Unit 9 Project

Unit 9 Project
Introduction: Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

From a leadership point of view, you need to understand the clinical aspects of your job. You need to believe in a philosophy of wellness and you must be committed in your heart to be successful. Your clients and patients will accept your education, your support, and your spiritual “kick in the butt” if needed, because you are the example for them to emulate. If you’re a physical fitness trainer but you don’t have chiseled abdominal muscles, but can show by example that you practice good nutrition and ‘practice what you preach’ with your knowledge of exercises appropriate for their problem, they will listen and follow.

Spiritually, as a nurse that practices using ‘The Golden Rule’ daily and has worked with the dying patients in a Hospice setting, I’m able to reach my patients and clients at this emotional level. Physically, though I am overweight, since Christmas, I’m able to work out at the gym 4 to 5 days weekly and feel good. My blood pressure is within range and my total cholesterol is below 180. I have plenty of stamina for my daily job and after hour activities. I try to eat as healthy as possible. Now, I make my lunch daily and stay away from eating out. My overweight problem is a portion control issue and I’m working on not eating late at night.

Psychologically, I continue to need work. As a male nurse in a predominately female environment, I feel a pressure to always be in charge and always have the right solution. I also over extend myself by taking on too many tasks. Consequently, I let my wife down, placing her and her feelings behind others. It will take more practice, but I enjoy the exposure to mindfulness meditation. It’s great to be able to label an emotion like ‘anger’ and bring it back to the breathing. I hope I can salvage my stupidity with my wife.

II Assessment:How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

It’s easy to stand back and assess when things are not going well. So, looking at each area, I would subjectively determine the impact to quality of life for my environment and myself. For example, if I don’t feel energetic in accomplishing the physical tasks of my life, I would evaluate all aspects that are making me less productive.

Since this quarter started, Physically, I would score myself as a ‘7’. I take points off for being overweight, not able to work out 4 to 5 days consistently as I would like, and not eating a consistently nutritious diet. I can walk and run farther and faster than I did when my kids were younger. I'm also taking vitamin supplements to add to my malnutrition. I have great energy for work and after hour activities like school. Psychologically, I would score myself a ‘6’. Remember, ‘us guys’ always have our stuff together under pressure. LOL! I'm proactive in my life and that insures that I'm not surprised with distractions or detours. I take a point off for trying to do too much and not meeting my project completion dates. I take ‘3’ points off for not supporting my wife and her responsibilities. Spiritual I would score myself an ‘8’. As an enthusiastic patient advocate, I'd ‘climb the highest mountain’ for my patients. I do believe in God but not the structure of church. As a little child attending Protestant church and Sunday school, I found the church environment great but some of the people running the church did not live by the Golden Rule daily. Their ‘Sunday Bests’ only came on Sunday for church. I do believe in the Golden Rule regardless of the situation or the day of the week. I know that God understands that I work Sundays and can’t attend church. I believe that I'm a solid patient advocate nurse and treat my patients as if they were my mother, father, brother or sister.

III Goal development:List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

Physical-Steve will work out at the gym for 1 hour daily, four days a week, starting week of 022110.
Psychological-Steve will sit down with his wife nightly and review her daily current events starting week of 022110.
Spiritually-Steve will teach weekly, one patient on breathing meditation for lowering blood pressure, chronic pain, etc, starting week of 03072010

IV Practices for personal health: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.

Physical-My goal is to get to the gym, to work out at least one hour before going to work, four days a week. The night before, I should setup my clothes, my lunch, and collect the dog food bowls, to make the morning chores go quicker. Make sure the alarm clock is set. The work out bag should be in the car, with new clothes and toiletries for afterwards. I will setup my blackberry calendar to alert me the afternoon before of my work out days. The two exercises that allows the time for walking meditation is the treadmill and the stationary bikes. I place my headsets on, my Hawaiian CD on, and a hair band to keep the sweat out of my eyes. Afterwards, regardless of how many patients that I have to see, meetings that I attend, or long distances I travel, the thinking and exercising is wonderful for relaxation and anti anxiety issues.

Psychological-Sit down with my wife nightly and listen to how her daily activities happened. What? People would say that you should listen to your wife. But, unfortunately, just listening versus listening to pay attention, listening to show concern and support is different. First, until it becomes a habit, my blackberry calendar will make sure no other activities are scheduled during that hour. At the beginning of my work shift, I will plan my day to make sure I get off on time to meet my wife. As I enter the house, I turn off all radios, cell phones, and televisions, distracting tools that would take away from our time. We both sit down on our soft sofa. The pillow top bed is out of the question. The bed could be distracting in so many ways. You could fall asleep. Why am I going to so much trouble? I don’t tell my wife enough and sometimes I forget that without her support, her wisdom, and an occasional swift kick, I would not be able to be successful. Whoever said that “behind every great man is a great woman”, was truly describing my scenario. Though I know it to be a crutch, the encouragement, the energy, and cheerfulness I get from her is amazing. I wish I could repay one tenth as much as she provides for me. So, my task is to commit to evening listening sessions with her. I hope that I’m up for the task. It’s the right thing to do for everyone to feel good.

Our company has a hospice entity within our office. In the room next to our conference room, they have established a ‘Mourning Star’ program for children. These children meet together weekly for counseling sessions within the playful area. Each child has lost a parent, brother, or sister during the last year. The children will continue to meet the medical social workers (MSW) until they ‘graduate’ from the program. Since 2004, I have donated money, toys, and refreshments but never myself or my time. I’ve been afraid to look these children in the eye for fear of my emotional breakdown. Once again, as a guy, the stereotypes that we should always be strong, for my sake, want to be helpful, caring, and supportive of these guys. So, my goal is to actively participate monthly with the Mourning Star children in their counseling sessions after my Capstone has been completed in May 2010. My participation will include setup, counseling session mediator, and of course, clean up. My targeted age is the junior high students. These students believe that they are adults, but in emotions, experiences, and problem solving capabilities, they are still children. I want to teach them how to use the breathing meditation when they are stressed. Their age makes them vulnerable to their insecurities, not to mention the turmoil that they try to keep hidden of their loss. I have already attended the counseling workshop offered by the summertime program called Camp Erin. Our company puts on a summer camp for these Mourning Star children. I am prepared to start this goal with nervous enthusiasm. I believe that the mindfulness meditation I researched will get me through.

Spiritually-I want to share with a patient each week the use of meditation along with their conventional treatment for high blood pressure, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, or asthma. My supervisor allows time during a home visit, to educate, to support, and implement health promotion and illness prevention programs. With the high cost of medical care, what best way to share with a tight budgeted senior citizen than meditation that only costs several minutes of their time. They don’t have to go anywhere or buy any extra equipment. They can try some unconventional program in the privacy of their home without the risk of embarrassment or ridicule. We could start off with the basic breathing meditation. If there are active, we could encourage the walking meditation. Either way, I need to have them look at all the good and bad distractions in their lives. With each breath, appreciating the good thoughts and using a breath to make the bad distractions to be less distracting. All these years, the prejudice, the opinions, and negative descriptions of past occurrences, can be placed comfortably to one side, to make room for calmness, acceptance, and kindness. With these resolutions, the blood pressures and the chronic pain can only get better. Maybe they can restart a long time past activity.

V Commitment:How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

My goals, objectively speaking, are very specific. They are measurable to determine if they were achieved. By achieving my physical goal, I should see increased happiness, energy, and productivity. I’m over weight, my cholesterol is on the high side of normal, and as well as my blood pressure. Each six months, I receive a mini physical with lab work. All these diagnoses can be measured too. My participation in the Mourning Star program will be evaluated on-going by the MSWs for achievement of the children’s personal and emotional goals. Will I be sleeping in my bed with my wife, or sleeping alone, or in the same house can be measured.

Finally, I can verify my long term practices for health and wellness are still working, by how I feel. I should be at peace, be positive, and always be that ‘glass half full’ guy. I should be taking less medication. I will be that overly optimistic, little ‘Martin Sunshine’ when all my office dilemmas hit the fan. With a few spare moments, a quiet intervention within me and everything is achievable and good.
Respectfully, Steve Tardy