Unit 9 Assignment 1

HW 420

Unit 9 Assignment

Harry Friend

Kaplan University
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Unit 9 Assignment

Wellness that can encompass the mind-body-spirit is the ideal for all of us. Though we

spend many hours working towards bettering our mind and body, the spirit seems to fall through

the cracks. Over the next few pages I will discuss my top 10 questions that I feel are important to

determine ones current state of spiritual wellness. I will explain why each question is important

and then I will interview the most honest person that I know with these questions. From that

interview I will see if I can assist the interviewee develop their own spiritual and psychological

development plan and discuss any changes I would make to my inventory based on the results of

the interview.

What do you believe is your purpose in life?

Everyone has a purpose in this life, and more often than not, it takes some time to truly

understand this. Our purpose can also be interpreted as our meaning to life, and Ingersoll

describes this as an “individual sense that life is worth living” (Ingersoll, 1996). Knowing your

purpose and meaning in life is a step towards an efficient spiritual health.

How do you replenish your soul?

My interpretation is that our soul is like our muscles, and eventually, they get fatigued.

There are many different ways to replenish our soul, as there are many different people in this

world. Each person has their methods that work for them. Being able to replenish our soul is also

a step toward a stronger mind-body-spirit connection.

Is your soul able to forgive the most difficult of circumstances? Why?

The soul is a part of our lives, and being able to forgive with our soul is an important step

toward a stronger spirit. It is not an easy task, especially when the soul has been hurt severely.
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Understanding this concept can have a huge impact on the person initially and for the rest of

their life.

Are you able to forgive yourself?

Being able to forgive yourself is another tool for your spiritual health. Honestly, if we can

forgive others for the things they do, should we not be able to forgive ourselves for making

wrong choices? If we love others, sometimes unconditionally, we should love ourselves even

more. It is separate from living a self less life, as our souls need to know that we are there for

them. To nourish and aid whenever it is needed.

Can you honestly say you love yourself as much as you love others?

Love is one of the most powerful feelings and to love someone can have such a positive

effect on that person’s life. If that same feeling and devotion is applied to yourself it can have

one of the biggest impacts on ones life. It is also one of the hardest things to do, as loving others

is a lot easier than loving yourself. We always spot out flaws, judge ourselves, and are our

biggest critics; loving yourself is a difficult task.

How is your success measured in regards to your soul?

Successes are a great way bolster your emotions and solidify your feelings. When you are

successful at something, you have a sense of being bulletproof. It has a building effect that not

only assists your mind and body, but it goes through your soul. There are certain things that are

better for your soul than others, which is why this quote “Connecting with what you desire to do

with your life comes from your soul” (Rutland 2017) makes so much sense.

Even if a situation seems hopeless, how do you have faith that it will turn out for the better?

I believe the article, How to Keep Your Faith Strong in Hard Times, explains this best. It

says to focus on the positive as “If you find yourself coming back from a difficult situation
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where your faith has been tested, begin to look for the small, but positive things happening

around you. Every good thought or encouraging experience is not an accident – these are signs to

remind you of your purpose and the hope for what is waiting for you” (Blackwell, n.d.).

Does your personal life experiences make you stronger or hold you back?

We can experience a multitude of things in our lifetimes. Some of them are good and

some of them are bad, but how we grow from they experiences are the true benefits. Sometimes

there are things that we encounter that have a huge impact on our lives, and we learn from them

and are able to move on even stronger than we were before. There are, however, other time

where we encounter something that hinders us from moving forward and in some way, shape, or

form holds us back. We still learn from the situation, we are just unable to move on from it.

What type of environment do you find the most peace? (forest, beach, city, plains) Why?

This is a way of getting our souls on the “fast track” to healing. The environment that we

surround ourselves with can either be detrimental or beneficial. Not everyone has access to these

places, which is why mindful daydreaming is a viable option to separate yourself from your

current situations. This is why it is important to know what environment brings you the most

peace.

Do you believe that every moment in life offers potential for hope? Why?

Hope can be found anywhere, as long as you are looking for it. I believe that we are

always looking for hope; we just do not see it as we think it would be in the form of what we

lost. We try to relate it to the connection that we no longer have, which is why some feel

hopeless. I think that it just presents itself in a different shape and form, and we need to be open

to see the opportunities that are before us.

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Interview with Maria Friend

What do you believe is your purpose in life? “The first thing that came to mind is to help

people. This is because my first instinct is to help someone, regardless of the situation”.

How do you replenish your soul? “I do not know if this replenishes your soul, but I like

to recharge by sitting in quiet and being still. Total silence is what helps me recharge my soul.

Ultimately, I replenish by slowing down, keeping things simple, and trying not to overthink any

situation”.

Is your soul able to forgive the most difficult of circumstances? Why? “I do not know, as

it depends on the situation. Is it practical to do that for the situation, do I know that person,

should I just pull back and close myself off from that person. It is hard, but overtime, I think I

can. There is also an end or a limit to every situation. If I hit that limit, I think I am done trying

and simply cut out that person, or situation, out of the picture”.

Are you able to forgive yourself? “At first, I say no. But after time, yes I can. It is

difficult to say, so I will go with maybe. It is very annoying to make mistakes”.

Can you honestly say you love yourself as much as you love others? “No. I am always

looking for approval from others. It is hard, as I always want attention from some, even though it

is hard. I have gotten better overtime, to know my self better and to do things that are good for

me, but it is easier to focus on other people”.

How is your success measured in regards to your soul? “To me, something that makes

you feel good. This is where if I can help others that make them feel good, then that makes me

feel good”.
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Even if a situation seems hopeless, how do you have faith that it will turn out for the

better? “I just know that everything is temporary, and it will pass. It will hurt now, but it can be

better. It will always pass I know it will”.

Does your personal life experiences make you stronger or hold you back? “They hold me

back. Being younger, you have less experiences and tend to be carefree, instead of always being

careful and overthinking a situation because of what I know. It is exhausting, and definitely

holds me back”.

What type of environment do you find the most peace? (forest, beach, city, plains) Why?

“Definitely nature, either forest or beach. The beach is calming with the water and the peace and

the sand sparkling in the sun. The forest helps me breathe. There is so much to look at and take

in, and be able to slow down and breathe”.

Do you believe that every moment in life offers potential for hope? Why? “Yes. If you

don’t have hope, then what do you have? I think that in every situation there is hope. If you don’t

have hope then what do you have? What is the point of moving on in life if you don’t have hope?

There just has to be hope”.

End of Interview

It seems that Mrs. Friend has various ways to help heal her soul, though she clearly seems

to be holding herself back from fully accepting the process. It was a very emotional interview

that brought some attention to different feelings. She knows what helps create her inner peace,

and that is the best way for her to start with her health development plan. Overall, I do not think I

would make any changes to the current inventory. They were sufficient to bring up any

underlying issues and established a way forward to deal with any soul healing that needed to take

place.
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In conclusion, the 10 questions within my inventory were great ways to self identify, as

well as to utilize among patients, to have a better understanding of the spiritual health and

ultimately how to establish a solid mind-body-spirit connection. The interview with Mrs. Friend

was a very memorable one and will likely be used in future research and other theories in the

future. After all, these questions were to observe and establish how ones life is going. If we

cannot enjoy our own life, then we need to change the way we are living.
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References

Blackwell, A. (n.d.). How to Keep Your Faith Strong in Hard Times. Retrieved from

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/everydayinspiration/2013/08/how-to-keep-your-

faith-strong-in-tough-times.html.

Friend, M. (05/2018). [Personal Interview].

Ingersoll, E. (1996). The Spiritual Wellness Inventory. Retrieved from

http://elliottingersoll.com/Spiritual_Wellness_Test.html.

Ouvry, T. (2015). Three Dimensions of Mindful Daydreaming. Retrieved from

http://tobyouvry.com/2015/05/three-dimensions-of-mindful-daydreaming/.

Rutland, J. (2017). 5 Ways to Brighten Your Soul’s Inner Drive. Retrieved from

https://addicted2success.com/life/5-ways-to-brighten-your-souls-inner-drive/.

Seaward, B. L. (2013). Health of the Human Spirit, 2nd Edition. Burlington, MA: Jones &

Bartlett Learning.