Personal Health Practices and Reflection

Student: Ying Liang

Student No: 822 913 679
Date Submitted: Oct 8, 2012
NURS 160: Nursing Theory
Professor: Franklin Gorospe
Humber College

Personal health reflection

Individual definition of health can guide the way of carrying out regular lives.

Personally speaking, health is physically strong enough to take responsibilities and mentally
well enough to face difficulties. The purpose of this paper is to discuss my definition of
health, my current health beliefs, my cultural beliefs, the approaches that culture beliefs affect
my perception of health, the strategies I adopt to improve my personal health standard, the
comparison of health definition between my classmates and mine, and health beliefs impact
on nursing practice.
Body
Definition of Health/ Personal Health Beliefs
According to the World Health Organization, the definition of health is a state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and
infirmity.(as cited in Reutter, & Kushner, 2009, P. 2). I define health as physically strong
enough to take responsibilities and mentally well enough to face difficulties. Both of those
aspects play important roles in maintaining a well-being state. One the one hand, physical
health is the prerequisite of achieving a good life. A strong person can have the opportunity to
make a living by him/herself, support family, and devote to society. One the other hand,
mental health is the courage source that one can depend on in time of trouble. A physical
health person would be at the brink of collapse without a normal mental health state.
Current Health Beliefs
I believe that health is the dynamic integration of physical activities and mental wellbeing. Undoubtedly, physical activities can help us to gain a strong body. We can work hard
and make a living by ourselves. Therefore, we can afford a comparatively good life and are
able to support others. In return, better living conditions can contribute to a healthier lifestyle.

However, a person who suffers from diseases would inevitably encounter physical
limitations. The affected body prevents him/her from living independently. For example,
active TB patients could not engage in certain field such as nursing, teaching, and children
caring etc. Physical activities are not the only determinant of health. Our modern medicine
focuses not only on physical health but also mental health. In my point of view, mental health
weighs as much as physical health. For instance, a physically healthy person could commit
suicide because mental problems couldnt be solved at the point. I would like to talk about a
tragedy happened on a health professional in my hometown. This happened on a head doctor
in neurology department whose wife used to be my teacher. The doctor was in his forties at
that time and was well respected in his field. In the morning, he did a regular inspection in his
department. No one perceived any abnormities until his wife and son found him hanged at
home when they went back home. He appeared to be healthy, but actually he suffers from
serious mental illness. I was shocked at the bad news and then realized how important mental
state is to a person even though he/she is physically all right. In a word, physical health and
mental health are both important to individual health. We should be active in physical
activities and remain a good mental state as well.
Cultural Beliefs
I have been in Canada for two years. I know clearly that my all my beliefs including
my health beliefs rooted from Chinese culture. I used to study in a TCM (traditional Chinese
medical) university for eight years and found the profound knowledge influenced my beliefs
greatly. TCM focus on the balance of Yin Yang, values the pathogen from outside body and
internal emotion factor within our bodies, and pay attention to precautionary methods to

benefit people. Being practiced for five thousand years, TCM is still very popular in China
because of its practical effectiveness. The knowledge provides us a lot of healthy lifestyle and
alternative treatment besides prescription drugs. For example, in western medicine, cold is
not divided into different types. But if I had a cold, I will collect data and analyze what is the
syndrome of this case, diagnose the type of cold and prescribe appropriate herbs. Traditional
physical activities also play big roles in Chinese peoples daily life. A typical practice is Taiji
which is a good reflection of the theory that man is an integrity part of nature. The
participants can enjoy the real relaxation after having practiced it.
Personal Health Practices
Based on my health beliefs, I take strategies to enhance my personal health status.
Firstly, I take part in physical activities to maintain physical health. I like to refresh myself by
swimming and playing ping-pong. Secondly, I try to utilize and practice TCM theory in my
daily life. For example, as far as my favorite Chinese tea is concerned, I would drink green
tea in summer and red tea in winter. Thirdly, when I was depressed, I would like to talk to my
family members and friends to let out the bad mood. By doing so, I keep the negative mood
away from me and avoid mental problems.
Compare my health beliefs with Conchitas
I compare my health beliefs with Conchita who defines health as physically stable,
socially related with family and friends, and good relationship with God (C. Conchita,
personal communication, Oct 8, 2013). Both of us agree that physical health is one of the
components of health. A healthy body is necessary for a person to live an independent life
and have the ability to support others. Besides physical aspect, my definition also focuses on

mental health. Meanwhile, Conchitas definition emphasizes the importance of social and
spiritual health. Her health beliefs are closely related to her Filipino background. In
Philippine, family members and friends are closely tied and they like enjoying food together.
Thus, whether a person is welcomed by his/her surroundings is very important according to
this traditional living style. Likewise, Conchita values spiritual beliefs because she believes in
God. On the contrary, my definition emphasizes on mental health besides physical health
because of my old experience and education. I know how important mental health is from the
case that a physically healthy doctor died of mental problems. Also, my education let me
understand how emotional disorders can affect a persons health. Therefore, the distinction
between Conchitas definition and mine could be interpreted by our various backgrounds.
Analysis of how nursing practice is influenced by comparative learning
Besides the common focus on physical health, there are other aspects of health beliefs
which roots in our individual background. The above discussion has great guiding
significance to my career. In my future nursing practice, I would respect clients beliefs, pay
attention to their mental issues, and help to promote their physical health standards.
Firstly, I would respect clients culture. Everyone comes from different background.
Probably, I hold different culture beliefs from the clients. As a nurse, the health of client has
the most priority. In order to get the best outcome, I should respect the clients culture and
beliefs.
Secondly, I would encourage my client to be physically active as long as the client is
allowed to do certain amount of physical activities. I would give proper suggestions to my
client, help to promote the mobility, and improve their independence. By doing so, the client

can gain more freedom of physical activities and return to society as early as possible.
Thirdly, I would be aware of mental issues. When the client seeks for medial help, I
would think beyond the physical symptoms and signs and look for his/her mental needs. This
would help the client let out the negative emotion, regain confidence, and improve the ability
to overcome difficulties.
Conclusion
In brief, my definition of health lies in physical and mental aspects. I think health is the
combination of physically strong body and mentally good state. Individual definition of
health roots in different background which can affect lifestyle and future practice. I would
take advantage of this discussion, respect the clients culture, help to improve their physical
and mental health standards.

References
Reutter, L., & Kusher, K. E. (2009). Health and Wellness. In J. Ross- Kerr & M. Wood (Eds),
Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing (pp. 2-62). Toronto, ON: Elsevier Canada.