In the previous units I assessed my psychological wellbeing at 6, spiritual wellbeing at 7 and my physical wellbeing at 8. At this point I would say that everything is about the same. I have made efforts to stick with many of the goals that I set forth for myself previously and some have been met more completely than others.
I had wanted to start praying daily to improve my spiritual wellness and I am happy to say that I have been doing it. Through practicing daily prayer I believe that it has made me more grateful for all the wonderful things in my life because I am making a daily effort to recognize those things and give thanks for them. To improve my psychological wellbeing I had wanted to spend more time with family and friends. This has proved a challenging experience as we entered the final weeks of term and recent changes to my work schedule. However, I do look forward to the upcoming break which will be filled with fun activities with loved ones. For my physical wellbeing I was working toward improving my strength and endurance for an upcoming endurance event and I am happy to report that I am on tract. The event is in a couple weeks and I look forward accomplishing this goal that I have set forth.
Overall I feel that this course has created a new awareness of the strength that our mind holds over all aspects of our lives. Maintaining a balance between the mind, body and spirit is essential to promote integral health and this course has provided me with many tools to improve my wellbeing. I have enjoyed learning about all the research that is being performed linking all aspects of the individual to their health and will continue to research and learn more on this topic. While I have found it challenging to implement many of the exercises that we have learned into my daily routine I do feel that they can still be useful tools to draw upon in the future.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Unit 9 Project
Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?
Integral health involves connecting all aspects of care to the individual’s mind, body and spirit. In order for a health and wellness professional to promote healing for their patients it is essential that the practitioner also practice these behaviors. To reach full potential an individual must be able to understand their own thoughts and feelings. Only once a person can take care of their own psychological, spiritual and physical needs can proper assistance be provided to others.
I think that I could benefit from expanding in each of these areas. My primary emphasis is currently on my psychological health to create healthy relationships in my life with all my family to help promote genuine happiness.
II Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?
Overall, I would consider myself a happy, healthy individual. While I do believe that there is room for improvement in each domain I feel that any goals I do set forth will be obtainable since I have a positive attitude and willingness to continue my learning. For my spiritual wellness I would rank myself at a 7. I have been raised in a Christian family and continue to hold these beliefs and values in my daily life. My belief system has expanded since my childhood to include a much broader sense of spirituality and I feel that it has promoted a higher level of spiritual health in my life. For my psychological health I would rank myself at a 5. Between work and school and various interpersonal relationships I have been struggling more recently to maintain my usual upbeat attitude. For my physical health I would rank it a 7. I am highly active and participate in many physical activities which promote wellness in this domain.
III Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.
Physical – After my graduation in December I plan to begin training for my first marathon. I will take it in steps and begin by participating in a half marathon in March with a friend. My goal is to participate in a full marathon by August of 2011. This will give me plenty of time to gradually increase my routine to avoid injury.
Psychological – For my psychological wellness I will continue to work on the previous goal that I set for myself in this domain which was to spend more time with family. I tend to not express any problems going on in my life and try to deal with them on my own but I feel if I promoted the relationships that I have with my family members then I could use them as a support network during challenging times.
Spiritual – My current goal to promote an increased level of spiritual wellness is to practice daily prayer. Especially after learning about the proven benefits of intercessory prayer I want to incorporate this practice into my daily life to assist in promoting wellness in those around me as well.
IV Practices for personal health:
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.
What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.
Physical – To improve my endurance I will continue with my current running routine and each week increase my distance by one mile. To improve my strength I will continue with my current weight training routine but increase the weight and reps as my strength progresses.
Psychological – Each week I need to set time aside to spend with my family. Perhaps one night I can go over to my brothers for dinner then the next week go and visit my Dad etc. That way I will be able to visit with everyone on a more regular basis. Continuing on with practices such as universal loving kindness I can also promote healthy interpersonal connections. While I do not believe it would be realistic for me to set a goal of practicing this exercise daily I do think it would be reasonable to practice once a week.
Spiritual – To improve my spiritual health I am setting a goal to pray every day. Secondly, I would like to practice exercises such as the subtle mind at least once a week to increase my inner peace and promote unity between my mind, body and spirit.
V Commitment:
How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?
How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?
I have recently starting writing in journal so I think that I will use this journal to assess my progress in achieving these goals. In my journal I can track my frequency of participation in the exercises I would like to do and assess my progress toward achieving integral health. I think that developing a routine will assist in keeping up with these practices long term. I think that once I am finished with school in December I will really be able to set more time aside for activities that will promote my flourishing in all aspects of life.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Unit 8 Reflection
Through out this term I have struggled with some of the exercises we have tried. Being able to concentrate i the task at hand for an extended period of time proved challenging for me. Recently though we have completed some exercises that I have found to be extremely beneficial. The visualization exercises I really enjoyed because it made me focus on very happy times in my life and the experience truly did uplift my spirit for the rest of the day. Doing other visualization exercise allows me to be creative in my thinking process so I do not get bored and I can remain focused on the exercise. My favorite exercise that I've tried was not actually from our book but one that we discussed in seminar this week. The walking meditation was very intriguing to me since it combined motion with meditation. I live out in the country so there are lots of fields around so I picked one and made laps around focusing just on my steps and it really helped to clear my mind. I probably looked crazy walking around in circles but I'm pretty sure nobody was around :)
I think that I am most likely to continue on with some kind of meditative practice in the future. If I can set aside a few minutes in the morning or do some walking meditation after work each day I feel that it would be beneficial to promote and maintain my mental health.
I think that I am most likely to continue on with some kind of meditative practice in the future. If I can set aside a few minutes in the morning or do some walking meditation after work each day I feel that it would be beneficial to promote and maintain my mental health.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Unit 7 Reflection
For this weeks meditation practices I am still having trouble with being diligent on the amount of time I dedicate toward each activity. I find it easiest for me to simply spend a few minutes through out the day going through some of the relaxation exercises in my mind rather than dedicating a set amount of time each day to the soul practice of the exercise. I do feel though that even these brief moments have helped me increase my psychological wellness because it provides me with enough time to separate myself from the consistent chaos going on in my mind. I will likely continue these types of meditative practices through out my life and hopefully once I am finished with school in December I can dedicate more time to these practices to continue my spiritual and psychological flourishing.
I think that the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone themselves" refers to how we must learn from experience and it is not until we have those experiences that we can assist others in the journey. This concept can apply to the health and wellness professional because a wellness professional must seek out their own path to inner freedom in order to provide care that can fully integrate all aspects of the mind, body and soul. A wellness professional should be able to apply the techniques and lifestyle they are promoting to their clients to lead by example and show how it is possible to lead a fully integrated lifestyle. By performing meditative or relaxing exercises regularly this will assist in promoting one's own integral health.
I think that the saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone themselves" refers to how we must learn from experience and it is not until we have those experiences that we can assist others in the journey. This concept can apply to the health and wellness professional because a wellness professional must seek out their own path to inner freedom in order to provide care that can fully integrate all aspects of the mind, body and soul. A wellness professional should be able to apply the techniques and lifestyle they are promoting to their clients to lead by example and show how it is possible to lead a fully integrated lifestyle. By performing meditative or relaxing exercises regularly this will assist in promoting one's own integral health.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Unit 6 Reflection
I think that of all the exercises we have tried to this point I have had the most success with the universal loving-kindness. I liked the repetition of the mantra because it kept my mind focused on what I was saying. At first I was having a hard time remembering the phrase but after a few minutes it became much easier and I was able to really focus on the meaning of the words. I found that through out the day after performing this exercise certain things would come up and I would be reminded of the concepts from this exercise. I think the repetition of this exercise really allows the feelings of loving-kindness to sink in.
After performing the integral assessment I think that it is hard to select only one area to focus on. Each aspect of my life could benefit from more integral practices. The priority would probably my psychospiritual flourishing. By performing some of these exercise perhaps I can create a more balanced approach to my feelings. Often times my decisions are made based on my emotion at the time but if I can learn to control my emotions better it will help me flourish.
After performing the integral assessment I think that it is hard to select only one area to focus on. Each aspect of my life could benefit from more integral practices. The priority would probably my psychospiritual flourishing. By performing some of these exercise perhaps I can create a more balanced approach to my feelings. Often times my decisions are made based on my emotion at the time but if I can learn to control my emotions better it will help me flourish.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Unit 5
Hello Everyone,
So I just finished the subtle mind exercise and while I am still struggling with concentrating on one topic for such a long period of time I do feel that this exercise was more productive than the loving-kindness. I liked how this exercise made breathing the focal point so that each time I started getting distracted I would remember what I was supposed to be focusing on. I've done previous activities such as yoga and some exercise routines that really make you focus on your breath while completing the activity so I think that the familiarity of the focus helped me get more out of this weeks exercise. Although I would like to say that earlier today I was on the phone with a friend and she was totally down on her self and I explained some of the exercises and topics we have discussed in this course to help uplift her spirit. She is into holistic treatments so this type of thing was something she was interested in but had never really pursued. I think that the affirming thoughts that these practices provide us are beneficial and hopefully my friend will think so too :)
As for the connection between spiritual-physical-mental wellness..... Through practicing mental exercises a person can learn to exert control over their reactions to stimuli from the environment and within. By learning to observe rather than react to all the situations around us and then react with intent we would be able to promote peacefulness and wellness. Our mental state is capable of controlling physical reactions in our body so if we can promote positive feelings and emotions we will promoting health.
So I just finished the subtle mind exercise and while I am still struggling with concentrating on one topic for such a long period of time I do feel that this exercise was more productive than the loving-kindness. I liked how this exercise made breathing the focal point so that each time I started getting distracted I would remember what I was supposed to be focusing on. I've done previous activities such as yoga and some exercise routines that really make you focus on your breath while completing the activity so I think that the familiarity of the focus helped me get more out of this weeks exercise. Although I would like to say that earlier today I was on the phone with a friend and she was totally down on her self and I explained some of the exercises and topics we have discussed in this course to help uplift her spirit. She is into holistic treatments so this type of thing was something she was interested in but had never really pursued. I think that the affirming thoughts that these practices provide us are beneficial and hopefully my friend will think so too :)
As for the connection between spiritual-physical-mental wellness..... Through practicing mental exercises a person can learn to exert control over their reactions to stimuli from the environment and within. By learning to observe rather than react to all the situations around us and then react with intent we would be able to promote peacefulness and wellness. Our mental state is capable of controlling physical reactions in our body so if we can promote positive feelings and emotions we will promoting health.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Unit 4 Journal
For this exercise I found it difficult to stay focused. I felt like there was so much time between the each set of instructions that my mind had to much time to wonder. I think that the concept of internalizing love and kindness is beneficial because if these are the feelings we hold in our mind and heart we will project those characteristics onto everything we do but I do not think that this exercise will be the most effective way for me to achieve this goal.
The concept of mental exercise is kind of like physical exercise but for the brain. If we want to see any improvements you have to be diligent and patient. I thought it was interesting how the text differenciates between merely sitting with your eyes closed and relaxing versus mental exercise. Mental exercises require effort and intent. Dacher recommends that one hour be set aside each day for these types of exercises. I don't know many people who have an extra hour to sit and do mental exercises though. At best think that most people could at least take a few minutes each day to focus on these positive reaffirming thoughts of love and kindness.
The concept of mental exercise is kind of like physical exercise but for the brain. If we want to see any improvements you have to be diligent and patient. I thought it was interesting how the text differenciates between merely sitting with your eyes closed and relaxing versus mental exercise. Mental exercises require effort and intent. Dacher recommends that one hour be set aside each day for these types of exercises. I don't know many people who have an extra hour to sit and do mental exercises though. At best think that most people could at least take a few minutes each day to focus on these positive reaffirming thoughts of love and kindness.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Unit 3 Journal
Physical wellbeing: 8
Overall I would consider myself to be a very healthy person. I exercise daily and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities such as biking, running, kayaking and swimming on a regular basis which allow me to maintain a good overall level of fitness.
In October I am participating in an event called the "Tough Mudder" which is an endurance event that implements various obstacle courses along with running. I am confident in my current endurance level to complete this event but I would like to increase my upper body strength to assist with the lifting and climbing components of the obstacles. My current goal is to be able to complete 5 pull ups by the first week in October. Currently I can do one.... So I have some work to do!
To obtain this goal I have already implemented a new weight training regime in addition to my regular cardiovascular exercises.
Spiritual wellbeing: 7
I was raised in a Christain family and still hold onto many of the beliefs that I was taught as a child. Over the years my belief system has expanded into a much broader spiritual connection but I know that there is more that I could do in my daily life to uplift my spiritual wellbeing.
As a goal to improve this aspect of my life I would like to start praying daily. By utilizing some of the relaxation techniques we have learned in this class it may help me feel more spiritually connected and promote my goal of daily prayer.
Psychological wellness: 6
To be perfectly honest August is a tough month for me.... At other points during the year I would probably rate my wellness higher. Typically I am a very happy, optimistic person but currently I am feeling a little low.
At this point I want to make it a goal to to express my feelings to family regarding the events of this month to assist in coping with my feelings. Typically I just keep to myself and don't really discuss how things are affecting me but I think it is important for me to try to express how I am feeling. I know that this is not exactly a specific or measurable goal but I will know the difference if I am doing it or not. Spending more time with family and friends will help me achieve this goal.
Relaxation exercise:
So I did alot better this week at following the instructions for this exercise than previously. I made sure I was in a quite room free of distractions and really concentrated on what the narrator was saying. I definitely felt more relaxed after the exercise. I especially liked some of the phrases that we had to focus on such as "I have the ability to love" and "I choose to love". I think that sometimes through life past experiences may make us feel guarded and not fully let others in our heart but his exercise was a positive affirmation that we all need to both be loved and love.
Overall I would consider myself to be a very healthy person. I exercise daily and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities such as biking, running, kayaking and swimming on a regular basis which allow me to maintain a good overall level of fitness.
In October I am participating in an event called the "Tough Mudder" which is an endurance event that implements various obstacle courses along with running. I am confident in my current endurance level to complete this event but I would like to increase my upper body strength to assist with the lifting and climbing components of the obstacles. My current goal is to be able to complete 5 pull ups by the first week in October. Currently I can do one.... So I have some work to do!
To obtain this goal I have already implemented a new weight training regime in addition to my regular cardiovascular exercises.
Spiritual wellbeing: 7
I was raised in a Christain family and still hold onto many of the beliefs that I was taught as a child. Over the years my belief system has expanded into a much broader spiritual connection but I know that there is more that I could do in my daily life to uplift my spiritual wellbeing.
As a goal to improve this aspect of my life I would like to start praying daily. By utilizing some of the relaxation techniques we have learned in this class it may help me feel more spiritually connected and promote my goal of daily prayer.
Psychological wellness: 6
To be perfectly honest August is a tough month for me.... At other points during the year I would probably rate my wellness higher. Typically I am a very happy, optimistic person but currently I am feeling a little low.
At this point I want to make it a goal to to express my feelings to family regarding the events of this month to assist in coping with my feelings. Typically I just keep to myself and don't really discuss how things are affecting me but I think it is important for me to try to express how I am feeling. I know that this is not exactly a specific or measurable goal but I will know the difference if I am doing it or not. Spending more time with family and friends will help me achieve this goal.
Relaxation exercise:
So I did alot better this week at following the instructions for this exercise than previously. I made sure I was in a quite room free of distractions and really concentrated on what the narrator was saying. I definitely felt more relaxed after the exercise. I especially liked some of the phrases that we had to focus on such as "I have the ability to love" and "I choose to love". I think that sometimes through life past experiences may make us feel guarded and not fully let others in our heart but his exercise was a positive affirmation that we all need to both be loved and love.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Unit 2 Reflection
All right everyone, so I really did try to sit through this entire exercise and focus on what he was saying but I had the hardest time staying focused! I think that the voice of the man and the music in the background was very relaxing but I could not fully concentrate on the exercises we were supposed do. I have never heard of autogenic relaxation techniques before and I think that they really could be beneficially but I need a little more practice on zoning out from the rest of my surroundings. Next time I do one of these exercises I will make sure that I am in an area away from the running washing and dryer and my cat who wants to walk all over me.... Between work and school it would probably be benficial for me to try to implement some of these relaxtion techniques to help maintain my sanity. Through out the week to come I will try to set aside a few minutes each day to focus on my breatrhing and relaxing my muscles and maybe that will make a difference.
Welcome to my life!
Hello Everyone!
This is my first time blogging and I'm still getting used to this so we will see how it goes... Sorry about the lack of personality my blog currently has. All my photos are on my desktop computer which has been in storage for months.... My brother got married last week so I have a feeling the next pictures I receive will be from the wedding so the only photos you guys might see of me are going to be in an extremely uncomfortable dress! I'm definitely more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl! I am a passionate food lover and love doing anything outdoors. I live in Petaluma, CA which is pretty close to San Francisco so I am able to enjoy a balance of city and country life. I am a Registered Dental Hygienist and love my career! By finishing my BS in health science I am hoping to open up more opportunities for me down the road to be more involved with the educational aspects of my profession. I am set to graduate in December and am looking forward to having a life free of homework, at least for a little while.... I'm debating going on to graduate school but am unsure what my plan is at this point.... I think this class will be very useful in providing information on how to promote wellness in our own lives and look forward to the term ahead of us!
This is my first time blogging and I'm still getting used to this so we will see how it goes... Sorry about the lack of personality my blog currently has. All my photos are on my desktop computer which has been in storage for months.... My brother got married last week so I have a feeling the next pictures I receive will be from the wedding so the only photos you guys might see of me are going to be in an extremely uncomfortable dress! I'm definitely more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl! I am a passionate food lover and love doing anything outdoors. I live in Petaluma, CA which is pretty close to San Francisco so I am able to enjoy a balance of city and country life. I am a Registered Dental Hygienist and love my career! By finishing my BS in health science I am hoping to open up more opportunities for me down the road to be more involved with the educational aspects of my profession. I am set to graduate in December and am looking forward to having a life free of homework, at least for a little while.... I'm debating going on to graduate school but am unsure what my plan is at this point.... I think this class will be very useful in providing information on how to promote wellness in our own lives and look forward to the term ahead of us!
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