guided meditations, nature walks, and 5 minutes of quiet in a sacred space a day.  I plan on using the doc sharing guided meditations as a starting point for increasing my meditation frequency because they are valuable resources that I already have at hand. 

   I will assess my progress and lack of progress for the next six months by keeping a journal.  I will first make a chart, separating my psychological, spiritual, and physical goals.  Then I will have a space for the interconnection of these goals, because in reality all of my thoughts, decisions and actions affect my whole self; physical, psychological, and spiritual.  I also feel that rereading the Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing book over again will help me to stay on track through out my journey of self-development, self-awareness, loving kindness toward all of humanity and the creatures on the Earth, as well as guide me to my ultimate goal of human flourishing.  A very intelligent professor once told me that something has been learned only once one was able to teach the material to someone else.  This is my ultimate goal, not just to find peace within myself, but also to offer tools or maybe just an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on ,for others on their path of the human experience.  The human experience is our opportunity to live the precious human life of passion, loving kindness, and peace of mind, body and soul.

  

References:

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