Sifon Cole HW420 1

Unit 9 Final Project: Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Sifon Cole, Course: HW420

Ins: Dorette Nyswewander

February 18, 2022

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Abstract

In this assignment, I will conduct spiritual and psychological interview to gauge two

participants’ state of wellness. I chose questions that would force the interviewees to dig deeper

and potentially face uncomfortable truths. In doing this, greater revelations can be found. I will

report the findings along with conclusions about how the findings could be incorporated for

mind-body-spirit health. Any additions or subtractions to the inventory developed will be

deemed necessary to heighten its effectiveness at the end. The inventory should be a list of at

least 10 well thought out questions that can be asked to best help someone understand their

spectrum of spirituality and psychological self. Examples will be provided to explain why each

question is valuable to include as part of the inventory.

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Libertá

My 10-question psychological and spiritual inventory consists of questions that I have

avoided thinking about. I incorporated these questions because sometimes the toughest questions

can provide us with the biggest breakthroughs. The purpose of creating a spiritual/psychological

inventory is to determine a state of wellness. I chose to conduct my interview with two

contrasting participants. The first participant is my long-time friends of 15 years, Andrelle, who

is studying to be a pastor. On the other hand, the second participant is my little sister, Medara,

who is 18 years old believes that there is a higher power, but just doesn’t think she knows what it

is. I believe that it is good to learn differing opinions and/or beliefs because it helps us better

understand each other. I named my inventory Libertá because it means freedom in Italian.

Obtaining harmony between your mind-body-spirit is my idea of freedom.

Self-forgiveness

Self-forgiveness is an emotion-focused coping strategy that involves reducing negative,

and increasing positive, thoughts, emotions, motivations, and behaviors regarding oneself (Hall

& Fincham, 2008; Worthington & Langberg, 2012). Forgiving oneself can relieve feelings of

guilt, shame, and low self-esteem. Also, discovering the cause of your anger is the beginning of

correcting negative behavior associated with that emotion. So, my question is, do you have any

regrets or things you wish you can change? If so, what are they? What could you have done

differently in that situation? The following responses were provided by my interviewees:

Andrelle: “I do not have any regrets. Everything is a learning experience. Looking back now

being closer to God, I wouldn’t let people go so easily. I would change my response to it and say

that it is ok to care if someone has left.”

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Medara: “I have a lot of regrets like many other people. My most common regrets are when I

hurt someone due to my own ignorance or lack of compassion.”

Self-worth1

What are you worthy of? I asked my participants this question because many women

lack this attribute whether it is due to past trauma or male driven society pressures placed on us.

Also, I recorded the time it took for each person to answer the question. Not only is confidence

not instilled in women as much as men, but we are taught to dim our shine. Women are led to

believe that being confident is arrogant and we should be humble and meek. Self-worth is

defined by Merriam-Webster as “a feeling that you are a good person who deserves to be treated

with respect.” Here are the participants’ answers: Andrelle:

Medara: “I'm worthy of anything. Honestly I think being "worthy of something" doesn't really

mean much. People get stuff they don't think they deserve but do, and others get stuff they do

think they deserve but don't. If you mean what good things do I think I deserve, my answer is

still anything, but specifically I would say anything I'm willing to put my all into getting.”

Love.

Do you love yourself? Who loves you? How do you or they display love? Self-love is

extremely important from the way you carry yourself to what you put in your body. Moreover,

acknowledging how others treat you is equally important. Once it is established, weed out the

people who only bring negativity into your life. If that person, is you, write down the behaviors

you would like to change and a substitution for them. My volunteers answered in the following

ways: Andrelle:

Medara: “I do love myself. My family and friends love me, my community loves me, and my

ancestors do as well I hope. My family and friends love me by devoting their time and
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compassion to my growth and well-being. My community(ies) loves me by loving themselves,

and showing kindness. My ancestors show they love me by the gifts they've given me.”

Pursuit of Happiness.

What makes you happy? When is the last time you participated? Any barriers?

Engaging in activities that make you smile with people that you love increases your social

wellness. A state of happiness is temporary just like any other emotion. Happiness must be

sought after each day, so knowing what makes you happy plays a big part. These were the

interviewees answers: Andrelle:

Medara: “Watching anime makes me happy. The last time I participated was this morning before

I went to work. A barrier to me watching anime is that I have to make money to live, so I have to

sell days of my life that I could have spent watching anime or doing many other things that

would have been much more fulfilling.

Commitment.

Who or what are you committed and why? Only one of my participants said that they

were committed to themselves which is understandable. For Andrelle, she is a mother of a 10-

year-old boy and as a parent you always put your child first. However, Medara is graduating

from high school with a associates degree. Maybe, being in an accelerated education programs

feels like she is doing it more for our family then herself sometimes. These are their responses:

Andrelle:

Medara: “I’m committed to myself because that's a part of loving myself.”

Renewal
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What fulfills you? It is important to remember to pour energy back into yourself through

hobbies, meditation, or spending time with love ones. The following statements were given in

response: Andrelle:

Medara: “Feeling inspired also fulfills me.” For some context, she is a artist, paints, draws,

sculpts, and recently started dabbling in graphic design.

Nutrition1

What is your daily diet? Are there any improvements that can be made? Motivation?

Your mind, body, and soul are all connected. According to Harvard Health, “Put simply, what

you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood. ...

Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired

brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.”

Selhub MD, E. (Nov 16, 2015). The following answers were given by my interviewees:

Andrelle:

Medara: “ My daily diet is kind of garbage I'm not gonna lie. I've made a considerable effort to

improve my diet over the months but it's still not where I want it. I eat whatever I can for

breakfast, whatever I can for lunch, and whatever I can for dinner. Quality and portion size are

largely negligible. Some days I only manage to remember to eat once a day, and that about 35

percent of the time. My motivation to improve my diet is to simply feel healthier and more

energized. Being able to put on weight would be nice too.”

Conclusion

Both Andrelle and Medara agreed that my spiritual and psychology inventory helped

assess their spectrum of spiritual and psychological self. Areas of improvement noted by my
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participants were nutrition and relaxation techniques. Overall, based off their answers to the 10-

question psychological and spiritual inventory, they are both very self-aware, mindful, and

responsible for their wellness. Steps of self-care that Medara uses includes different mediums of

art, skin care regimen, therapy, and a diary. Andrelle teaches women's ministry and is currently

being trained to be a pastor. Upon reflection, I would add the following questions to my spiritual

and psychological inventory: Are you open to adding anything to your daily routine such as

meditation or attending church? What makes you feel closer to the world around you? I was

delighted to find out that I learned a different outlook on life through my participants responses.
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References

Davis, D. E., Ho, M. Y., Griffin, B. J., Bell, C., Hook, J. N., Van Tongeren, D. R., & ...

Westbrook, C. J. (2015). Forgiving the self and physical and mental health correlates: A

meta-analytic review. Journal Of Counseling Psychology, 62(2), 329-335.

doi:10.1037/cou0000063

http://search.ebscohost.com.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/login.aspx?

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Global, P. U. (2022). Unit 9 Final Project - HW420 Creating Wellness- Psychological and

Spiritual Aspects of Healing. Sign in for Purdue Global. Retrieved February 18, 2022,

from https://purdueglobal.brightspace.com/d2l/le/content/197249/viewContent/

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MD, E. S. (2020, March 26). Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food. Harvard Health.

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psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626#:~:text=Put%20simply%2C%20what

%20you%20eat,and%2C%20ultimately%2C%20your%20mood.&text=Multiple

%20studies%20have%20found%20a,mood%20disorders%2C%20such%20as

%20depression.