It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop in all aspects including psychologically, spiritually and physically because they serve as the example for us to follow.  For example, if a health and wellness professional prescribes meditation, or a fitness regiment to help us achieve our goals; what would be the impact on the individual seek help from the professional if they were out of shape and did not subscribe to meditation in their own life?  It is important for those administering the advice and recommendations to practice and believe in what they preach.  I personally have several goals I am striving for; one is to incorporate loving kindness (Dacher, 2006) into my life.  As I have previously posted, I somehow have a disconnect within myself where I have terrible difficulty in expressing compassion and empathy.  Also, due to multiple injuries, I have suffered both recently and in the past, I am not physically the person I once was or want to be.  Finally, I very much desire strengthening my spiritual tier as I once was.

            Throughout this course I have assessed my health in all domains and I seem to come up short in all respects.  As I have stated previously, the last nine weeks have taken a toll on all aspects of my life due to illness, injury, work issues resulting in family issues.  However, because these have been identified, I now have a road map to recovery and holistic wellness.  I set a goal for my physical tier to further recovery from injury and illness though both western physical therapy and through eastern methods such as acupuncture and aura therapy.  Spiritually, I lost perspective, and am seeking counseling through several methods from religion to my eastern medicine physician who promises a wonderful outcome.  Finally, mentally, though meditation, prayer and social groups, I have been able to begin to pull myself out of hole I proverbially fell into.

            The number one strategy is to stick with what I have learned over the last two months with this course.  Meditation I have learned has helped me significantly in all three tiers.  Utilizing breathing visualization techniques have helped me to look beyond the fog of physical pain and depression, and have opened my spirit to hope once again.  I now find time to get away from the crowded areas demanding my attention and for at least an hour a day practice diaphragmatic breathing while performing visualization meditation (Seaward, 2009).  Additionally, prior to going to sleep, I have begun to perform progressive muscle relaxation techniques prescribed by my physical therapist.  During this exercise I focus on slightly tensing and then relaxing particular muscle groups starting from my toes up to head.  This technique has performed wonders for both stress relief as well as muscle tension due to stress.  Spiritual prayer I employ throughout the day, when I first wake up, then while I am at work, and before I go to bed.  I have seen a dramatic increase in my mood and a decrease in my stress levels.   Also I have learned the value of social support (Sapolski, 2004).  For years, I felt I had to be that tough ole’ sarge who didn’t complain or seek help in venting frustration and pain and just went on with my life.  However, as I was going though this course, blast doors from within began to crack open and shine light on things I have been hiding from for years.  Through a trusted support network, I have been able to slowly vent off some of this pain and horrible memories.

            Luckily now I have help and I am aware of my condition.  With that being said, I can honestly say I am not sure how I will assess my progress in the next six months as my life situation will be completely different from what it is now.  I do know that throughout the next six months my growth will be a continual process with the integral health infrastructure we have built ranging from the health and wellness counselor, medical practitioners, spiritual counselors and social support groups.  What I can say is, I will keep what I have learned from this course as I strongly believe it has truly saved me.  As for long term, keeping with and moving forward in a holistic approach is my goal.