Well, here I am.  I am 3 weeks pre-college graduation.  I am standing on the edge of elation and fear.  I am once again getting ready to jump into the unknown...a career.   I have loved every minute of being in school and I know I am prepared to take on the world.  I have a passion for all that I have learned about health and wellness and I am excited to start sharing that with others!!

Posting early for week 10 :)

Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas . How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?
         I did not change my score any from unit 3 to unit 10 becuase I feel I have just begun this journey and have only recently started to take it seriously.

Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.
          I am starting to see some progress in kicking my sugar habit...it helps that all the Halloween candy is finally gone :)  I am also noticing some imporvements in how I now am beginning to act with intention vs. react...small changes, but positive ones :)

Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.
        In week three I said I wanted to increase my number of work out days to 15 per month and I am inching closer towards that goal.  I also said I wanted to meditate more often am having slow progress here...having a very hard time clearing my head latley.  Laslty, I said I wanted to volunteer and have yet to do anything about this :(

Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?
         I feel that I have finally made that connection of how important overall health is and that there is more to it than just my physical workout. I am now better able to act with intention, though not always. However, when I "react" I am more prone to notice it immediatly and try to make up for my mistakes. I am also learning how to forgive as well as admit when I am wrong. I have always had great difficulty with these, but I am finding that I am happier when I practice these actions. Feeling less bogged down by emotional baggage has helped me to feel better about myself and others and has increased my capacity for loving kindness!

I hope you all have had many positive experinces from this class as well!

Rose

My Integral Plan

My Plan for Total Health

I.                   Introduction:
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?

      It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop themselves psychologically, spiritually, and physically so that they can gain better insight into themselves. Developing one’s self will allow the health professional to realize the profound health, happiness and wholeness that come with integral health and will come to know that this potential exists within all of us.  Therefor when the health and wellness professional is practicing with a patient they will be better able to help their clients achieve integral health.  Dacher, (2006) puts it best, “Healing ourselves is healing others. An integral life begets an integral world.”

      My goals are many and so I will need to continue to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically.  As I move forward on my path towards human flourishing I need to know that integral health is a lifelong journey.  Each area of development helps to build upon the other and will help me evolve to my fullest potential.  Recognizing my strengths and weaknesses in each area will help me to better formulate an appropriate integral practice.  Incorporating a contemplative practice into my life will be paramount as I begin this journey.

II.                Assessment:
How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

      I have assessed myself in each of these areas by focusing my full attention in each domain by following the six principles of integral assessment.  According to Dacher (2006), the six principles include the following:  the goal of integral health is to alleviate needless suffering and promote human flourishing; recognize the distinction between short-term relief of needless suffering and permanent relief;  recognize the distinction between  immediate pleasure and long-term flourishing, knowing

psychospiritual development is essential; knowing that an integral assessment relies on deep listening and guidance; and the integral assessment addresses each aspect of our current situation.  After much contemplation I came to the following conclusions.

      This is how I would score myself in each of the three areas of development:

Physical: 7   I have begun to really cut down on the processed foods that I eat and have started to drink green smoothies and increase my fruit and veggie intake.  My downfall...I am addicted to SUGAR...one battle at a time, though.  I also started a workout diary to find that I only average about 9 workout days monthly.  So, I still need work, but I am headed in the right direction. 

Psychological:  8   I usually have a very even tempered personality.  I can handle whatever comes up fairly well without flying off the handle.   There are certain situations where anger gets the best of me and that is usually after I make a bad choice (so I am really angry at myself). 

Spiritual: 4   I have never been religious or given a lot of thought to the higher power.  I do however; believe that there is something greater than us out there.  I just have never focused any energy in this direction. My goal is to become more connected with the world.  In order to become more connected I could volunteer my time with the elderly in a nursing home. 

III.             Goal development:
List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

Physical Goal:  My current goal is to increase my number of work out days to at least 15 days per month and increase from there.  Creating a workout calendar and scheduling my workout times each week would be beneficial in reaching this goal.  My secondary goal is to reduce my sugar intake.  In order to achieve this goal I will buy fewer products containing refined sugars and continue with my fruit and veggie smoothies. 

Psychological Goal: My goal is to learn how to make better choices so there will be no reason to become angry.  In order to reach this goal I need to listen to my heart more often.  I can usually tell that I am about to make a bad choice right before I go through with it.  Meditation to clear my mind of all the clutter could help me to reach this goal.

Spiritual Goal: My goal is to become more connected with the world.  In order to become more connected I will volunteer my time with the elderly in a nursing home. Another goal that I have is to become more forgiving.  I plan on achieving this goal by addressing situations where I have been harmed or have caused harm instead of avoiding things like these.  Forgiveness will help me find greater inner peace and will allow me to have a deeper connection with this world.   

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.

Physical: For my physical exercise or practice, I am going to implement a mind/body exercise where I will use my mind to enhance the results of my workout (Dacher, 2006).  I have always been interested in Yoga, but I have never tried it.  In conjunction with my regular fitness routine I will try yoga.  Implementing Yoga will allow me to develop my mind and body at the same time and will put me more in touch with the mind body fusion (Dacher, 2006).

Psychological:  For my psychological exercise or practice I plan on further developing my Emotional Intelligence.  Emotional Intelligence can enhance factors such as self-awareness, self-discipline, and empathy.   The skills that Goleman (2005) advocates in his book titled Emotional Intelligence such as effective conflict resolution, impulse control, and social skills all affect my health and wellness.  Focusing on developing these skills will improve the health of my mind as well as advance my overall wellness.

Spiritual: For my spiritual exercise or practice I am going to implement prayer.  While I have never been a very religious person I saw the profound effect that saying the Rosary had on my Aunt Mary.  She was the most loving, kind, peaceful person that I have ever known and she said her Rosary three times daily.  She would be in an almost meditative state when doing so.  I feel this would help me to know myself and God better and would provide me a source of connection to a woman that meant so much to me.  The Rosary will help with progressive development of an expanded consciousness and its healing capacities (Dacher, 2006). 

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?

      To assess what I have or have not accomplished in six months I will need a tracking system.  I already log the frequency, distance, and duration of my workouts.  I can further compliment this with a food log as well as a daily journal entry where I can express my daily thoughts and feelings. 

      The strategies that I will employ will be the setting of short and long term goals while knowing that these can be changed or modified based on progress or lack of it.  I can recruit a workout partner.  This will make me have more incentive to stick with my goal of increasing my number of workout days.  A workout partner will also be someone that I can encourage and teach all that I have learned about integral health which will promote a more positive state of mind for me in knowing that I am helping someone other than myself.  I will base and assess my approaches on the five essential characteristics of Aesclepian Healing, which are holistic, evolutionary, intentional, person-centered, and dynamic (Dacher, 2006).

      The path to integral health will be a lifelong journey and I will not master this art quickly. “As Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine says: ‘The art is long and life is short’, so I had better get started (Dacher, 2006). The first step is always the hardest, but taking that step is what makes all the difference.

References

 

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Goleman, D. (2006) Emotional intelligence: why it can matter more than iq.  New York, NY: Bantam Dell.

 

 

 

Works for me :)

My two favorite exercises were "Journey On" from unit 2;  the one where my hands felt too heavy to lift, and "Subtle Mind" from Unit 5 where I focused on breathing.  These worked best for me because they left my mind the most clear and feeling the most relaxed.  I could incorporate these into my life by putting the "journey on" mp3 onto my ipod and finding time each day (perhaps as soon as I wake up) to listen.  If I allowed myself this time each day I would be more relaxed, more centered, and better able to cope with life and what it serves up.  As for the "subtle mind" practice , I can do this anywhere.  When I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed I could just close my eyes and take 10 deep breaths and focus on my breath.  Even if I only have time to do these 10 breaths it would still bring some clarity and focus to my mind.  I think it would be most benficial to do this while I am exercising.  I usually run alone outside and this would be a great time to practice the subtle mind exercises.


By completing all of the different types of exercises in this class it has taught me how important it is that each individual has an integral plan tailored to his or her needs.  No one set plan works for everyone.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Rose

Aesclepius...not so much

Aesclepius was an epic failure for me.  I was starting to connect with the person that I imagined and then my mind was flooded with thoughts of my very elderly parents and all the clean up and major repairs they have to do as a result of Sandy.  I kept trying to push this from my mind and focus on my wise person, but I kept becoming overwhelmed with thoughts that I was being selfish trying to find my inner healer when so many that I love are faced with such devastation. 

I feel that if I listen to this at another time when things are more settled I will benefit from it.  I just found it very difficult to think of myself when my home town filled with family and friends were dealing with something so much more profound.

Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" 
I feel that this means that you can not teach someone something that you have not already learned.  I do feel that it is important for me to practice what I am preaching to my clients (when I have some).  I think it is hypocritical to tell patients how important psychological and spiritual development is so important to their health if I am not trying to develop my self in these ways. 

I can implement psychological and spiritual growth by conitnuing daily practice of meditation and by trying various forms of meditation to see which type I can benefit from the most.

Rose

Integral Assessment

As  I sat an repeated the Universal Loving Kindness phrases over and over for 10 minutes it reminded me of my Aunt Mary.  She used to say her rosary beads 3 times a day.  When she would do so she was always so relaxed and calm. However, I digress. I felt really at peace repeating these phrases.  I began to envison the world and what it would be like if everyone was happy, healthy, whole, and free of suffering.  What a beautiful world we would be living in.

When completing the second part of the exercise I found that the interpersonal aspect of my life is my current source of difficulty and the area that is ready for growth currently is the biological aspect.  

At this  moment my interpersonal difficulties are centered around the people who are doing repairs in my home.  When things do not go as planned or the technicians do something incorrectly I have a hard time thinking before I speak to them.  I am trying to work on this by doing something I do when I exercise: take 3 deep breaths and move on.  It has been helping somewhat.  I think additional meditation will help me in this area as well.

The area in my life that is ready for growth is biological.  I have been focusing on fitness and nutrition for awhile now, but I am ready to focus on self-regulation so I can move to the next step of wellness.  To implement this I am going to begin to more closely regulate the amount of alcohol I drink and focus on the number of days and amount of time that I put into my workouts. 


Here is to this finding you happy, healthy,and whole!

Rose

The Subtle Mind

Well this week's listening exercise was much more pleasant than last week's.  I did gain really good insight last week into how I chose to ignore a big issue in my life rather than deal with it, but that ultimately left me sad.  This week I was calm and relaxed and really enjoying the focusing on breath and really not paying any direct attention to anything around me until the random voice interrupted to give further instructions.  I found this to be very distracting becasue there were such long pauses between instructions that when there was an instruction I was jolted back to here and now. 

Overall, I feel really calm and energized right now as opposed to last week when I felt really sad.  My only complaint is, and maybe it is because I need more practice, I did not like when the instructor spoke because it brought me back to normal time and I had to refocus myself all over again.

The connection of spiritual and pyhsical health for me is that when I feel connected to something greater than myself I just feel better overall.  When I am sad or tense going to the ocean and being in awe of the immenseness of it calms me.  I think about my tiny part in this huge world and all of my problems melt away.  I feel connceted to the world at the ocean.  For me there is no greater spiritual power than the connection with nature.

Rose