Running head: UNIT NINE PROJECT
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Unit Nine Project
Candice Gorremans
Kaplan University
HW420 Creating Wellness
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Unit Nine Project
Health and wellness professionals must develop psychologically, spiritually and physically
for a number of reasons. Psychological development is necessary so we can be more
contemplative and deliberate about our thoughts and actions. Psychological development allows
us to have a greater understanding about ourselves, others and the world around us. With
psychological development, there are few or no issues with stress, anxiety and depression
because our minds are better prepared and our thought process about life events is more logical
and grounded.
Spiritual development helps us to develop a higher consciousness and our undeveloped
potential. With spiritual development we gain wisdom, clarity, oneness and peace. Physical
development can be achieved with exercise, rest, good nutrition and avoiding external substances
that are harmful to the physical body. This is important for a health and wellness professional
because it contributes to mind-body wellness. A healthy body is vital to a healthy mind. The one
area I know I must develop is spiritual wellness.
In the psychological domain, I have assessed my health by looking objectively at how I react
to and perceive life events. There are many situations that can cause stress and distress, but how
a person reacts to it can make all the difference. My ability to maintain a sense of psychological
balance and resilience in difficult situations has been very good. I score 8 out of 10 in the
psychological domain. In the spiritual domain, I haven’t quite reached a state of higher
consciousness. It’s been a bit of a challenge for me to feel a sense of connectedness to things that
are not tangible or part of my day-to-day routine. For the spiritual domain, I score 5 out of 10.
Assessing my health in the physical domain has probably been the easiest of the three. Every
six months or so, I pay close attention to my physical and physiological condition to see if I have
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maintained myself well or if I’m declining/deteriorating. I assess my cardiorespiratory
endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility with a quarterly fitness test. I
also get periodic medical check-ups with my primary health care provider. I score 8 out of 10 in
the physical domain.
My physical goal is to continue improving and enhancing my current state of overall health,
physical fitness and wellness. My psychological goal is to develop a stronger internal locus of
control so that I can be all the more resilient when I’m presented with challenging day-to-day
issues and bigger problems that are beyond my control. My spiritual goal is to progressively
develop a higher consciousness so that I can access my undeveloped potential.
There are a number of strategies I’ll use to foster growth in all three areas. In the physical
domain I plan to exercise for at least 30 minutes daily and ensure that the majority of the food
I’m eating is healthy. I will keep an exercise journal and plan my daily meals using a meal
planner app in my smart phone. In the psychological domain I will develop a strong social
support system and I will help people who are less fortunate than I am.
I will call and visit friends and family either weekly or monthly. I’ll also volunteer on a
weekly basis at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. In the spiritual domain I plan to spend more
time in meditation, prayer and reflection. I’ll dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to this practice.
I’ll spend ten minutes on this practice before I leave for work in the morning, I’ll spend another
ten minutes on my lunch break and the last ten minutes of meditation, prayer and reflection will
occur before I go to bed.
The best way I can think of to assess my progress is to create a wellness journal. I’ll make it
simple at first by just putting a check mark each day beside psychological, spiritual and physical
to denote that I have participated in some type of wellness exercise or activity for that particular
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domain. Later, I’ll add a “daily remarks section” in which I can discuss my feelings for the day
and whether or not I feel like I’m improving myself in each domain.
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References
Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic
Health Publications.
Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. S. (2005). Consciousness & healing: Integral
approaches to mind-body medicine. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.