HW420 CREATING WELLNESS: FINAL 1

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Sahr M. Cherif

Purdue Global University

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Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Health is the absence of disease, injury and illness but wellness is much more. To have

optimal health, one must also look at their mind and spirit as well. Overall Wellness promotes

behaviors that are designed to help you fulfill your maximum potential. (Seaward, 2018).

Wellness is not solely limited to our physical being but nutritional, emotional, social and other

aspects. (Seaward, 2018). One aspect that is rarely focused on is our Spiritual health; which is

harder to assess but still very much important. I believe that our spiritual health bridges the gap

between our mind and body and it is cultivating. (Seaward, 2018).

A Spiritual and Psychological Inventory helps an individual to focus on what they lack

and set up a plan to further their developments. For example, I sometimes let stress and

negativity from toxic characters get the best of me and my personal willpower becomes depleted

and it leaves me feeling hopeless. This is how I felt before I decided to start meditating. So far,

meditation has started my spiritual journey and I now know I have a purpose in life and how to

balance my inner needs. It is better to live each day knowing I have a connection to a higher

power. (Chobdee, 2017). Below are my inventory questions pertaining to mind-body-spirit.

Inventory Questions:
1. What do you think Spirituality is? Can you define it in your own words?

Importance: Many people often confuse religion and spirituality but they

aren’t the same. One can be internal while the other external. (Seaward,

2018).

Response: Spirituality is the ability to be open to a concept that has a high

regard in which we can’t explain and, in some cases, understand.

2. Do you engage in any activities that contribute or take away from your

overall well-being?
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Importance: Asking about activities can make a person think and then

realize, what they might be doing is actually harmful and hopefully such

an observation will help. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Response: Often I pray and send positive vibes when needed. I’m only

human, so most likely I have done activities that aren’t good for me. I

don’t drink or use tobacco but I do carry quite a bit of stress. I know the

stress isn’t good for me because it has caused high blood pressure, re-

activated my child-hood chickenpox (shingles) and cause me literal

sickness.

3. Which or what values have you adopted in your personal life? Do you

adhere to them or only in certain situations?

Importance: According to Brian L. Seaward, humans have two types of

values, core and supporting values, which can be used almost like a

compass to guide our spirits. (Seaward, 2018).

Response: Three of my values are love, family and contribution. These

values were instilled in me from childhood, I would never use them in a

way that would cause me to become vulnerable.

4. Have you ever tried to forgive a person for hurting you? Who do you

believe benefits the most from forgiveness?

Importance: Forgiveness is one of the most difficult things a human can

possibly do. It essentially keeps us from moving from the past and

forward. (Seaward, 2018).

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Response: I have and it was extremely hard for me to do. I think about the

situation quite a bit. I don’t hold it over the person’s head and I only

forgave them because it was necessary but I will never forget.

5. Do you believe prayer is helpful for a long distance relative or friend?

Importance: Our thoughts need to be frequently guarded from false visions,

negativity and deceptions at the same time we need answers to questions

and situations we are unsure about. (Kreitzer, 2013).

Response: Yes, prayer can be very effective for them to heal and it has

helped me in desperate times.

6. How have you grown in your spirituality? Explain.

Importance: At some point in our lives, we must pursue an inner journey

to peace and mindfulness to forge a connection with self and to find our

purpose. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Response: Hmm, that’s kind of hard to answer. I would say that instead of

dwelling, I just move on and worry about myself.

7. Do you let others, whether it be loved ones or friends, control what you

think or feel regarding your religion/spirituality?

Importance: Spirituality is a personal journey and no connections can be

forged until a meaning is found. (Stahl & Goldstein, 2010).

Response: Honestly, I use to. I use to let other people tell me who, what,

when and where I should “worship” and let them lead me. Their leadership

lead me onto a path of self-destruction and it was years before I was able

to “see the light”.

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8. Self-Renewal is a rejuvenation process. How have you rejuvenated

yourself? Did it help?

Importance: Humans need food, water and air to breathe to stay alive. We

also, need to adopt innovative ideas to build our confidence. (Blair, 2017).

Response: I’ve started to renew myself by being more social…making

new friends and learning new hobbies. For example, I’ve recently taken up

reading every night before bed. Also, I’m being physically active 30

minutes, three times a week.

9. Grudges, we all have them…do you hold onto yours? If so, why? What do

you think happens to your mind-body-soul during the process?

Importance: Unresolved feelings are toxic and can flaw relationships.

(Seaward, 2018).

Response: Oh, I use to but not anymore, what’s the point? It doesn’t bring

me joy only anger. I want to be free of un-welcomed people and their

drama.

10. Do you believe each and every person you encounter has a spirit? Yes or

No? Explain.

Importance: Spirits are what makes us unique and individual. (Kreitzer,

2013).

Response: Now, that’s actually a great question that I’ve often wondered

about myself. Sometimes, I’m out at a store and I can just feel a dark

energy surrounding some individuals…those are the ones I try to stay

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away from. I do believe everyone has a spirit, but those that are dealing

with anger/pain or resentment come off as being evil.

The person I interviewed was my wife, Kiska Cherif. Upon completion of our interview

I was clearly able to get an idea of her psychological and spiritual health. Some of her responses

were surprising but others not so much. She has been pretty much and open book when it comes

to her spirituality. She often talks about her experience, growing up in church and how much it

has affected her personality and how she observes things now. I’ve noticed that sometimes she

does have a hard time forgiving a person that has wronged her but she always talks it out or vents

about it with me. In a way, I see a reflection of myself in her... she feels obligated to do or help

people when she doesn’t have to. My wife is just starting on her spiritual path but I do think she

has a healthy understanding on what’s important. One activity that I have been encouraging her

to do is to meditate when she is stressed. Over the last few years, her health has declined and

meditation would be beneficial to help clear her mind.

After looking over Kiska’s inventory and reflecting over my own experiences I think I

would have added more in-depth questions. Even though my wife took time formulating her

response, her responses were pretty straight forward. Maybe I should have asked her to give

more personal answers? Regardless, I felt like I had a firm perceptive of her spiritual status.

A Spiritual and Psychological inventory is a great tool in to use to help improve our

health and insights. With such information, you can use it to search for your spirituality and

achieve mindfulness and balance.

HW420 CREATING WELLNESS: FINAL 7

References

Blair, K. (2017). The 4 Spiritual Laws of Self Renewal. Retrieved from

https://medium.com/thrive-global/the-4-spiritual-laws-of-self-renewal-182c6c1398f6.

Chobdee, J. (2017). Spiritual Wellness. Retrieved on February 11, 2019 from

https://wellness.ucr.edu/spiritual_wellness.html

Kreitzer, M. (2013). Integrative Healing Practices: Meditation. University of Minnesota: The

Center Publishing.

Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being.

Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stahl, B., & Goldstein, E. (2010). A mindfulness-based stress reduction workbook. Oakland, CA:

New Harbinger Publications, Inc.