On to the next phase of my journey (Unit 10 post)

Reviewing my unit 3 post was an interesting reflection exercise.  It is hard to believe that we completed those assessments over 6 weeks ago.  That seems like enough time to make some changes but I did not really change too much.  My ratings for psychological and spiritual wellness are the same, 7 and 8 respectively.  I would increase my physical wellness score from a 5 to a 6 because I have improved in this area.  I believe my physical wellness has improved because I have made small changes to my exercise routine and my eating habits and they seem to be making a difference.  Though I feel as though I have improved in my awareness for psychological and spiritual health, I do not feel like I made any significant steps that would increase my score.

Goal review – self-honesty time… this is the toughest part because goals are set with the best of intentions…

Physical – I regret to report that I have not implemented the activity I chose and thus have not made great progress toward my goal.  This is the thing I struggle with most!  I know that if I log my food I will benefit in the end, it is just so time consuming.  I have improved though because I have started drinking more water, reducing my snacks, and reducing my dinner size.

Spiritual – I do feel as though I have made a little progress toward expanding my spiritual knowledge.  I have also had the opportunity to do some additional reading and to talk to others about their spiritual beliefs.  This has helped me to be more mindful of my own spirituality and I have actually started to pray more often.

Psychological – Though I have not started keeping a journal as I had hoped, I have made progress toward reaching my goal.  I have definitely improved my confidence and reduced the negative self-talk.  I have accomplished this by stopping myself every time a negative thought pops into my head and forcing myself to come up with a positive instead.  I then repeat the positive over and over again and I begin to believe it.  I know it sounds simple, but this has helped me a lot!

I have certainly developed an improved well-being.  Though it may not show in my ratings from week 3 to 10, I am certain the ratings have improved from week 1 to 10.  The course provided so much information to digest and tools to try.  I believe increased awareness on the mind, body, and spirit and their connection is improvement all by itself.  It has been rewarding to be able to identify an issue that I struggle with and use one of the tools learned in the course to help me deal with the issue.  The difficulty is probably in finding the time to devote to continued learning and practice.  I know this experience has improved my ability to assist others simply by the knowledge I have gained.  I have also gained awareness and openness toward the individual needs and desires of others, which will assist me in my profession.