Reflect on your overall state of health. Discuss what behaviors support or detract from your health and well-being. Explain where you currently fall on the health-illness continuum.

In reflecting on my health, specifically wellness and illness, I am continually pursuing good health. As a fully aware and educated health care provider, I continually seek to improve my health and wellness with a focus on avoiding the different health conditions and disease. Currently, I assess myself as being in good health based on the health-illness continuum. I have used my professional knowledge of health and disease to develop factors and behaviors that help me shift towards high level wellness in the continuum. The healthy factors and behaviors that I have developed include having a positive attitude toward health, adopting healthy eating habits, eating low carbohydrate meals that reduce opportunities for developing heart disease and diabetes, and engaging in regular moderate exercise. In addition, I am open to exploring evidence-based options and resources for improving health. These include public information forums and education materials on common ailments since they offer information on how to improve health, address health concerns, and avoid ill health. I am continuously striving to improve my health and believe that my efforts are not in vain.

1. 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.).

There are six options and resources that are available to help me move towards wellness on the health-illness spectrum. The first resource is medical facilities and personnel that help with identifying ill-health and their sources as well as offering advice on strategies for improving health. They have diagnostic equipment that are useful for identifying the specific causes of illness and development effective treatment strategies such as the right drug regiments. The second resource is public information systems, such as health websites managed by government organizations and other establishments that offer useful information on common ailments. The third resource is the internet that acts as a useful search tool for collecting information on health concerns and how to improve wellness. The fourth resource is social media that acts as a public forum for exchanging information on strategies for improving health and wellness. The fifth resource is the local gym that present tools for engaging in physical exercises and improving physical health. The final resource is social support systems that as the family who help with achieving good health through offering advice and presenting an enabling environment. Human Experience Across Health-Illness Continuum

Conclusion

One must accept that the health-illness continuum is a good tool for understanding the transient health status of an individual. In addition, one must acknowledge that a good understanding of the continuum is important for health care providers as it enables them to care for patients, and not just treat them. It helps with making the patients feel connected, safe and loved even as it allows providers to offer individualized care that incorporates the unique experiences of each patient. Besides that, it helps with establishing a relationship between provider and patients thus acting as the essence of health promotion. As a result, considering the dimensions of health and wellness as envisioned by the health-illness continuum helps in directing patients to participate in their health care so that they shift from normal health achieving through interventions by providers to good health and high-level wellness achieved through personal participation.

References

Finkelman, A., & Kenner, C. (2014). Professional Nursing Concepts: Competencies for Quality Leadership (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Hansen-Turton, T., Sherman, S., & King, E. (Eds.) (2015). Nurse-Led Health Clinics: Operations, Policy, and Opportunities. Springer Publishing Company, LLC.