Discuss the options and resources available to you to help you move toward wellness on the health-illness spectrum. Describe how these would assist in moving you toward wellness (managing a chronic disease, recovering from an illness, self-actualization, etc.).

Discuss the options and resources available to you to help you move toward wellness on the health-illness spectrum. Describe how these would assist in moving you toward wellness (managing a chronic disease, recovering from an illness, self-actualization, etc.).

How the Health-Illness Continuum Promotes Value and Dignity

The health-illness continuum has significantly impacted my approach to providing better healthcare. One of the areas that the continuum has impacted is the promotion of value and dignity (Fex et al., 2011). The continuum helped me to understand the value of education and awareness in promoting overall healthcare. As a healthcare provider, I have always believed in proactive care. However, I had limited my approach to the use of vaccination and promoting healthy behaviors. While my approach encompassed education and awareness, it failed to account for providing proper guidance on how to provide education and awareness to the population I serve appropriately. After learning about the continuum, I have constantly been researching ways to improve my approach to proactive care, particularly as it pertains to value and dignity (Fex et al., 2011). I have begun promoting value and dignity through using advocacy to promote proactive care. For example, I have become an advocate for non-intrusive procedures wherever possible. This helps to preserve the patient’s dignity while promoting the quality of healthcare that the organization gives to its clients.

Another way the health-illness continuum has assisted me is that it has given me a blueprint to follow that leads to human flourishing (Gazaway et al., 2019). The continuum has helped me establish a standard that determines what qualifies as human flourishing. Before I was aware of the standard, I had thought that human flourishing was the absence of illness. However, I have discovered that human flourishing is associated more with wellness than health (Gazaway et al., 2019). With this knowledge, I have sought to improve my approach to providing healthcare by promoting wellness.

Reflection on My Overall State of Health

I believe that my health is in a good state. My last check-up shows that I am a model of good health. I have no illnesses besides some back pain which is a product of my awkward sitting position. Other than that, I have great health. I also believe that I have attained wellness. As a result of my profession, I have access to a lot more information concerning than the average person. This means that I am educated and aware of how to improve my health, which places me closer to high-level wellness.

What prevents me from achieving peak wellness are my unhealthy habits. One of these habits is that my diet is terrible. I am a huge fan of fast food, and with the crazy life of a nurse, I doubt it will change over time (Alexander et al., 2021). This means I eat more calories than I should, which has heavily influenced my weight. Though I exercise from time to time, inconsistency has been my enemy, and I have failed to attain a healthy BMI. This is the only area in my life that I feel has hindered me from achieving wellness. I have begun working on improving my health by finding an exercise regimen that I can adhere to. I have also begun looking at healthy eating alternatives.