I
remember the first time I heard the term “biopsychosocial-spiritual”.
It
was fall 2016 and I just started my Master of Social Work program. I sat near
the front of the classroom with my new friends in our first human behavior
course.
Our
instructor was a knowledgeable woman who had worked several different jobs
within her career as a social worker. When she wasn’t teaching at our
university, she still worked full time in geriatrics. To this day, I still
refer to the helpful anecdotes she shared from her experiences in the field.
She
delved straight into the goal of that course on day one: to learn how to do a
biopsychosocial or, as our instructor preferred, the biopsychosocial-spiritual
assessment.
The
what?
Though
it sounds like a tongue twister, this assessment is important and serious. How
well an assessment is completed can determine the quality of treatment that a
patient or client receives.
According
to the National Association of Social Workers (2016), this approach is
characterized by “tak[ing] into account a client’s physical or medical
condition; emotional or psychological state; socioeconomic, sociocultural, and
sociopolitical state; and spiritual needs and concerns” when providing services
(p. 10). It recognizes and emphasizes that people are complex and have several
areas of health that need to be cared for in order to have overall wellbeing (National,
2016, p. 10).
As
I’ve considered what my resolutions are going to be in the new year, I’ve mused
over this approach. I keep finding memes online that joke about gyms being full
on January 1st and empty on the 2nd, as well as articles on the same kinds of goals,
like diets and exercise.
How
blasé.
When
I look up “New Years’ Resolutions” online, it seems like everyone only cares
about their physical health. While I know that’s not the case, I have to dig a
little deeper online to find ideas related to mental health, social life, and
spirituality. How odd when, as a social worker, I’ve been taught that holistic
health comes from multiple areas in our lives, not just physical.
Now,
I’ve never been one go with what everyone else is doing. I like to do things
slightly different, with a touch of variety to keep my life unique. I especially
enjoy marrying my passions together, like with my social work background and my
writing. Somehow, that led to the idea of a post on New Years’ resolution ideas
from the biopsychosocial-spiritual perspective.
So,
without further ado, let’s get started!
1
Biological
The
bio part of the biopsychosocial-spiritual stands for the biological.
Now,
like I said before, I’ve found that physical health is the most popular New
Years’ resolution. It’s not just me who thinks so either. According to Economy
(2019), in a survey by Inc on New Years’ resolutions for 2019, a whopping 71%
of the 2,000 participants chose to “[d]iet or eat healthier”.
Not
only is the top resolution related to physical health, but so were the next two.
The second was to “exercise more” from 65% of participants, while the third was
to “lose weight” from 54% of participants (Economy, 2019).
As
a result of this popularity, I won’t spend too long on the biological. However,
here are some tips for trying to exercise more as this is one of my resolutions
as well:
Pick
a method of exercise that is easy to start, free, fits easily into your
schedule, and gives you external motivation to complete it.
Let
me explain a personal example.
I
have a pet dachshund who struggles with her weight – as most dogs of the breed
do with their little legs – so she needs plenty of exercise to stay healthy.
The
best decision for my own exercise is for me to walk her. Firstly, it’s easy to
start and free, unlike getting a gym membership. Secondly, I can easily slot in
a twenty-minute window in the morning to walk her by getting up a half hour
earlier. Thirdly, my dog is my external motivation as I love her, want to be a
good doggy mommy, and feel guilty when I see her get chubby.
Using
this method actually helped me walk her almost every day for several months straight
without much preparation. The only reason I stopped is because of a family
crisis that occurred. Now that things have settled down, there’s no better time
to start back up than the new year!
2
Psychological
The
psycho part of the biopsychosocial-spiritual stands for the psychological.
(No,
it has nothing to do with the film, Psycho!)
While
mental health isn’t directly listed in the top ten resolutions of Inc’s survey,
I believe that psychological wellbeing is the goal of physical resolutions like
exercise and dieting.
For
example, I looked up mental health resolutions. The first article Google offered
is by CPH & Associates (n.d.), which lists the top mental health resolution
as, “I will be physically active each day. Studies have shown there is a link
between mental and physical health”.
While
indeed there are studies, I’m not going to delve into that right now as I want
to focus less on the physical aspect that’s so often talked about. (If you’re
interested, though, check out Biddle’s article in the World Psychiatry academic
journal on the connection between physical and mental health here.)
Self-care
is incredibly important, yet easily overlooked. It’s preached repeatedly within
the social work circles I’m in and I’m glad to see it’s trickling into the
personal realms of my life and those I care about.
There
are many psychological benefits to self-care. Ayala et. al. (2018) conducted a three-month
study on over 800 medical students from almost 50 colleges in the United
States. They found that those who self-reported self-care experienced less
stress, better “physical and psychological quality of life”, “greater resiliency
and lower risk for higher levels of distress during medical education” (Ayala et.
al., 2018).
Even
though self-care has so many benefits, though, it’s easier said than done. It’s
difficult to find time for it or it may even seem selfish, but it’s worth it in
the long run. There’s a popular idiom that says, “You can’t pour from an empty
cup.” There’s also the analogy about putting on your own air mask in an
airplane before assisting another. The moral is that you can’t properly take
care of others without taking care of yourself first.
When
something or someone is important to you, you make time for it. Why can’t you
do the same for yourself?
So,
let’s move on to a mental health resolution to try out:
Pick
one day a month to have a self-care date with yourself.
I
decided last year that mental health was going to be one of my priorities, so I
began a monthly ritual to take myself out on a self-care date. I worked at a spa
then, so I got a free monthly massage or facial and discounts on other services
and skincare products. Once a month on a day off, I’d schedule a massage and
facial and then take myself out to lunch with a good book. Sometimes, I’d even
schedule a haircut too.
Now,
not everyone can afford these activities. We don’t all have a spa paying our membership.
The point is, though, to schedule time each month to recharge by do what you
want. Maybe all you want is pack a lunch, sit on a bench in the park on a
Saturday morning, and people watch. Maybe you desire a long scenic drive on a Sunday
afternoon while blasting your favorite music. Maybe you prefer to take yourself
out to a movie on a Friday night.
Get
the idea?
Whatever
it is, as the idiom goes, you do you.
3
Social
On
that note, while it’s important to make time for ourselves, it's also important
to spend time with those we care about the most. It doesn’t matter if it’s with
our large family or small group of friends. That’s why I’m not surprised at all
that the tenth resolution on Inc’s list is to “[s]pend more time with family
and friends”, with 13% of participants (Economy, 2019).
I
don’t know how many times I’ve heard that popular saying on how humans are
social creatures, but it’s true and for good reasons too. According to Young
(2008), there is a correlation between neurological changes due to “human
social behaviour”. There are several studies that show heightened levels of
certain chemicals in the human brain, like serotonin and oxytocin, caused by
social interaction (Young, 2008).
In
my own experience, this might be because a good support system can lead to
better economic, cultural, and political outcomes, which is the point of the
social part of the biopsychosocial-spiritual.
For
example, you might have a parent willing to cosign so you can build your credit.
Perhaps you enjoy spending time with friends from the same cultural background
as you, which leads to a better understanding of yourself. You might even find a
sense of belonging in your community if you get involved in a local organization
for a cause you care about.
Make
sense?
The
good thing about a social resolution is that there’s accountability. It’s more
difficult, at least in my case, to stay in or not follow through with a plan if
I’ve involved someone else. When that person texts me to check on my mental
health progress, calls me to follow up on my writing, or is waiting for me to
go to yoga, I feel a sense of responsibility to do what I said I would. I don’t
like to let others down. Besides, once I go through the texting, phone
conversation, or outing, I almost always am glad that I did so.
That
being said, here’s a social resolution to try out:
Make
a list of at least three people you care about with whom you want to keep in
contact more this new year. Add these people to your favorites on your phone or
keep a written list with names and phone numbers. At least once a week when you
have nothing to do or can easily multitask, reach out to someone on the list.
Sometime
late 2018 or early 2019, I felt isolated from my friends and family. Oddly
enough, I especially felt this way once I started dating again, possibly
because it's much easier for me to get swept up in romance than to call my dad
to see how he’s doing, text my cousin who I never talk to outside of family
reunions, or make plans to meet friends from college who live over an hour
away.
Besides,
I told myself that all of those people who could reach out to me if they really
wanted.
Nevertheless,
I decided I didn’t want to be that person waiting around for others to reach
out to her. I preferred to make it easier for them to keep in touch.
So,
I created a list of favorites on my phone. It was made up of people I trusted
whom I could call for emotional support, a lighthearted chat, or to sustain a
meaningful relationship. The list consisted of people from each significant
part of my life: my parents; best friend from elementary school; roommate from
college; friends from Christian camp, high school, college, and graduate
program; and coworkers from my job at that time.
I
often chose to make my way down the list and call a different person during my long
drives home in the evenings. Sometimes, while waiting at a doctor’s office or
at the airport, I’d send the same, “Hey! How are you? Long time no chat!” kind
of text to whomever on my list I hadn’t called recently.
Then,
between calls and texts, I’d usually find someone who wanted to meet up for
brunch or who was visiting a family member nearby and wanted to see me or who
offered an air mattress for me to go visit and stay for a couple of days.
Now,
I know this sounds like a lot of people to keep up with, but you don’t have to make
your list as long as mine, which is around 20 or something ridiculous like
that. (I tend to go to extremes when I’m gung-ho about something!)
That’s
why I suggest 3 as a good place to start, ideally with a variety of relationships,
like a family member, friend, and coworker, not all family or friends or
coworkers. Add more only if you want or feel it’s necessary.
You’ll
be surprised how many people stay in touch once you break the ice!
4
Spiritual
I’d
like to note here that the spiritual part of the assessment is not a practice done
everywhere. The biopsychosocial is actually the basic assessment, but the
spiritual part is growing in popularity as an important addition.
According
to Saad et. al. (2017), researchers have been advocating to add the “the spiritual
dimension” to the assessment because there are several ways in which spirituality
can affect our wellbeing. A positive spiritual-religious relationship can lead
to better “physical and mental health, culminating in increased quality of life
and longevity” (Saad et. al., 2017).
There’s
also the ability to better cope with life stressors because a spiritual-religious
relationship offers “beliefs, attitudes, or practices [that] may give meaning
for suffering, thus making it more bearable” (Saad et. al., 2017). Even health
providers can find that their “religious commitments or moral perspectives may direct
clinical decisions, especially with sensitive issues” (Saad et. al., 2017).
Having
“spiritual support” can help as well, such as an inpatient receiving services
from a chaplain or visits from spiritual volunteers (Saad et. al., 2017). There
are even modes of therapy that incorporate spirituality, such as concepts like a
healing touch, directing intention, blessing, or process of vital energy (Saad
et. al., 2017).
While
the research is complicated on these therapies as a solitary approach, studies
have shown the therapies succeed more in complementary ways as they “come at low
or no cost, can produce a useful placebo effect, and are seldom harmful unless
relied on as an alternative to professional advice or treatment (Saad et. al.,
2017).
Last
but not least, there’s the fact that there are simply aspects of life that we
cannot comprehend on a rational level. There’s something mystic about the world
and universe we live in that can’t be explained easily. There are “documented
disconcerting” and “[u]nexplained events”, as well as “anomalous phenomena of
consciousness”, that we just don’t have language for or the capacity to truly
grasp (Saad et. al., 2017). Examples include “a near death experience” or “memories
from a past life” (Saad et. al., 2017).
Apparently,
there’s research going on to understand these occurrences, “exploring the idea
that that the mind is a separate entity of the brain, an assumption called ‘possibility
of consciousness independent from the body’” (Saad et. al., 2017). Therapies
that include such possibilities have shown positive results, like those that
deal with beliefs on the afterlife or healing from memories of past life trauma,
the latter of which could help clients with their “problematic relationships, phobias,
and a lack of meaning and purpose in life” (Saad et. al., 2017).
All
that being said, spirituality is probably the area I most struggle with when it
comes to my resolutions recently, but I’ve successfully been able to reach
certain religious goals in the past. Let me share one specific one for you to
try:
Find
whatever scripture belongs in your faith – or at least one or more book(s) on a
spiritual belief you’re interested in learning about – and use a calendar or
app to plan out how to read it within a certain time frame. Then, actually do
it within the next year!
What
I did was follow a calendar with my mom that laid out how much scripture to
read every day so I could finish the Bible from cover to cover in one year. We
both ended up meeting the lofty goal that year!
Of
course, the accountability part with my mom helped as well. I’m not denying that.
Nevertheless, though, having a calendar helped us keep track of our reading and
never lose sight of the goal. Plus, the calendar broke up the Bible’s large
amount of text into more malleable pieces for our brains to digest, which
helped us make daily progress.
There
are also apps for several different scriptural texts, such as the Bible app for Christians,
the Sefaria app for Jewish folks,
and the Quran app for Muslims. These apps
have scriptural text for easy access and a combination of other features, such
as daily devotionals, courses, reminders, audio clips, and/or commentary.
If
you choose to read a non-scriptural text on a spiritual belief, use an app like
Goodreads to keep track of which books
you want to read and how many within the next year. I enjoy being able to post
reviews on books I’ve completed, recommend books to friends and have them
recommend books to me, see what books my friends are reading or favorite
authors are publishing, and use a tracker and status updates to monitor where I’m
at with each book and my overall goal.
Besides,
reading more is apparently the seventh resolution on Inc’s top ten list with 17%
of participants (Economy, 2019). So, as WGNO Web Desk (2018) said PETA wants us
to start saying, why not feed two birds with one scone?
---
There
you have it! Four different resolutions to try to start living a healthier life
in all areas of your life, from physical to mental to social to spiritual! I
pray this next year is full of blessings for my #worthyreaders and/or hope towards
becoming a better version of yourself.
What
resolutions are you considering this upcoming year? Please feel free to share
in the comments and start a conversation!
Note: Allconnect reached out to me with a pretty cool resource on their site. They created a guide of well researched tech to help readers keep their New Years resolutions. It's worth checking out here! (Thanks Allconnect!)
Note: Allconnect reached out to me with a pretty cool resource on their site. They created a guide of well researched tech to help readers keep their New Years resolutions. It's worth checking out here! (Thanks Allconnect!)
References
Ayala,
E.E., Winseman, J.S., Johnsen, R.D., and Mason, H.R.C. (2018, Aug. 6). U.S.
medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality
of life [Abstract]. BMC Medical Education. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6080382/
CPH
& Associated (n.d.). 9 mental health resolutions for the new year. Retrieved
on December 28, 2019, from https://www.cphins.com/9-mental-health-resolutions-for-the-new-year/
Economy,
P. (2019, Jan. 1). 10 top new years’ resolutions for success and happiness in
2019. Retrieved on December 28, 2019, from https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/10-top-new-years-resolutions-for-success-happiness-in-2019.html
National
Association of Social Workers (2016). NASW standards for social work practice
in health care settings [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=fFnsRHX-4HE%3D&portalid=0
Saad, M., de Medeiros, R., and
Mosini, A.C. (2017, Dec.). Are we ready for a true biopsychosocial-spiritual
model? The many meanings of “spiritual”. Medicines, 4(4), 79. Retrieved
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5750603/
WGNO Web Desk. (2018, Dec. 4). PETA wants
you to remove ‘speciesism’ from your vocabulary. Retrieved on December 29, 2019,
from https://wgno.com/2018/12/04/peta-wants-you-to-remove-speciesism-from-your-vocabulary/
Young, S.N. (2008, Sept.). The
neurobiology of human social behavior: an important but neglected topic. Journal
of Psychiatry & Neurosocience, 33(5), 291-392. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2527715/
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