Monday, July 27, 2015

Emily Spenner- Health Promotion and Wellness No. 4




Activities:
  • Less Than you Think Campaign tasks
  • E-Cigarettes Program

Reflection:

This week, I have not logged many practicum hours interning for HPW. The Department of Housing and Residence Life has demanded my time this month due to residence life training. I foresaw this happening at the beginning of the summer so I purposely front loaded the summer sessions with Health Promotion and Wellness hours so I may make up for the lack of physical time I can spend in the office during the month of July. So far in July, I have created long to-do lists for practicum, but have not accomplished anything worth merit or crossing off. One task I am finding especially difficult to accomplish came from my site supervisor. She asked me to create an informational program/pamphlet about E-cigarettes; I cannot justify how that is student affairs. That task is so easily pushed to the bottom of my daily to-do list, it has created a monster out of itself. I personally cannot find the fight to concur this final practicum task. I am so far down the rabbit hole, it hurts.
At the beginning of the summer session, I misjudged the capacity in which I could serve HPW. I thought I could be Super Intern and rescue the department. (But rescue the department from what? I still do not know.) I wanted to be liked and loved by my supervisor and co interns. Now I see that I was incorrect. This month I can barely figure out how to tie my shoes. Everything has been such a whirl wind and I feel like I need 48 extra hours in the week to accomplish all my tasks to the best of my abilities, while still managing my mental health. I hope this master’s degree is worth the pain. Sometimes I second guess if all this crazy is worth the MS after my name. Most days I say, “Yes!” Today I am saying, “no.” I am tired and stretched thin. I understand there are many others in our class/situation who are stretched worst, but this is my version of bad and my feelings. I will not down play how I feel because another individual have deemed my struggle insignificant. I, personally, hate it when others play the oppression Olympics to bet who has it worse. All I can understand and comprehend are my own experiences in the here and now. I am feeling a stress like I have never felt before, so bare it with me while I am go on to acknowledge my struggle and talk it out during this blog post.

Reading Application:

Chapter 11 in our text book wants us to Maintain Perspective. I am finding this goal extremely difficult at the moment. Amey and Reesor have been speaking to my soul all semester, but I am finding it rude that they are down playing my struggle while acknowledging my stresses (208). Becoming a Professional is not supposed to be a cakewalk and I fully understand that, but…I really just want to say it is very hard right now.

Theory to Practice:

Erikson’s Identify Development Theory expands throughout a person’s life. It discusses that people evolve and develop over time and have turning points only during crisis. I feel like I am at Erikson’s seventh stage, “Generativity Verses Stagnation,” even though I am still young. This crisis occurs when one is leaving a legacy and becoming focused to serve others and forget to serve and care for themselves. They lose the ability to understand their person.
I feel like I have lost the ability to understand my mission and purpose because I am trying to create an environment where others are comfortable to grow and develop. Although I am completing my mission and legacy by doing this, I am still thrown off my path. I want to be able to understand myself again.
Although Erikson would disagree, I feel his stages are fluid and may occur multiple times during one’s life. I am experience micro stage transitions and crisis with the Identity Development Theory. Growing and developing is always challenging.


Amey, M. J., & Reesor, L. M. (2009). Beginning your journey: A guide for new professional in student affairs. Washington, D.C.: NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

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