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?