The Wellness Tree: Philosophy of Health

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

This reading inspires and suggests a different way of looking at ones health. The author proposes that by regarding oneself as a being of energy, one can enhance ones well-being over the whole of life. While this approach may present challenges to embracing it right now, it certainly opens up many avenues for thought and action.

My philosophy of health has not been clearly articulated in the past. In this, I am probably like many people. I have taken for granted that I will have good health while young, and probably experience health problems when older. I have also taken for granted that medicine will help me to some extent as my health issues multiply.

This attitude probably arises from seeing relatives and family friends showing different degrees of health and robustness in different decades of life. Siblings are just as vigorous and healthy as I am. Uncles and aunts are healthy, but take fewer risks with their bodies. Grandparents health concerns may interfere with their productivity and enjoyment of life. Great-grandparents are more frail or dead of the diseases of old age. For a child, this is just the way the world is, and few children question it. This, nonetheless, was my first introduction to the idea that health was not unvarying, and was, thus my first, immature philosophy of health.

As I have grown older myself, I have also watched as my relations and neighbors showed signs of aging. They show decreased vigor and increasingly complain of health concerns. This recognition of changes in people over time has occurred only since adolescence. Before then, such changes were simply not noticeable to me, partly because I was less aware of my growth and development. Adolescence showed me that I was a creature that passes through phases and stages of life. This realization made it easier to notice the stages of life and health that others experience as well. I now notice aging very clearly everyone that I interact with over time.

For example, an uncle who played football with his nephews in his 20s safeguards his knees in his 40s. The grandparent or great-uncle who once chased me as a toddler is now glad to sit down. The beloved great-grandparent who once participated in all family events needs help with daily chores. I have assumed, I think, that this decreasing mobility and freedom of action would happen to me as well, without having thought about it very carefully or specifically.

This was my more recent philosophy of health still very unsophisticated, but with the addition of a perspective of time. I certainly did not delve into the three aspects of health as described in this course. My family cared for my physical health and warned me away from risky behaviors. My mind was to be improved with as much education as I could manage financially and intellectually. Spirit was taken care of by my attending to religious obligations to the degree demanded by my family and community. This was the extent of explicit attention paid to what I now learn are three aspects of health

This is very much like what the author of the reading describes. We take for granted that we will live a certain number of years, then experience a disease that disables and kills us, or, if we are lucky, kills us so fast that we are not aware of having had a disease (OBrien and Jaidev 14). I have certainly inferred this from the experience in my family and community. Many people, myself included, also tend to focus on physical well being without reference to spiritual and mental well being.

The particular reading promises a great deal but offers little practical guidance on behaving like an energy being. However, this segment suggests a novel way to consider the human life cycle. The reading inspires me to aim for being the best I can be at each age. This requires being more in charge of the way that I feel.

My goal for this course is to take better charge of my health. This will have to begin with awareness. I need to be conscious of my health more of the time.

I know that smoking and obesity are two major health factors, and I can control both, to some extent at least. I can change the way that I eat, exercise, sleep, monitor screen time, and allow time for mental rest and recuperation. I can do this myself, without medical intervention.

My intellectual life is very fulfilling right now. It is also all-consuming. However, I now realize that a dull or otherwise awful job could negatively affect my health. This should shape my job hunt.

My spiritual health is the area where I have the fewest specific ideas. I think that if I remain aware that my spiritual health is important, I will be on the lookout for ways to optimize it. The religious practices of my family may be comforting, and I will try to reconnect with them to see whether they build me up, or have no impact. Meanwhile, I will be listening and trying to observe what works for the people around me whom I admire.

The assigned reading is a reminder that we are more than skin and bones, organs, and blood, that will inevitably malfunction. We have the potential to be healthier and more productive at each stage of life, according to the authors (OBrien and Jaidev 16). This is an empowering notion. If I can manage even a few goals eliminating some sources of health stress and adding positive behaviors, I will have taken good advantage of this course.

Works Cited

OBrien, Justin and Swami Jaidev. The Wellness Tree. St. Paul: Yes International, 2000. Print.

Click Here To Order Now!

The Wellness Tree: Philosophy of Health

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)