Prescription Paper Final
Prescription Paper Final
Prescription Paper Final
Prescription Paper
Health Education - PCC
January 31, 2016
SELF-ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH:
Physical Health: I stay active by walking roughly 2-3 miles per day as well as
occasionally practice yoga. My BMI (body mass index) is at 23.1, which is considered to
be a normal for my age. Im fairly conscious of my diet, and although I snack like every
other person, I try to ensure I eat varied and nutritious meals as often as possible. It can
be challenging at times to eat well during the day while also taking care of a small baby,
but I try to make sure I have leftovers from the day before that can be heated in minutes.
Social Health: My social life decreased dramatically when I had a baby, but it didnt
really bother me, until recently when I began noticing that it was affecting my happiness.
I dont have a huge social need, in fact I quite enjoy being alone, but once I am around
other people I generally thrive. I think of myself as fairly open and honest, but I also like
to keep my privacy. My close relationships with my husband and parents are mostly
healthy, but certainly also have their ups and downs. Becoming parents has put stress on
our marriage, and although we love our new roles together, we have also found that lack
of sleep and changes in our home dynamic have caused frustration and unnecessary
bickering.
Intellectual Health: I am an over-thinker and I prefer to plan before doing.
Sometimes it can get in the way of me actually doing anything, but for the most part it
helps me ensure that I make smart and sensible choices. I hate making mistakes, so its
rare that I do something wrong twice. You would think that since I am such a planner
that I would always be on time, but sadly not. I find that I sometimes work better under
stress, but since becoming a mother Ive had to realize that I cant do both.
you in a given moment, while acknowledging and accepting that thoughts and feelings
will come and go.
3 GOALS TO IMPROVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE:
#1 Practice Mindfulness:
To improve my spiritual health I plan on practicing mindfulness every day, even if I only
have a few minutes available here and there. My biggest problem with meditation is the
fear that I may be too distracted to achieve anything. Steve Hickman, the founder and
director of the University of California at San Diego Center for Mindfulness, does
however offer a solution to this in his article Take Your Mind for a Walk, published on
the online magazine Mindful. Consider the possibility that nothing is a distraction in the
practice of mindfulness, but instead that thought, sight, sensation, sound or smell are
simply phenomena that arise in meditation (2016). Mindfulness is not about clearing the
mind, like other forms of meditation, but instead learning to bring awareness back to the
breath, when feeling an interruption arise. It should be done with kindness and
acceptance without struggle or analyzes. Its worth noting that you do not have to just
practice mindfulness at home. Walking can be a great way to achieve a meditative state,
while also helping yourself stay physically active.
#2 Sleep More, Stress Less:
Getting enough sleep as a new mom can be a challenge, but it is important for a number
of health reasons. It is advised that adults sleep between 7-9 hours every night.
Unfortunately for many parents this is not possible, but the consequence may be an
increase in stress. The American Psychology Association (APA) highlight the importance
of sleep in their press release Stress and Sleep published on their website apa.org.
According to survey findings conducted by the APA, 52% of parents lose patience and
yell at their children when sleep deprived, compared to 27% who have had enough sleep
(Stress and Sleep). They also report that adults getting less than the recommended
hours of sleep every day feel more overwhelmed, lack motivation, feel more irritable and
angry, argue more with their spouse or partner and exercise less (Stress and Sleep).
Lack of sleep sleep not only increases stress levels, it can also interfere with several other
dimensions of your health and should therefore be avoided. To achieve my goal I plan to
go to bed an hour earlier every night, and nap with my daughter when needed.
#3 Improve Communication with Spouse:
It is crucial to me that my husband and I find a good constructive way to communicate,
even when parenting becomes challenging. Bad communication affects our social health,
which may cause issues such as stress, sadness, anxiety, depression and loneliness. Our
plan to improve this is to actively listen to each other and try to avoid passive aggressive
behavior. We need to find room for each others differences and be more accepting. If we
cannot improve things on our own, we have decided that we will see a marriage
counselor.
OVERALL CONCLUSION
To truly achieve health and wellness we all need to find a way to balance all our
dimensions of health. If just one dimension of health is neglected, the others will likely
feel the effect too. It is important to regularly assess your own health and not be afraid or
ashamed to seek help when needed. Creating a healthy lifestyle takes time and effort, but
once you are in the habit, everything is possible.
Sources:
Greater Good Berkeley University of California. (2016). Mindfulness [Web page].
Retrieved from http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
American Psychological Association. (2013). Stress and Sleep [Web page]. Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/sleep.aspx
Hickman, S. (2016, January 26). Take Your Mind for a Walk [Web page] Retrieved from
http://www.mindful.org/take-your-mind-for-a-walk/