This paper consists of three short personal wellness reflections. The first examines results from a Personal Health Assessment, highlighting dietary habits and assertiveness as areas for improvement, particularly given a family history of diabetes. The second provides a detailed summary of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, explaining how each step supports recovery from addiction through self-inventory, spiritual practice, and making amends. The third reflection outlines the author's personal and professional goals, including completing a Diagnostic Medical Sonography program, adopting a niece from the Philippines, and maintaining a healthy balance between career ambitions and family responsibilities.
The Personal Health Assessment tool revealed both weak and strong areas of my physical and psychological health, pointing out lifestyle changes that might optimize my sense of well-being. Results of the assessment indicated borderline health issues related to my assertiveness skills and my eating habits. According to the results, I may be prone to being overly assertive in my communication style, possibly bordering on aggressiveness. However, the results were not extreme and show that, while I am assertive, I do not necessarily hurt other people's feelings.
Dietary changes were one of the key areas that the Personal Health Assessment singled out as needing special attention. Because my family has a long history of diabetes, changing my dietary habits would likely prevent further health complications and could even save my life. One of the main dietary habits I need to change is my over-consumption of sweets. Although I eat healthy foods in general, I tend to go overboard with rich desserts. Until now I have not given much thought to cutting back on sweets because I generally eat well and exercise regularly, about four times each week. I am also not overweight — one of the greatest risk factors for developing diabetes. However, I do overindulge in sweets and believe that cutting back on desserts will reduce my risk of developing diabetes and other preventable problems.
Many mental and physical health issues can be prevented through lifestyle changes. Diet remains a key factor in determining current and future health and well-being. Persons like me who are predisposed to disorders like diabetes can use tools like the Personal Health Assessment to identify specific lifestyle changes they can make now that may prevent health problems in the future.
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, founded by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob, outline a program of recovery for persons suffering from any addiction. An admission of powerlessness is the first and foremost step of the twelve-step program: the person who humbly admits being powerless over the fearsome cravings of an addiction can then take further steps to address it. Second, the person develops faith and belief in a higher power, which may or may not be referred to as God. The official Alcoholics Anonymous texts do use the word God, but participants in a twelve-step group can conceive of a higher power in whatever way works for them, as long as that higher power supersedes the ego. Third, the individual makes a decision to "turn the will over" to the higher power. The higher power can help the person overcome the addiction when willpower alone has failed.
Step Four refers to taking a personal inventory — a thorough assessment of personality flaws and faults that might have triggered the addiction in the first place. Fifth, the person admits his or her faults to the higher power and to others, usually through the group meetings of the twelve-step program. The sixth step simply asks the person to "become ready" to release the "defects of character" discovered through Step Four, while the seventh step entails humbly petitioning the higher power to remove those defects of character.
Step Eight is similar to Step Four: the person makes another inventory, this time a list of persons he or she had wronged in the past. Included in Step Eight is also becoming willing to make amends to those people listed. While working through Step Nine, the person actually makes amends, except in extreme circumstances when doing so would cause further harm to others. In other words, making amends should not be done out of self-interest but out of a genuine need for forgiveness. Tenth, the individual commits to a continual self-evaluation that will in all likelihood last throughout the person's life. The eleventh step underscores the spiritual backbone of the twelve steps, referring to the need to use regular prayer and meditation as tools to maintain "conscious contact" with the higher power. The twelfth and final step refers to the program itself: the person commits to helping others by sharing and caring for fellow addicts. The twelve steps offer sound advice for all individuals, even those who have never contended with an addiction problem.
"Goals for career, family, and personal well-being"
You’re 76% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 1 section.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.