Medicine Wheel Analysis

In many ways, the medicine wheel is similar to a personal growth map. To have balance in life is certainly one of the most important overall goals to reach, but at the same time, it can be difficult to achieve. Personally, I find that an increased degree of focus and effort in one area commonly results in a decreased degree of focus in one or more areas. Several areas of my life come to mind when I think about personal development, among which include my emotional, physical, mental and spiritual growth. In this assignment, I will reflect on the situations that I need help with as well as those that have helped me develop.

Emotional

The first area of the medicine wheel that I want to write about is the emotional aspect. “Emotional wellness

involves the ability to recognize, accept and express feelings and to accept limitations” (Kozier et al., 2010). For sixteen years, Philippines was my home, but my life was changed when my family immigrated to Canada hoping for a better future. I had a strong feeling that my life would soon change forever. I was torn between the sadness of leaving my whole life behind, including my friends, my dog, and my home, and starting a new life in an unknown place. I experienced a great deal of anxiety during this period. Upon arrival in Canada, I felt as though I was an outcast for the first time in my life. I was faced with the challenge of finding new friends and adapting to a whole new – and very different – culture. I knew this would be my
toughest challenge to date. Before long, I made some friends and found that I was enjoying my
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stay here. Prior to my arrival in Canada, I thought everything would be nice and easy, but it did not turn out that way; life was difficult. However, surprisingly enough, the change in lifestyle created a positive change within me. I became a more independent and responsible person. For example, when I started working at the age of 16, I quickly learned the value of money, which was an important lesson for me. Not only was I proud of my earning based on my hard work, but this experience also gave me confidence as an individual. Indeed, I struggled with my confidence for various reasons, among which was my inability to express myself effectively. I consider myself an introvert, which makes it difficult for me to express how I feel. Perhaps my upbringing may have influenced this, as my family is not open in expression of their thoughts and feelings. Also, coming here, I felt self-conscious about my accent, and I worried about what other would think about it. Now, I gained confidence to express how I feel, but I still think that I need a lot of work on it!
Physical.

The second part of the wheel I will consider is my physical well being. I personally believe that each individual has the responsibility to take the needed steps to improve their physical health, including the “ability to carry out daily tasks, achieve fitness, [and] maintain adequate proper nutrition” (Kozier et al., 2009). As a teenager, I often starved myself to lose weight, especially when I was in high school. Most of the time, I felt weak and my stomach pained me greatly. After some time, I decided to change my lifestyle and I knew the changes needed to go beyond my eating habits. Mussel (2005) states, “needs that must be met for the healthy maturation of the physical body include: oxygen, food, water, rest, exercise, sensory stimulation, safety and security” (p.116). I quit starving myself and started to eat

healthy.

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Presently, I continue to make time to focus on bettering myself through exercise and meditation. Indeed, I have found these things to be very beneficial and they have become things that I look forward to in my routine.
Mental.

The third part is my mental health. In the past, my academic struggles were strongly affected by my inability to cope with multiple unfortunate life events that occurred over the past couple of years. Indeed, I am well aware that personal hardships do not justify my poor academic performance, but during this period, I found it difficult to focus on my school work because I was so overwhelmed with the person problems I was facing. However, I eventually found a way to turn my problems into my motivation. Specifically, during the final days of my grandmother’s life, I saw how a bad nurse would treat her. Since then, I realized that I would never allow any family member to go through that kind of treatment. That was my key motivation for continuing my education. Also, I worked hard to get a seat in the College of Nursing. I also made sacrifices in my family and social life to study, which included missing social events and hardly going home to Saskatoon to see my family because I chose to study on the weekends instead. Ultimately, my dedication and commitment paid off since I got a

seat!
Spiritual. The fourth and last part of the Medicine Wheel is spiritual. I do consider myself a Christian, and I would definitely say that I have a strong relationship with God. Over the years, a lot has happened and I have change tremendously. I used to pray about every single thing. I often wonder how I let myself get into the hiatus that I am in. I managed to let loose one of the true things that kept me balanced- praying. I am going to set aside time each day to actually talk to God again. In addition to my religious spirituality, I have found other activities,
such as yoga and meditation, to give me a sense of calm and peace. These activities are relatively
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new to my life, but I have found them to be of real value to me on multiple levels, which is why I consider them to be important to my spirituality.
Conclusion
Reflecting on my life using the Medicine Wheel has helped me realize that the there are a number of areas that I have not given sufficient focus. It is clear that living a good life requires balance between all areas and each area carries an equal degree of importance to one’s overall wellbeing. Of course, I am still learning, but I have already realized that I have to organize my time effectively to get things done properly. Specifically, I have to categorize tasks according to my needs, values and goals. I believe that working through life’s challenges is important, and doing so has made me stronger and better as a person. I have grown considerably as a person; I am stronger, more confident, and determined to make the most out of the opportunities I am afforded. As research indicates, high quality social environments, trusting relationships, and social support all contribute towards healthier populations. Looking towards the future, I believe that I can benefit significantly from balancing my needs and utilizing the resources that are available to me.