Unit 10: Final Post

Well compared to Unit 3 I would say my ratings went up a little bit. My spiritual for unit 3 was a 7 and now I would say it is an 8, my physical was a 5 and I would say it is a 6, the one with the most difference would be my mental it was a 3 and is now a 6. The scores have changed because I have been working on these areas more. I have also been looking at them differently. When I go to the gym or for walks I also use that time to clear my mind, or pray and just relax. It has been quite enlightening for me. I think that the psychological is where I needed the most work but it is the place that I focused on more. I have been using a lot of the techniques and exercises we have learned in class and it has been helping.

My goals have been met. I have been meditating or using some of the exercises everyday. I want to use them for a longer time period perhaps that could be one of my next goals. I have also been going to the gym during my lunch breaks at work and I have been trying to eat better. I still need to work on that area, I do not know much about nutrition.

My personal experience in this class was seeing first hand that health and wellness works. I now have a much greater respect for it and wish that western medicine did too. I have improved my well-being and I think I now have the tools to improve even more. Right now in my life I cannot give too much I am not in that place but I hope very soon in the future to be able to devote more of me to health and wellness and really focus on it. This has definitely been rewarding for me because I have learned so much and these very simple exercises. It has been difficult doing some of these exercises and really trying to focus and calm the mind. I think that in the beginning the timing was difficult too. Right now it is trying to implement all of the nutrition, exercising, and mental fitness into my daily life that is difficult but I know with some more education and perhaps someone who knows about nutrition I can get to where I want to be.

It has been an exciting learning experience for me and I wish everyone the best of luck!!

Unit 9:

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically so that way they can teach others and help others to develop their wellness in these areas. If we want to work with others and help them to develop we should be developed in those areas as well. We should not be hypocritical. I like the saying “practice what you preach”. If we are to expect others to follow our treatment plans and to develop in these areas then we need to make sure our treatment plans work and that we are able to help others develop. I personally need to work on all of these areas. I need to work on the psychological and physical more than the spiritual. I have not taken care of myself physically in a long time. I stress a lot and it causes me to have physical problems. I need to learn how to control my stress and mind and how to get back in shape. As far as my spiritual, I think I am doing well. I have strong beliefs and I have a good connection to what I believe.

            I have assessed my health in each one of these domains by giving a number value to each. I look at the way that I am and the way I could be and I can rate my health. Rating myself from 1-10, 1 being not so good and 10 being great, I give my spiritual aspect a 7, my physical a 4 and my psychological a 3. However I am slowly but surely working on all of these areas by doing the exercises we have learned in class. Right now because of some things going on in my life my ratings are a bit lower than they would normally be.

            One goal that I have for my spiritual is to pray more and read the bible more often with my son. I would also like to find a church when we move that I am comfortable going to. My physical aspect of my life could be improved upon. I would like to continue going for daily walks with my son and during my lunch breaks going to the gym. When we relocate after I come up with some sort of schedule I would like to continue by working out at home because I do not know when I’ll have the chance to go to the gym. I think if I can dedicate an hour a day to each one of these domains I can get to a rating of 9 in no time. As far as my psychological that will take much more work. I have noticed that no matter how helpful these meditations and exercises are for me at that moment it is so much harder to stay that way for the whole day. I find myself regressing to the former mentality before the exercise. I think I need to really focus and dedicate time to these calming exercises. I need to start off with 5-10 minutes a day and then increase the amount of time. I really need to stay focused.           

            I plan on using yoga for all of these domains. Yoga is a great physical workout, helps you to calm the mind and relax, and I find it to be spiritually connecting. I will also practice the visualization. I think that this practice is good for my psychological because it allows me to really focus on my achievements and put some things into perspective. I also like the loving-kindness exercise. I think that learning to create those feelings and hold on to them can really help me.

            In order for me to stay committed I need to have a journal and some sort of reward system for myself. I will write down in my journal much like the blog. I will write down how many minutes a day I have done each exercise for each domain. I can write down if I didn’t do something and how I will become more effective. I think I will also write down my feelings at the beginning of the exercises and at the end of them so I can look back and see that there was a difference.

Unit 8:

Well the two exercises that I found to be most beneficial to me were the subtle mind practice and the visualization exercise. The subtle mind was good for me because it allowed me to shut off the outside noise and the noise in my head and just have calm and quiet. I think that this could be applied to my life on a daily basis for 10-15 minutes a day or perhaps I can alternate days and do the other practice on the other days. I sometimes have such a hard time focusing or shuting off my thoughts and this exercise allowed me to do so. I need this every now and then.

The visualization that we just did in this unit I really enjoyed. I do not think of my own happiness and achievements and I should. I am way too hard on myself. At school I aim high and I try to do my best, when I get a 98% instead of a 100% I do beat myself up over it and I remind myself well you have to do better than that next time. When I should really just be proud of myself because there are people out there that are struggling to make a passing grade. I was having a discussion about this with my friends and they agree I need to not be too hard on myself. This exercise allowed me to think of a time I was happy and times where I acheived something that mattered to me. I was able to think of so much stuff and really soak it up and take it in. I was able to connect with those feelings and just be happy for what I have and not what I don't. A big problem for me is that I feel I can do better or do more but I need to reflect and look at my life, I am a mother, a military wife, and friend, a daughter, a worker, and a college student ready to graduate. I need to look at all of these wonderful accomplisments I have and be happy with them and enjoy them because they will only happen once. I don't want to look back in my life I say wow what good times, I want to sit right now and say wow what a great moment now in time.

Unit 7: Meeting Asciepius

This meditation exercise was difficult to me. First the speaker discussed how the mind can be chaotic like a waterfall but through practice we can quiet the mind to a river or stream. This is what I have been working on. In this "meeting Asciepius" I had a difficult time visualizing an individual that I feel is wise and loving. I visualized myself years from now. I had a difficult time stabalizing on that image. After the 4th time of re-doing this exercise I got it but it was difficult. I imagined myself being loving, kind, pure, wise and tried to see that in myself. I will say it was relaxing but I feel that I had to try much harder in this exercise than with some of the other ones.

Mindfulness and meditation have fostered an increase in my psychological and spiritual wellness. I find that it is easier for me to calm the mind now. When my children are driving me nuts I can just stop, close my eyes and breath for  a minute and bring myself to center and focus. I am finding that I can tolerate more and it has also been helping with my stress and anxiety. I can continue to apply these practices in my life to foster greater health and wellness  by doing what I have now been doing. I have been taking time out when my children go to bed and I sit in my bathroom with the candle lit and my smelly plug in that smells like lavender, I shut and lock the door and I simply have me time. I sit on the rug in the bathroom and close my eyes and calm my mind. I sometimes use the subtle mind or the loving kindness practice or I just pray.

The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (p. 477) means that in order to try to teach others or show others you need to have knowledge of what it is you are teaching or showing. How can you give someone directions if you yourself have never been to where they need directions to. It is like going to the gym to a trainer who is over weight, will they really be able to help you attain your goals? This applies to the health and wellness professionals because they need to know what they are talking about first hand in order to be affective and to have people trust in them. I am not going to learn the information in this class if I do not have a qualified teacher teaching me. (which I do). I think that in any field where you are working to help others you are obligated to be developing you health, psychologically, physically, and spiritualy. I could not give honest advice if I were not working on my own health. My future job is about helping others in many life circumstances but I think that my circumstances need to be well in order for me to help them with theirs.

I can implement this growth by continuing the meditation process. By continuing to eat healthy and take care of my body. 
Melinda