final comments...

In unit 3 I scored by physical well-being 5, spiritual 4 and psychological 6. Now, I would rate my physical well-being at a 6. I am still working with my Naturopath to improve my health. My spiritual well-being would be rated at a 5. I am still very busy and face stressful times at work. My inner peace needs more improvement. Psychological well-being is at a 7. I feel that this area has improved a great deal but always need attention and improvement. I am definitely closer to the goals that I set for myself in unit 3. I have been through the detoxification process and my health has improved. I have been utilizing the relaxation and loving-kindness exercises to improve my spiritual and psychological well-being. This course has been enlightening to the possibility of integral health. The mind/spirit/body connection is a powerful thing and each of these need to be improved and maintained so they can work together. Through learning to show loving-kindness, I feel that my ability to deal with people has improved. I will use this experience in my future career.

I wish you all much success....

Teresa :)

Creating Wellness - Final Project

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 psychologically, spiritually and physically. Most health professionals are in the business to teaching others how to develop in these ways. Therefore, it is important that these professionals set an example by being what they are teaching. Health practitioners must lead a life of integral health and evolve as the path changes. They must expand their knowledge and learn about the most recent research, new techniques, and emerging therapies (Dacher, 2006). Professionals must be developed psychologically to help their patients/clients deal with stressors and the change necessary for reaching their goals. Health and wellness professionals must have a spiritual understanding of both themselves and their patient/client in order to help them grow spiritually and prepare for the journey towards integral health, happiness and wholeness. Finally, health care professionals must practice what they preach when it comes to physical activity and development. It is much easier to learn and be coached from someone who is physically fit when they are expecting results from you. I need to develop myself psychologically, spiritually and physically. Life is ever changing and we need to change and adapt to these changes. Stress will always be a part of my life as a single, working mother. I must learn to deal with the stressors so that I can focus and live peacefully. Physically, I need to spend more time exercising. I want to set a good example for my children. Perhaps spending time playing outside with them would help to increase my physical activity and promote healthy habits in them.

Assessment:

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

Spiritually, I would rate myself at a 5. I have a lot to learn about spirituality and how it can improve my life and my inner peace.

Physically, I would rate myself at an 8. I am in good shape for my age, but need to spend more time exercising. Daily exercise needs to be improved.

Psychologically, I would rate myself at a 7. I have learned so much in this class about meditation and stress reduction and have implemented this into my daily life.

Goal development:

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

Daily exercise is a goal that I have set for myself. I would like to start walking for 30 minutes per day and adding strength training and toning 3 days a week for optimal health.

Meditation will be a part of my daily life. I believe that through meditation I can improve my mental health. This, in turn, will help me find outer peace and turn it inward to find inner peace. This inner peace will help to improve my spirituality.

Spiritually, I need to connect more with my inner self. This can be achieved by adding relaxation exercises to my daily/weekly routine.

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.

In all of the domains, I can foster growth through focus and dedication. I will dedicate more time to myself to help improve physically, psychologically and spiritually. I can set goals to walk daily and play outside with my children to improve my physical self. I can practice breathing exercises and meditation to help foster growth psychologically. I have been practicing taking deep breathes when stressors arise and found that I become relaxed and can deal better with the situation. Spiritually, I can foster growth through relaxation exercises and yoga practice. These exercises can improve my focus and inner development.

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?

I can assess my progress in the next six months by keeping a journal and using an activity tracker. My Fitness Pal is a great tracker to use for tracking physical activity. I can utilize this tool to print reports to check my progress. Spiritually and psychologically, I can keep track of my moods in relation to events or stress that is occurring at a specific time. My acknowledging my feelings in a situation, I can assess how I handle the situations and my growth in these domains.  

Reference:

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

Exercises & Practice Sessions

I enjoyed all of the exercises and practice sessions that were assigned in our class. The loving-kindness was definitely my favorite of them all. We focused loving thoughts on a loved one, then on others. This exercise filled my heart with love and compassion. I use this daily, especially when faced with a challenge or stressful situation. I stop what I am doing and focus on the love that I share with this person and I am overwhelmed with a great sense of warmth and compassion. This helps alleviate the stress of daily situations. Increasing our loving thoughts can actually improve our brain function (Dacher, 2006). The subtle mind exercise also focused our loving thoughts on a loved one and strangers. This exercise was more about breathing and clearing the mind. Sounds of the ocean played in the background. This, again, is helpful in stressful situations: stop, take deep breaths and focus your thoughts on a loved one. These two exercises can be practiced daily in a quiet place or in the midst of a stressful situation. I believe practice will increase the benefits of the exercises.

Teresa :-)

Reference:

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

Meeting Aesclepius

The visualization exercise was peaceful and enjoyable. I pictured a special person in my life and was able to visualize them sitting across from me. I was able to absorb his wisdom and love. The relaxation exercises performed in this class have enlightened me in a way that has brought a sense of calm into my life. I find myself more patient and think about the consequences before I speak or act. I will continue to perform relaxation exercises and increase my awareness of those around me and their feelings. Loving-kindness will be shared with all.

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (Schlitz, 2005). This statement is just another way to say that we should lead by example. As a health and wellness professional, we can should give nutrition and fitness advice to those in need. But we must first live by these principles and practices so that we can share experiences and the benefits of such practices.

Reference:

              Schlitz, M. A. (2005). Consciousness & Healing. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier, Inc.

Teresa :)

 

Loving Kindness & Integral Assessment

The universal loving kindness meditation from Integral Health was a bit challenging in the beginning. It asked you to close your eyes and repeat four statements for about 10 minutes. I had to read the statements for a few minutes to memorize them. I understand this teaches us to show empathy for others. We can use this exercise to increase our capacity for listening, seeing and caring for others. Sharing loving, kind thoughts and expressions with others will help expand our mind and heart (Dacher, 2006).

The integral assessment is basically an evaluation of the four quadrants: psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly. The assessment starts with resting your mind and body and then focusing on one of the quadrants of our life that may be in distress. Next, it was time to focus on an area that is ready for development and growth. I found this assessment enlightening and easy to perform. I like reflecting on both the positive areas and understanding the areas that needed development and positivity. I chose to focus on my biological self for growth and development. I am in the process of detoxifying my body and improving my health. This area needs my focus right now for optimal healing. I am going through a full body detox with my Naturopath to foster wellness. My psychospiritual wellness is an area that is ready for growth and development. I am practicing relaxation exercises when I can and hope to incorporate them into my daily routine.

Reference:

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

 

Subtle Mind Exercise

The loving kindness exercise focused our thoughts on a loved one, then a group of people and on to a group of strangers. This exercise gave me a great sense of love, compassion and warmth in the beginning. I had a hard time extended this loving feeling toward a group of strangers. The subtle mind exercise was more about focusing on your breath and clearing your mind. I enjoyed the sound of waves crashing as I took deep breaths in and out. It reminded me of lying of the beach in the summer with the hot sun on my skin and the sounds of the ocean. This is a very relaxing exercise in that focusing entirely on your breath is calming. I did have a difficult time fighting off the mental chatter. What to cook for dinner? Have the kids done their homework? I definitely believe that doing this exercise when alone in the house would be much more successful.

Western medicine focuses primarily on the anatomical and physiological aspects of the body (Dacher, 2006). In order to improve our integral health, we must focus on other aspects of ourselves: the mind/body connection. A clear, focused mind allows the body to be free from stress and disease. Stress can play a major role in the onset of disease and early death. If can learn how to train our minds to be stress-free and calm, we can improve our overall health. Simple exercises like deep breathing or imagery allows us to train the mind.

Teresa

Reference:

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

Loving-Kindness

The loving-kindness exercise was very relaxing. It is amazing how just the thought of a loved one can fill your heart with joy and compassion. I felt very warm and at peace when thinking of this person. I was able to bring those feelings back inward and felt a deep sense of calm. It was a little more difficult at the end of the exercise when it asked that you embrace strangers and enemies and feel that same sense of love and compassion. I guess, like everything, it will take practice to accomplish this task. I would most definitely recommend this to others. The sense of joy and love that I felt is worth taking the time to complete the exercise. I kept that feeling with me for several hours before the stress of the day took hold.

The concept of a mental workout is daily commitment. Like anything in life, we must commit to do it every day for it to become natural and sustainable. Antione Lutz performed a study involving scholars who increased their gamma brain waves just by developing compassionate thoughts. This suggests a higher order of mental integration (Dacher, 2006). I believe that forcing yourself to think positive thoughts as a mental workout will increase your ability to be happy and share this happiness and loving-kindness with others. This practice will continue to improve your overall health and well-being.

Reference:

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