Unit 9: Final Project: Plan for Personal Flourishing

Personal Flourishing Plan

Introduction: 

            It is crucial for professionals in the health and wellness field to incorporate health practices into their own life because doing so brings personal awareness of the amazing possibilities that can result from integral health and healing (Dacher, 2006).

            From the firsthand experience of how magnificent the evolution can be, and how powerful the transformation towards true flourishing can be, we begin to take ownership in the whole process and through that ownership we become the best advocates for integral health. Our work becomes our responsibility in making our world a better place (Dacher, 2006).

            What better way to motivate clients then to be the change they want to see in themselves. By developing psychologically, physically and spiritually we give our clients a living breathing example that they can emulate. Realistically the old adage , “do as I say, not as I do” just doesn’t hold true. I could not seriously follow the advice of a healthcare professional who did not incorporate integral health in his or her personal life as well as his or her professional life.

            Looking at my own personal growth, I need to focus more on my physical health. My physical health is the least developed domain however; I still need growth in both my psychological and spiritual domains as well. The only way for true growth will be through dedication and changing traditional habits.

           

Assessment:
           I assessed myself using the six principles of integral assessment (Dacher, 2006). I looked at the areas of my life that are my most significant sources of distress and found that the area that was most distressful was also the area that had the greatest possibility for growth and development (Dacher, 2006). It was my physical health. Looking at all the domains I realized each area must be assessed and examined in order to achieve permanent relief and long term flourishing.  At this stage, I am not at the mastery level at looking inward so I may employ the help of master in order to help me formulate my assessment in this area. I do know that as I grow and change my personal assessment will need to be modified as well.

Goal Development: 

·         Physical : To lose more weight and increase my physical strength and endurance.

·         Mental: To view things less reactively and to be more in control of my own emotions.

·         Spritual: To grow more internally and also become more interconnected with my environment.

Practices for personal health: 

·         Physical : Schedule my physical activity and increase time and duration in order to reach my goals. In addition add yoga and pilates back into my schedule so that my physical exercise are also exercising my mind. I will develop a monthly schedule for my physical activity.

·         Psychological: Practice breathing exercises and reframing to become more in control of my own emotions. When I feel anger or anxiety building, I can use breathing techniques to reduce the anger and then evaluate the situation without emotion. In other areas I can use reframing to change a negative situation into either a neutral or a positive one.

·         Spritual: Gradually increase meditation time from 15 minute to 30 minutes per day. Practice loving kindness and increase my time with nature and the world around me. To do this I will meditate outside whenever possible and will gradually increase my time by adding a few more minutes each week..
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.

Commitment: 

           There are a number of ways in which I can assess my progress or lack of progress over the next six months. The first thing is that I am going to create a Journey to Flourishing journal. I will record my current state of physical, psychological, and spiritual health and then list my goals in each area. Each month I will reassess my state in each domain as a way to track my progress. I will visualize what I will be like when I have achieved these goals and use that visualization as a form of motivation. I will also create a number of incentives, which I will award myself when I reach certain goals along the way. For example, each week that I lose weight I will award myself a prize… the prize may be as simple as going to get a massage or treating myself to a night off with a good book. In order to maintain long-term practices I need to make my exercises both for my body and mind to become a habit and to do that I will do them consistently on the same days and times. I will also expand them as I become better developed to continue to progress.

Reference

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