14: Closing and Reflection
- Page ID
- 137212
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)"What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make and end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from."
T. S. Eliot from Little Gidding
In starting this journey of exploring your wellness, you ended the routine you were doing before and made a new beginning. Now you are at a different end - the end of the structure this text provided - but you have the opportunity to be at a new beginning where you can continue with habits and wellness activities that are intentional and responsive to your needs. As noted at the outset of this text, the real impact is in what you will do with the information you learned about yourself. The goal of this closing section is to help you process what you have learned and think about new goals you can set going forward.
Near the beginning of this text, you did an in-depth evaluation of your wellness. You were prompted to consider three questions coming from the Model for Improvement:
- What am I trying to accomplish?
- How will I know that a change is an improvement?
- What changes can I make that will result in improvement?
Do these questions sound familiar? Hopefully! Because they are the key questions of this text. They provide a system and structure that can be used for improvement, not only personally related to wellness, but in many professional and vocational settings as well. They can help with both big and small decisions and are a framework for improvement.
In Weekly Recommendation/Homework 2.1 of this text, you were asked to reflect on the three questions and come up with 3-5 specific goals that you could work towards to improve your wellness. Additionally, most of the wellness activities had a reflection question that also asked for a wellness goal. Go back and find your responses to both the initial reflection prompt and the weekly goals and consider the following questions in light of your earlier responses.
- How did you progress in meeting the overall goals you set?
- Have the changes you made been an improvement based on your initial goals/reflection?
- Why do you think you were able to meet that goal? Or why didn't you meet that goal?
- Consider some of your weekly goals from the reflections. Were you successful in meeting some of these weekly goals?
- How did those weekly goals help you (or did not help you) meet the larger goals?
Lastly, we would gently encourage you to set some new goals that reflect your learning and development.
- What are your future plans for wellness?
Closing
One of the objectives of this text is to help you assess and identify your own wellness needs. At the end of each week's activity, we encouraged you to reflect on the information you learned and notice changes that you were experiencing. How do you feel? Do you feel more in touch with your body, mind, and spirit? Do you feel more equipped to be responsive to your wellness needs? In case it was not clear:
Your reflection matters.
A space for reflection can provide the opportunity to routinely check in and continue moving forward with a growth mindset that both recognizes how far you have already come and what path you want to continue going forward with in the future. Including a time in your daily routine - even 5 minutes - to check-in with your mind, body, and spirit is key to living a life that is balanced.
Wellness is a journey! Exploring wellness activities can and should be a life-long pursuit. Our hope is that this text has given you tools to live this balanced life and that not only will you integrate some of these activities into your own life, but that you will share what you have learned with others. Nothing in this text has to be a secret! By sharing and teaching others, it will help to instill the concepts that you have learned deeper into your core and provide a richer, fuller life experience.
May the Lord bless you on your journey.
Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you his peace. (Image by Dr. Michael D. Evans from Facebook.)