Person Centered Wellness

This has been a very interesting study in self reflection.  As far as physically, I would rate myself a 4 with obvious room for improvement.  The older I get the more changes I see, not necessarily for the better, LOL.  One of the things I noticed is that the older I get the worse I take care of myself, which is the exact opposite of how it should be.  I find myself with certain limitations that by the end of the day scream at me to slow down.  For example a couple of years ago I was in a car accident and broke my hip, while stupid me only took 2 days off work.  However, I work my days with no real limitations.  I am able to lift, transfer, shower, assist and move I think due to sheer strength and tenacity.  I think the most helpful goal would be setting aside a time each and every day for strengthening exercises.  One in particular I found that seems to help me the most is Pilate's.  For the most part I do eat healthy with the occasional craving, but there is always room to improve my diet.

In regards to my spiritual well being I now see it as probably a 8.  This transformation has been a long time coming.  I was brought up in a rather strict Christian home and Christian school.  As a child and young girl, I believed what the bible said unquestioningly.  As a teen I lived for a short period of time in an abusive situation (I myself was not the abused).  The abuser rationalized his behavior as beating the devil out of this person.  He would lock himself into the closet for hours on end praying, then return to wreak his havoc in the name of God.  The final straw was when the church we belonged to rallied around him and left me and the abused literally living in hiding.  This completely altered my thoughts on God and  organized religion.  I was at this stage agnostic.  What made me break from these feelings was losing my father.  I felt robbed when he died so young at the age of 60.  Perhaps it would not have had such a cellular impact on me had it not been for his suffering.  The suffering was such that I had never seen, nor to this day, even in my line of business, has I witnessed.  I literally could not understand why God let him suffer as he did.  It has been a long road of recovery, 8 years now.  The biggest changes to my spirituality have been since I started working in hospice.  I have seen too many things and been a party to some amazing situations that reconfirmed my earlier beliefs.  I think spiritually for me will be an ongoing dynamic based on my own experiences and understandings.

I think Psychologically is harder to answer.  Do others see me as I see myself?  I would probably rate myself around 6 or 7.  I feel the older I get the more well adjusted I become.  I have dealt on and off in the past with depression, especially after losing my parents.  But I love my home, I love my family and I love my job.  Granted I am not happy all day every day, but I feel very fulfilled with my life.  I believe I am able to effectively cope with the negative and adjust to stress in positive ways.  I think the best goal for my in this area is to continue to use positive methods in dealing with daily stress.  And more importantly spend some actual time taking care of myself.

After completing the exercise, I admit I did feel at time frustrating.  I was in some ways surprised in that I spend an inordinate amount of time reading and have no difficulty submersing myself into the scenes of the writers creation.  I truly had a difficult time with this exercise and obviously need to practice.

Sorry about the rambling post, LOL.  I have found it to be hugely cathartic.  :)