I recently completed the Wellness Index (Travis & Ryan, 2004), a self-assessment that includes areas such as self-responsibility and love, eating, breathing, and thinking among others and must admit I discovered aspects of wellness in which I could improve. The whole idea of wellness and self-care seemed a little trendy for me but I soon overcame my reluctance, becoming more intrigued as I delved into the statements, bonus questions, and sentence completions. In the past, as both a teacher and counselor I have been competent at identifying what others needed and at helping them through issues that were troublesome in their lives, but as far as looking into possible adjustments for myself, I thought this completely unnecessary, either that
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Compare this with the amount of time that I dedicate to leisure or “play” and I sound like a workaholic, yet I don’t perceive myself this way. I think this problem is due in part to a teacher workload that seems to increase exponentially each year. Suffice to say that looking at the Wellness Index has encouraged me toward a renewed commitment to putting my work into perspective. I can begin by addressing aspects that I may have control over (this sounds like something I would tell a student or client so it must be good advice). For instance, I usually have choices about whether or not I volunteer to be on a committee, so if I need more me-time, I should simply avoid unnecessary volunteerism. On the positive action side, I could try to go out more in the evenings during the week for social functions, even if this is just to hang out at the local coffee shop since I typically go home and end up staying …show more content…
This may not constitute being spiritual for others but it does for me and I am happy with my beliefs for now. I don’t think they infringe on others’ rights to believe what they choose and I respect religions and other philosophies as long as they do not harm people or the planet. To counterbalance my tendency toward rational thought, I could strive to enrich myself by exploring diverse belief systems, a process that would feed my soul as well as my intellect. I look forward to continuing to become more well-rounded
Compare this with the amount of time that I dedicate to leisure or “play” and I sound like a workaholic, yet I don’t perceive myself this way. I think this problem is due in part to a teacher workload that seems to increase exponentially each year. Suffice to say that looking at the Wellness Index has encouraged me toward a renewed commitment to putting my work into perspective. I can begin by addressing aspects that I may have control over (this sounds like something I would tell a student or client so it must be good advice). For instance, I usually have choices about whether or not I volunteer to be on a committee, so if I need more me-time, I should simply avoid unnecessary volunteerism. On the positive action side, I could try to go out more in the evenings during the week for social functions, even if this is just to hang out at the local coffee shop since I typically go home and end up staying …show more content…
This may not constitute being spiritual for others but it does for me and I am happy with my beliefs for now. I don’t think they infringe on others’ rights to believe what they choose and I respect religions and other philosophies as long as they do not harm people or the planet. To counterbalance my tendency toward rational thought, I could strive to enrich myself by exploring diverse belief systems, a process that would feed my soul as well as my intellect. I look forward to continuing to become more well-rounded