Final Blog in Unit 10

What a great course! I have learned so much, and I feel so much more aware of my body and my surroundings than I ever have before. I don't remember the scores I gave for myself in Unit 3, but I do know that I can score myself much higher now..... I think it is safe to say that I am a 10 for my psychological well being, an 8 for my physical, and a 9 for my spiritual. The score has changed because of the fact that I have learned various techniques to help me grow in all areas. I have definitely made progress towards my goals, however I still have a lot to go towards my physical well being goals. I am still not in the shape I want to be in, but I am better than I was in Unit 3!

Overall, I really enjoyed learning more about myself in this course. This knowledge will help me deal with stress in the future, and it will allow me to help others as well. The meditation techniques were very challenging, but I overcame them and discovered that meditation can actually be very fun. I wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavors!

Unit 9 Final Assignment

I.                   Introduction

                        Could you imagine seeking advice about your health from an individual that knows nothing about health? What about seeking advice on how to exercise from an individual who has never exercised a day in their life? This is what it would be like if you went to a health and wellness professional with dreams to reach a healthier lifestyle, only the health and wellness professional had no background in any of the above. All health and wellness professionals must be open to developing spiritually, psychologically, and physically for these reasons. They are to be teachers, and in a way they are very similar to guidance counselors.

                        I have many goals set for my future. My main goal is my health. I do not get enough physical exercise, and I know this. I feel as though I am one step closer to reaching my goal because I have come to terms with the obvious. I am not overweight, but if I continue on the path I have been on for the last four years I know I will eventually become that. I have three children and a husband that loves me more than the world, and I owe it to them to give the best of me.

II.                Assessment

            Prior to this course I have never even attempted to take an assessment on my overall health and well being. It was very invigorating to learn about myself, and discover my strengths and my weaknesses. I have assessed my health within the domains of physical, spiritual, and psychological, and I have learned that there is still a lot to learn! My physical health is a 0, and I have already addressed the needs and necessary actions that I need to take to get there. My spiritual health is a 9 and I feel it always will be a 9 because I will always keep growing. I don’t believe that anyone will ever fully be complete spiritually. I think there are always new doors opening. Lastly, my psychological health is a 10. I believe that I have a sound mind, and I credit that to my spirituality.

III.             Goal development

            Listing a goal in each area is tricky. This is because I feel that I am where I want to be in most areas. Physically, I am not where I want to be. I have a lot to work on in that area. My goal is to be reach my ideal body weight for myself which is 135lbs. I would like to accomplish this by May of 2013, and I think that is a fairly reasonable goal. Psychologically is even trickier because I don’t know what to think, no pun intended. I am happy where I am at mentally, and I think I have an awesome perspective on things. Spiritually, my goal is to continue growing. I am a regular at church, and I am a regular at prayer. I guess now that I think of it, my goal is to open my bible more often. I don’t read it every day as scripture instructs us to. I only open it when I am looking for biblical answers.

IV.             Practices for personal health

            There are many strategies that I can implement into my life to foster growth spiritually, physically, and psychologically. Opening my bible more is a great way to grow spiritually. I can also pray for others, as I don’t usually do this. My prayers are always for God to show me what he wants me to do. So maybe by opening my horizons a bit to others, it can help me to grow. Setting a goal to exercise at least three times a week, and gradually move to daily is a way to foster growth physically. I can also incorporate physical games with my kids, this way we all reap the benefits. Psychologically is always the most difficult area for me, because I don’t know how I can really grow. Maybe a great way to foster growth psychologically would be to meditate more. I don’t meditate at all, so maybe it would be more correct to say I should start meditating. Another excellent way is to carve in me time throughout the week. Making time just for myself to be alone with my mind, and reflect on my life would help.

V.                Commitment

            Assessing my progress or lack of progress over the next 6 months is going to be simple for me, because I am going to keep a journal. I am going to record what I eat each day, what time I wake and what time I go to bed, how much I exercise, etc. This way I can really focus on what needs the most attention. I think it will also help me to keep things more simple, because my brain won’t be full of this information.

Unit 8

The two exercises I enjoyed the most were the subtle mind, and the simple meditation. Those were the only two that didn't feel as awkward, and that I felt I was able to achieve something out of it. I don't know about the rest of you, but meditation was very awkward for me. I had never tried it in my life. I never realized the major impact it can have on an individual's health until now, so all the years prior I thought only 'weird' people did it.

Because of the stigma that I placed on meditation, it was hard for me to let that go and actually try it. When I was able to finally do that however, I actually enjoyed it. I am sure that after time, I will learn to get better at it, and then I can fully reap the benefits of meditation.

I am really going to try to foster these in my personal life. When times get really stressful or hectic, then I have to remember that even taking 5 or 10 minutes out of the day can make a huge impact on my physical well being.

Unit 7 Aesclepius

This activity was not easy for me this week. It took me a minute to think of the person that I wanted to picture. Then when I had the person in mind I began to feel guilty that I didn't choose my father. Now I absolutely adore my father, but I didn't choose my father mainly because he has a bad temper! So I wanted to pick someone with a calm sense of being, and someone who was in touch with their spiritual side. I had difficulty seeing their image in my mind. I don't know about anyone else, but all I could see was blackness. It felt as though I was looking into outerspace with no stars. Then to imagine the light made it even more difficult. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to imagine his whole being with the light coming out of his head, or if I was supposed to imagine just his head with the light.....I was beginning to think that I was putting too much thought into it which wasn't relaxing at all. I am not sure that I even understood the whole purpose of this exercise. Why are we trying to be like somebody else?

The saying, "one cannot lead another where one hasn't gone himself" makes total sense to me. It makes sense for every subject and every situation. I would never trust someone if they haven't gone through it already. This applies to the health and wellness professional because they can't possibly direct a patient in a direction that they know nothing about. I believe that I do have an obligation to develop my health on all aspects. It is sort of like the saying "practice what you preach". Could you imagine an overweight and unhealthy personal trainer trying to tell you what to do to lose weight? I don't think you or anyone else would take him or her very seriously. I can implement spiritual growth in my personal life by continuing to do what I currently do. I attend church on a regular basis, and I pray on a regular basis. I think every single day that I wake up that I was given another day from God to be on this earth, and that I am so grateful for everything he has ever given me. I especially thank him for my health and the health of my children. I try to focus on all that I have rather than all that I don't have.

Unit 6 Exercise and Assessment Process

The universal loving kindness exercise was difficult. However, it was only difficult because I had to close my eyes and recite the four sentences. Since I couldn't memorize all four sentences that quickly, I didn't necessarily get to benefit from keeping my eyes closed and focused. Unfortunately, when I chose to complete this exercise I didn't have anyone else home with me at the time who could read them to me. However, what I could do of the exercise was still beneficial. It made me feel like the purpose of them was to release any judgement I may have on those around me, and wishing them good will and good health.

The assessment was interesting for me because I discovered something about myself that I didn't truly understand before. I realized the biological aspect of my life is my weakest. I believe the most essential line of development for me at this time is psychospiritual. I don't fully understand all levels of development so it is hard for me to assess my current level and what I am aiming for. I believe this will take me several weeks to assess, as our reading states is most likely applicable.

The exercises that I can implement to foster growth would be meditation and breathing. I think meditation would help me connect biologically, as well as the breathing techniques. Is this as difficult for anyone else to figure out as it is for me?

Compare and contrast kindness and love with the subtle mind

I noticed that the kindness and love exercise had more talking involved. It was also focused on teaching you how to breathe kindness and love out of your soul into the souls of others. The sublte mind exercise had much less talking, and in my opinion was a bit easier to do. There were no awkward moments asking you to feel anything. It was simply about clearing your mind, and reaching each level of consciousness. I believe I benefited from the subtle mind exercise more than I did the kindness and love exercise. The only frustrating thing for me was to keep the endless chatter out of my mind, because it always creeps back in!

It has been proven time and time again that our mind does indeed have control over our physical well being. I don't think we have any answers as to just how much control it has, but I think it is safe to say that it is quite a large percentage. When we feel good inside, it shows on the outside. When our mind is in the right place, then our hearts can be also. Whether you go to church or simply meditate on your own at home to connect with your spirituality, it does make a difference in your mind. Connecting to a 'higher level' can give you a sense of humbleness, and you realize that there is more to life than what we see here. Knowing that there is something greater than yourself is an awesome experience. I incorporate my spirituality in my life daily. I pray daily, I read my bible every couple of days, and I am heavily involved with my church. I feel so good when I am there every sunday, and I wish we had service every day of the week.

Kindness and Love Week 4

First let me start off by saying that my previous blogs have apparently been on my google account page. I finally found the "new post" icon to enter a new post!

This week's audio was very interesting....I found it amazing how the audio used breathing techniques to symbolize taking in the suffering for a loved one and then exhaling the love and joy. I thought that it would make me keep in the suffering feelings but I was able to let them go. I have to be honest, in the beginning I felt really weird. I don't meditate at all. Not that I am against it or anything, I guess I just never learned how. It took me most of the audio to relax and be serious about it. However, after the next few times I did it, I was getting the hang of it. I finally felt relaxed, and I think it was very beneficial for me. I would definitely recommend this to others. If someone is looking for help somewhere in their lives then they have nowhere to go but up right?

The concept of a mental workout is to literally take the time to exercise your mind. Our mind can make us or break us. Our mind has the power to transform us not only spiritually and mentally, but physically as well. Just as we take the time out to exercise physically, the same should be done for the mind. Exercises like the audio for this week is a great example of it. Research indicates that a mindful workout can lower high blood pressure, decrease stress levels, increase sleep, and many other benefits. I am going to have to carve time out of my day to include mental workouts. I think I can stay awake an additional fifteen to twenty minutes each night to squeeze this in. In the end I think it will be well worth it.