Health dimensions, personal choices, and habit change strategies

Health Self-Assessment

Identify which three of the six dimensions of health you are strongest in.

According to this self-assessment instrument, my three strongest health dimensions are Social Health, Spiritual Health, and Intellectual Health. I scored a 4 out of 5 in each of those areas. By comparison, I scored a 3 in each of the other three measures (Physical Health, Emotional Health, and Environmental Health.

Describe why you think the identified three dimensions are your strongest.

I scored well in Social Health because I am comfortable with the impressions that I make on people and because I tend to get along well with others. I also participate in various social activities and genuinely enjoy interacting with others, including those who are different from me. My family relationships are healthy and fulfilling, I am fully present and available in my personal relationships, I am considerate of others, I contribute positively to the welfare of others, and I have relationships in which I can discuss my personal feelings and concerns openly.

I scored well in Spiritual Health, because I try to maintain an overall perspective of appreciation and interconnectedness of all living things and a general respect for life. I try to experience life to the fullest and to assist others to do the same and to overcome their challenges and problems. I am good at maintaining a larger perspective that helps me avoid becoming too affected by isolated or momentary problems or disappointments.

I scored well in Intellectual Health because I tend to make logically sound and rational decisions based on objective information, and I am good with time management. I learn from mistakes and try to consider reliable sources of information and advice before making decisions and most people in my life tend to value and respect my opinions and my judgment. I could improve in several aspects of this dimension, such as by paying more attention to my inner voice and analyzing my thoughts and opinions more analytically, and I could put a little more time into researching information related to certain decisions.

Describe how you would become stronger in the other three dimensions.

I could become stronger in the Physical Health dimension primarily by adding a regular physical fitness routine to my life. Currently, I do not regularly engage in any kind of aerobic exercise or any kind of strength training exercises. I could become stronger in the Emotional Health dimension by resisting the temptation to internalize anger and frustration and by learning to express my disappointment in others more directly and non-confrontationally. Part of that improvement would also include reminding myself to step out of situations and to recognize and lower my stress level when necessary. I might also work at trying to understand why other people may do some of the things they do and to view their actions in a less judgmental way.

I could become stronger in the Environmental Health dimension by making much more of an effort with respect to active approaches to environmentalism instead of just relying on passive measures. While I do make certain efforts such as not wasting paper unnecessarily and not running water wastefully, I realize from this assessment tool that I do not make enough of an active effort when it comes to things like purchasing environmentally friendly products, recycling waste products, and supporting environmental causes socially and politically.

Discuss personal choices and habits you could change to improve your health.

The primary way that I could improve my physical health would be to incorporate a regular exercise and fitness routine into my schedule. To improve my health from the social perspective, I could become a better listener. To improve my health from the spiritual dimension, I could work on taking more time to appreciate the good around me, and on working to resolve any issues or barriers to greater fulfillment in my interpersonal relationships, my community, and in the world. To some degree, I could improve my emotional health by making more of an effort to allow myself to enjoy hobbies and recreational activities that are enjoyable, but I find that difficult because so many priorities must come first in my life. Obviously, the greatest area where I could improve my health according to this tool would be by devoting more attention to the environmental realm, such as by making an effort to select environmentally friendly products, to recycle, and to become more politically and socially active about those issues.

Identify behavior change techniques and analyze how they could help you.