Unit 10 Final Thoughts

    My personal assessment since unit three has changed a little, some for the best and some not so much. The reason being is because sometimes life’s distractions can cause you to stray off course. In unit three I scored myself an 8 in physical well-being, a 9 in psychological, and a 7 in spiritual well-being. I would say since then my psychological and physical scores have dropped one point but my spiritual score raised one. I learned that for me to have a good physical and psychological health I needed to strengthen my spiritual relationship. I was able to do this through prayer and I have started to practice meditation.

     I have been able to stick to the goals and activities I set for myself to make me a better me. I have been able to steer clear of negativity, pray more, and meditate in my down time. I have even shared my experience with friend s and family members and suggested they try a different approach when faced with trials and tribulations. Some of them look at me strange but others look hopeful.

   

    This course has taught me that I can have control over my thoughts and well-being according to how I approach life.  It was difficult in the beginning to stay away negative thoughts and at first I didn’t know how to handle it. This class taught me how to channel the thoughts out of my mind and replace them with positive ones. I think negative thoughts are the devils way of trying to stop your progress. Moving forward I will continue to share what I have learned with the people around me and I hope they gain as much as I have. Thanks to everyone and good luck!

Unit 9 Personal Application of the Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

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?
   

The importance of health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically comes in handy when providing professional services to others. Having the knowledge and experience before practicing will enhance their ability to help others. It will show a client that the practitioner is serious and dedicated to healing them to the best of their needs. A professional who is equipped with problem solving skills and creative solutions can better serve a client. I personally feel the need to meditate more and gain better control of my thoughts and inner self.

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

If I compare my assessment from the beginning until now I think I have made some improvements in each area.

Spiritually (9) — this was one of my weakest suits in the beginning but I have focused on it and feel that I have grown. I have opened my heart more toward my beliefs and I don’t focus as much on things that I have no control over.

Physically (7) I have fallen off a little due to certain situations that have taken place in my life since the course began. I was going through the home buying and moving process and wasn’t able to give as much attention to my physical being. Now that that is behind me I can get back on schedule with my workout regimen and healthy eating.

Psychologically (9) I have been able to maintain my mental wellness by reading and practicing yoga on a regular. I have learned to weed out the negative things and focus on the positive thoughts. This helps me to stay in a happy place. My mental wellness is the most important to me because I feel it keeps the rest of me in check.

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

Spiritually – My goal is to strengthen my faith in my beliefs.

Physically – My goal is to get back to my regular routine and add on to it.

Psychological – My goal is lower my stress and relax more.

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.

Spiritually – I plan on reading my bible more and praying more often. This will help me strengthen my beliefs and clear my mind of negative thoughts.

Physically – I have a regular exercise regimen that I follow. I plan on adding on a day of strength training to enhance muscle tone and strengthen my bones. It will also increase my physical capability. In addition to that I plan on cooking healthier meals and avoid the little junk food that I do eat.

Psychological – I plan on practicing meditation and reading more. The meditation will help me to focus more and the reading with enhance my mental wellness.

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?

In the next six months my tracking process will pertain to looking back at what I learned in this course to help me stay focused and on track with my goals. I will remind myself daily that a happy mind is a healthy mind. If I find myself slipping I will take time to adjust my schedule as need and focus on my mind, body, and spirit. I look forward to continued growth as I take this journey to a happy wholesome life.

References:

Amorok, T., Micozzi, M.S., Schlitz, M. (2005). Consciousness and healing: Integral approaches

to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier, Inc.

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Minfulness Practices

I enjoyed Loving Kindness and Subtle mind. These were the two that helped me relax and see my life through clearer eyes. They helped me to focus on what is important to me and no stress out about things that I cannot change.  I am also able to reap the benefits of truly believing in prayer and strengthen my relationship with God.

1^st example: I recently started the home buying process of my first home. In the beginning I was stressed and worried that God was not answering my prayers but the mindfulness practices have helped me to settle my mind and allow see what God was trying to show me. The path became clear I put my faith in God. I am happy to say that I will be closing on my house 7/9/2012.

2^nd example: I have a really big family and when we all come together it can sometimes get out of hand. There are some of us that dwell on the past when others are trying to move forward.  I have been practicing on keeping a happy mind because after all happy equals healthy. Thinking like this I was able to walk away without getting upset or engaging in the arguments around me. I felt great and was proud of myself. The family was surprised.

Unit 7

"Meeting Aesclepius

Aesclepius and our subtle mind showed me the importance of visualizing my thoughts and feeling through someone I viewed as a wise person. The sounds of the ocean in the background allowed me to relax and try to transform my thoughts through my dad. He was the wise loving man in my visions. The white light to me symbolized a halo because he has passed away. I thought about everything he tried to teach me and I tried to understand how it can help me n my life today. The use of mindfulness and meditation has helped me to slow down my thoughts and think clearer. I don’t get anger as much as I use to because I realize that a happy mind can lead to a healthy me.I think if I continue to use the meditative practices I will be able to in vision my life as God has it planned for me to live.  

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself"

I think the saying simply means you can’t explain a situation that you have not experienced in some way yourself at one time or another.  For example how can one person tell another how to deal with death or the loss of a loved one if he himself has never dealt with it? You can say how you think you would feel but unless it has actually experienced it, how would you know. In the health and wellness aspect one can explain how to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight but you don’t look the part it might not go over as well. One could show how he has helped others in the past but leading by example goes a long way. The way I plan on implementing psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life is simple for me. I believe in a higher power and I look to him for guidance. I feel like my life has already been planned so now I have to live it and at the same time accepting whatever lies ahead for me.

Integral Assessment/Loving Kindness

Integral Assessment

The Integral Assessment made me think of things that I have tried to push on the back of my mind and deal with later. The reason being is because when I think of them they make me sad and angry at the same time. That is the same part of my development that needs healing. I have tried many times to take a step forward but when dealing with matters of the heart it can be difficult. I do know that I need to start the healing process or I will always be in the same place. It has taken time for me to get my psychospiritual, biological, and worldly aspects of my life in order now I need to focus on the interpersonal part and develop it more. I think if I start to pray more and deal with my interpersonal issues instead of trying to push them aside I will be better off.

Loving Kindness

This exercise made me see everyone the same and for that time I wanted health, happiness, and wholeness for everyone. It would be great to live in a world where there is no suffering. It made me feel the need to help those that are suffering even if it was just by saying a kind word to better their day. It also made me think of heaven. I related this to heaven because this is what I have always been told heaven would be like.

Loving Kindness / Subtle mind exercise

Both exercises were relaxing but I found the subtle mind to relax me more. I think is was more so the sound of the music and water splashing was a perfect combination to relax and clear the mind. I didn't particularly like the women's voice, it interrupted my flow and disturbed me a little. Her voice wasn't relaxing at all.

The connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness all go hand in hand for me. There was a time in my life where my life felt like it was falling apart and I could not figure out why. It wasn't until I got my renewed my relationship with God that the rest of my life seem to fall in line. I feel that as long as I keep my spiritual wellness up to par with the help of God everything else will be fine.

I have learned that for me prayer is the key to having a healthy spiritual, mental, and physical well being.

Love and Kindness

My experience with the love and kindness mp3 was good it allowed me to remember that it’s okay to love myself as I do my family and friends. Life’s situations can sometimes take this joy away from you. Listening to the water splashing helped me focus on the importance of not overwhelming myself with situations I have no control over. Instead I should take life as it comes to me and not stress over one thing more than another. I definitely would recommend other to try this so they too can understand the importance of understanding our inner self.

The concept of a mental workout is to make acceptable to the thoughts we experience. Practicing mental workouts can play a role in our mental state as we age. Partaking in some kind of mental workout does not have to be hard. There are different types of puzzle games; reading novels, magazines etc., and even brain teaser are all good for giving yourself a mental workout.

Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Well-being

I would rate my physical well-being an 8. I am a very active person because I look at it as a way of life instead of working out. For the most part I eat very healthy but slip at times and I beat myself up about it. It can be difficult because I am a single mother working a full time job, and a full time student. My goal would be to ensure my understands the importance of why I stay physically active and stay away from junk food.
 
I would give myself a 9 for mental well-being. I love introducing myself to new things and reading and researching is one way that I do that. I practice yoga as a way to keep a clear mind and relax. I don’t like being around negative people or a negative atmosphere. My goal would be to try and stay away from negative people because I feel it affects my mood. I am very driven and level headed.

My spiritual well-being rating would be a 7.  I am a firm believer in God and have witnessed the power of prayer. I do feel I could attend church more often than I do. I am a Baptist and I have no intention of changing that but I could be more opened minded to other religions.  My sister attends a holiness church. She has invited me on several occasions, but I have declined. My goal is to attend church with her and see what it has to offer as far as getting the word of Christ.


To move toward each goal I am going to incorporate meditation into my day. Mediation is a great stress reliever and a way of training the mind. It will allow me to have the ability to open my mind to different things without affecting my inner self.

The Crime of the Century/Rainbow Meditation

I really enjoyed this meditation. I listened to it when I was stressing about life’s trail and tribulation. It helped me stop and think positive thoughts. I was able to work past my issues and finish my day on a positive note.

Reflection

The Journey on Relaxation reminded me of yoga. The music was very relaxing and calming. I was surprised to hear that 80 percent of the body’s blood rested in the GI track and body’s core. I listened to the audio a couple of times and although I was able to relax, I’m not sure if it had anything to do with me sending blood from my body’s core into my hands. I plan on doing it again and hopefully I will achieve the task.

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