I have always been a great listener, a strong will, and I have strong spiritual faith that keeps me grounded and surrounded by love. I believe that feeling of love in contagious and I can help people, but I can not fully help bring people to a complete wholeness without learning more about the physical body healing. I know that a healthy body goes hand in hand with a healthy mind. I am limited by my knowledge of body motivation and I must know more to be a better help to the people I love.
Only humans have the unique quality to explore our minds and find ways to really understand what can bring us fulfillment. Developing our minds and furthering the study psychologically, spiritually and physically can help to create a more whole health professional. When a person goes to the doctor for a headache, the doctor may prescribe something to help with the pain but what about what is causing the headache? Could it be stress, anxiety or something psychological? Health professionals need to know several different methods to fully help a person, not just a quick fix, but a long term cure. Exploring the deeper problems and tailoring a specific technique to a person such as “psychotherapy, relaxation techniques, yoga, and biofeedback” (Dacher, 2006), people are able to heal in a deeper way and work on an internal fix.
One of the hardest things to do to start a learning process is a self assessment. Taking a step back and rating where you are now and where you would like to be psychologically, spiritually and physically in the future is hard. As I mentioned before, I feel like am a very strong spiritual person. My spiritual wellbeing is in a great place I invite questions and can talk about my own beliefs very easily because I know God is love. It is very simple. That acknowledgement has taken me farther in faith than I have ever been. I am able to face problems and life in a different way. I have a strong support system and community that hold me up when I need spiritual guidance. In return, I am able to give that same support to other people.
Where I am strong in spirituality, I lack in physical wellness. I have a terrible self image and I am losing physical motivation as I get older. This is a problem and it is extremely important for me to fix. I have two beautiful children that will have the same problems with self image if I do not change the way I live and treat myself. I must find a way to like myself more. I have it in me; I just need to bring it out.
Psychologically I am in the middle. I have a firm grasp on the way things should be and what is wrong and usually when I am faced with a situation I can find a way to find a positive solution. I am determined and strong but when I am stressed, I crumble emotionally. I am strong for other people and I give and give until I break. I believe this is beneficial and a detriment at the same time. I am strong for others but weak when it comes to me.
Ultimately I would love to be a more complete and confident person. I have met people that seem to have it all put together even when life throws them curves. These people are calm and loving and I would love to be there with them. I want to learn more about other faiths and see what other people believe in and love. I would also love to lose 30 pounds and become toned and more active and full of energy. Most of all, I want to be that calm rock that does not crumble under the pressure of life. I don’t want to yell at my children out of frustration and anger. I would really like to be a constructive thoughtful Mother that teaches with a strong example.
Assessment doesn’t do any good unless you do something with the end result. I know my faults and where I need work and so I have to take that and create a plan to keep getting better. Sometimes things seem really hard but a friend, Chris Barras, told me something that is really wonderful and has been helping me move forward: “Failure isn’t final.” We have the ability to move forward. Spiritually, I am strong, but to continue to grow I have to keep learning. I can create stronger bonds with my community and grow with them. Physically I need lots of work. I have to stop the negative mental voices in my head and turn my thought into more positive self talk. Eating a diet without processed foods and things that are more close to nature will help my body to thrive. Yoga sounds like a wonderful way to help me physically and psychologically because it will also help me lower my stress. “God takes a crooked path and makes it straight” (Chris Barras, Area 10 Faith Community, 2010). I sometimes use prayer as meditation and making that a more regular habitual habit will help me immensely in all areas. All I have to do is put in the work and have faith.
The best way for me to fix my problem areas and move towards my goals is to hold myself accountable. I would like to use my blog that was originally created as a tool for class to help me move on with my learning process. Each week I will continue to post where I am psychologically, spiritually and physically. It is hard for me to admit failure because I am my worst critic. Posting failure is not something I want to do. This helps me stay focused and motivates me to keep going. Hopefully I will get a few encouraging words from people that are following me. Along with the blog, I will be taking this process on with a friend. She has a lot of the same assessment qualities and I believe we can hold each other up in the difficult times. It is difficult for me to do things on my own and having a friend with me every step of the way will make it enjoyable. I will know when I reach my goal when I feel whole. Even after I reach that goal, I will keep moving forward and learning and developing myself further and after that, maybe I can even help someone else. Self transformation is hard, but enlightening at the same time. Life is an adventure and this is just another example.
Resources
Dacher, E.(2006). Integral health.
Barras, C. (2010) Voices in my head. Area 10 Faith Community Sermon August 8, 2010
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I agree with you 100%, life is certainly an adventure, and this is just another path to finding wholeness.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best of luck in your new adventure of finding human flourishing.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post! : ) I agree with you that medical professionals need to learn more than just allopathic medicine, they need to reach out to other branches of medicine and learn more about them. Integral medicine is really the way to go these days, the mind is connected to the body and spirit, and that is what makes an individual whole, and what leads to human flourishing.
We all have problems that we want to fix, so just hang in there and keep moving down the path you have chosen, and I think things will work out for you. I commend you on keeping your blog open, I think I might do the same thing! : ) Take care of yourself and good luck in the future.
Pen