I scored myself as a 5 and now I would score myself as a 7.5 or 8. I say this because this class has taught me how to properly evaluate my psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. I actually understand what it means to be healthy and “well” all the way around. I have made progress in all areas other than the spiritual aspect. I had planned to attend church at least every other Sunday and if I am unable to do so, I will attend Bible study. Neither one of those has happened. I have been exercising at least 15 minutes per day and meditating about 30 minutes per day, which is more time than the goal that I had set for myself. I have implemented the exercises in the psychological and physical area, although not the spiritual area. This course has really helped me with my anxiety, which has not been official diagnosed by a doctor. This class has allowed me to help heal myself without taking medication that can possible make things work in the long run. The frequency of my anxiety attacks have decreased and my stress level has also decreased. I am learning to relax and maintain focus when doing my mental exercises. I have not rewarded myself, but I will be rewarding myself Friday night with a night out in the town with some girl friends. It has been difficult to get up Sundays and motivate myself to go to church after a long Saturday night and it has also been difficult to attend Bible study on Wednesdays after a 10 hour shift at work. This experience has taught me how to relieve stress, and work towards happiness and human flourishing. I can teach my family, my children, and my patients in the future. This could possibly help reduce risk factors for diseases, depression, and other stress related illnesses.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Unit 9 Project
Unit 9 Project
Introduction
It is very important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychological, spiritual, and physical health in order to understand the healing process and what it truly is. The “healer” has to be the key in the healing process in order to motivate and educate the individual being healed. I need to improve all aspects. I need to improve my spirituality by going to church on Sundays, reading my Bible daily, etc in order to help the healing process within my spirit. This will also help me mentally because prayer would help with mental training, which will allow negative energy to be released. I need to improve my physical health even though I am not overweight. I need to eat healthier and exercise at least 30 minutes per day even if it is a brisk walk to get some fresh air. My goals are to finish school this time next year, accelerate at my job, build up my self esteem, and reach the ultimate level of happiness.
Assessment
I have not assessed my health in each domain lately. On a scale from 1-10 (1=best, 10=worst):
Spiritually-6
Physically-4
Psychologically-3
Goal development
Spiritually-Attend church at least every other Sunday
Physically-Exercise at least 15 minutes per day
Psychologically- Meditate at least 10 minutes per day. Before work seems to be the most beneficial for me because it seems to start my day off with a minimal level of stress.
Practices for Personal health
Spiritually- Some strategies would be to go to sleep a little early on Saturdays in order to get up for church or make a personal commitment to attend Bible study that following week if I cannot attend church. A practice would be to read my Bible at least 10 minutes per day to cater to and feed my spirituality.
Physically- Some exercises that would be good for me include stretches and brisk walks outside for at least 15-30 minutes per day to improve cardiovascular health in addition to relieving stress.
Psychologically- Some practices would be Loving-kindness, Calm Abiding, and Subtle mind exercises. All of these contribute to mental training and stress relief. I will implement these practices on a daily basis for at least ten minutes in quiet room where I am alone and can concentrate on the balance and happiness that I want in my life.
Commitment
I will assess my progress in the next six months by keeping a daily log for each category. Some long term strategies to maintain my practices would be keeping a calendar, writing my goals on the refrigerator or places where I can see them. Reading books that will guide me to human flourishing is something that I will also do long term.
Reference
Dacher, Elliott S. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
Introduction
It is very important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychological, spiritual, and physical health in order to understand the healing process and what it truly is. The “healer” has to be the key in the healing process in order to motivate and educate the individual being healed. I need to improve all aspects. I need to improve my spirituality by going to church on Sundays, reading my Bible daily, etc in order to help the healing process within my spirit. This will also help me mentally because prayer would help with mental training, which will allow negative energy to be released. I need to improve my physical health even though I am not overweight. I need to eat healthier and exercise at least 30 minutes per day even if it is a brisk walk to get some fresh air. My goals are to finish school this time next year, accelerate at my job, build up my self esteem, and reach the ultimate level of happiness.
Assessment
I have not assessed my health in each domain lately. On a scale from 1-10 (1=best, 10=worst):
Spiritually-6
Physically-4
Psychologically-3
Goal development
Spiritually-Attend church at least every other Sunday
Physically-Exercise at least 15 minutes per day
Psychologically- Meditate at least 10 minutes per day. Before work seems to be the most beneficial for me because it seems to start my day off with a minimal level of stress.
Practices for Personal health
Spiritually- Some strategies would be to go to sleep a little early on Saturdays in order to get up for church or make a personal commitment to attend Bible study that following week if I cannot attend church. A practice would be to read my Bible at least 10 minutes per day to cater to and feed my spirituality.
Physically- Some exercises that would be good for me include stretches and brisk walks outside for at least 15-30 minutes per day to improve cardiovascular health in addition to relieving stress.
Psychologically- Some practices would be Loving-kindness, Calm Abiding, and Subtle mind exercises. All of these contribute to mental training and stress relief. I will implement these practices on a daily basis for at least ten minutes in quiet room where I am alone and can concentrate on the balance and happiness that I want in my life.
Commitment
I will assess my progress in the next six months by keeping a daily log for each category. Some long term strategies to maintain my practices would be keeping a calendar, writing my goals on the refrigerator or places where I can see them. Reading books that will guide me to human flourishing is something that I will also do long term.
Reference
Dacher, Elliott S. (2006). Integral health: the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
unit 8
The exercises that I found most beneficial were the subtle mind exercise and meditation/ visualization. All of these practices allow you rest and calm your mind by releasing negative energy and feelings. Both of these are most beneficial when it comes to mental fitness because of the level of concentration and focus that it takes to reach inner peace and calmness. For example, meditation and visualization practices that I have been doing every morning has allowed my mornings to go little smoother. It feels as though it prepares me for the day mentally in addition to release anything that was bothering me the previous day. The subtle mind exercise really helps release pressure and stress that has gotten the best of me during the day. Personally, I think they are very helpful and very beneficial for the mind. I also think that physical healing starts with mental healing.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Unit 7
Meditation has fostered an increase in my psychological and spiritual wellness because it has shown me how to create a focal point and refrain from distractions. This has taught me how to train my brain and release negative energy within. It has also provided encouragement. I can continue to apply these practices in my life to foster greater health and wellness by taking a few moments out f my day to relax and have time alone to meditate and reflect on past experiences and future goals. This will create inner peace, calmness, and stillness which is what is needed in order to achieve human flourishing and improve integral health.
Personally, I did not like this exercise. I only believe in one God and I believe that he /she is the only healer. I have never heard of Aesclephius. I also thought it was a little weird because you could possibly try and connect with the dead. That freaks me out. The quote “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” means that you cannot show or teach someone what you do not know yourself. That is also true for health professionals. As a health professional, you have to be understanding and knowledgeable of ways to improve and sustain health. As a health professional I think that is essential to help your patient develop and grow physically and mentally in order for the patient to heal the whole body instead of treating symptoms and small portions. I can implement psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life by meditating, creating a focal point in my mind, sustaining a subtle mind, possessing loving-kindness, and refraining from distractions.
Personally, I did not like this exercise. I only believe in one God and I believe that he /she is the only healer. I have never heard of Aesclephius. I also thought it was a little weird because you could possibly try and connect with the dead. That freaks me out. The quote “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” means that you cannot show or teach someone what you do not know yourself. That is also true for health professionals. As a health professional, you have to be understanding and knowledgeable of ways to improve and sustain health. As a health professional I think that is essential to help your patient develop and grow physically and mentally in order for the patient to heal the whole body instead of treating symptoms and small portions. I can implement psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life by meditating, creating a focal point in my mind, sustaining a subtle mind, possessing loving-kindness, and refraining from distractions.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Unit 6
The first thing is to calm the mind. You have to focus on the four quadrants of the integral map. After that, you take the four aspects of your life and decide which ones need consideration and the most attention. Once this is done, you have to critique all avenues of development. You can also focus on stress and determine if there are any areas of imbalance. At his time you should take notes and write down observations. Next, it is time to relax, clear your mind, and return your mind to a level of stillness. You have to ask yourself what is causing distress and make that the focal point. Once you return your mind to stillness, you begin to make healing the focal point. Take a few notes at this point also. It is important for these observations to be correct and true in order to pave a positive, meaningful path for happiness and balance. The goal is to reach human flourishing by transitioning from each level in a way that is effective and progressing throughout the whole process.
As far as myself, I have always known that I am very impatient, although not arrogant or ignorant. I have learned that my impatience may be causing the stress that I feel at times. Distress has become my focal point because the elimination of negative energies and thoughts will allow me to release and overcome stress. Considering that I have acknowledged that stress is the issue, I can depict what is causing the stress and go through each level of development by learning how to create positive energy, training my mind to be still and stay focused during times of distress. Personally, I like the subtle mind exercise in order to reduce stress. I think it is very effective when it comes to training the mind. I also like to do simple breathing exercises about every couple of hours at work. I basically sit at my desk and focus my mind on peace, while blocking everything out for about a minute. I just take deep breaths of peace in and blow out stress and confusion until I feel satisfied with my state of mind. I am not sure if that is actually an exercise, but it definitely helps me get through my day. I can see that it is helping me have a little more balance in my life.
As far as myself, I have always known that I am very impatient, although not arrogant or ignorant. I have learned that my impatience may be causing the stress that I feel at times. Distress has become my focal point because the elimination of negative energies and thoughts will allow me to release and overcome stress. Considering that I have acknowledged that stress is the issue, I can depict what is causing the stress and go through each level of development by learning how to create positive energy, training my mind to be still and stay focused during times of distress. Personally, I like the subtle mind exercise in order to reduce stress. I think it is very effective when it comes to training the mind. I also like to do simple breathing exercises about every couple of hours at work. I basically sit at my desk and focus my mind on peace, while blocking everything out for about a minute. I just take deep breaths of peace in and blow out stress and confusion until I feel satisfied with my state of mind. I am not sure if that is actually an exercise, but it definitely helps me get through my day. I can see that it is helping me have a little more balance in my life.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Subtle Mind
Loving Kindness
The focal point in loving kindness is the loving compassion for others and less focus on ourselves.
Subtle Mind
Breathing is the focal point and in order to focus on ourselves and reach calm-abiding.
Compare/Contrast
The pauses were pretty long for both exercises. Both require great concentration and the exercises advise to stay attentive and refrain from allowing the mind to wander. Both are exercises to train the mind. They were very different exercises due to the fact that they have different focal points.
The connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness is very important. It is essential that mental thoughts are well, allowing the physical aspect of overall wellness to achieve good health, reach goals, and stabilize productivity. Our mental state definitely affects the way or body’s function due to our reactions and actions. Spirituality also affects our mental state and the way we handle the outside world. It seems that people that have some type of spiritual awareness or practice are able to connect with the mind and body by starting from the inside out. That affects the way the mind thinks and the way the body functions. The connection is manifested in my life because I choose to pray when times get hard and even when they are good. It helps me to maintain faith and have positive mental thinking. I also think that the way we think, is basically who and what we are. Our physical(body, race, gender, etc.) does not depict who we are, but ultimately, out mental state does because it determines our movements, accomplishments, mistakes, etc . All of those aspects are part of the mental training process to achieve complete wellness by way of acknowledgement.
The focal point in loving kindness is the loving compassion for others and less focus on ourselves.
Subtle Mind
Breathing is the focal point and in order to focus on ourselves and reach calm-abiding.
Compare/Contrast
The pauses were pretty long for both exercises. Both require great concentration and the exercises advise to stay attentive and refrain from allowing the mind to wander. Both are exercises to train the mind. They were very different exercises due to the fact that they have different focal points.
The connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness is very important. It is essential that mental thoughts are well, allowing the physical aspect of overall wellness to achieve good health, reach goals, and stabilize productivity. Our mental state definitely affects the way or body’s function due to our reactions and actions. Spirituality also affects our mental state and the way we handle the outside world. It seems that people that have some type of spiritual awareness or practice are able to connect with the mind and body by starting from the inside out. That affects the way the mind thinks and the way the body functions. The connection is manifested in my life because I choose to pray when times get hard and even when they are good. It helps me to maintain faith and have positive mental thinking. I also think that the way we think, is basically who and what we are. Our physical(body, race, gender, etc.) does not depict who we are, but ultimately, out mental state does because it determines our movements, accomplishments, mistakes, etc . All of those aspects are part of the mental training process to achieve complete wellness by way of acknowledgement.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Unit 4: Loving Kindness
He states that you basically give what you get and helps with human flourishing. I think that the exercise was a little weird, although relaxing. I think that the part about thinking of a loved one that is suffering was a little heart to let go of the grasp and attachment when she stated “let them be”. That was a little hard for me because the way that I just let something be is to refrain from thinking about it. I would recommend this to others because I think that it can help relieve stress and produce and release loving kindness. Mental workout is a way to relieve the mind and possibley help heal the body of youself and others. Breathing exercises such as the loving kindness exercise definitely helps because it brings a sense of peace and balance because you are taking in physical flaws and suffering while releasing love, kindness, and peace.
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