Unit 9 Project

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?

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically to achieve health, happiness, and wholeness. According to Dacher on page 3:

Integral Health is self-generated and self-cultivated, that leads to a comprehensive, holistic, and far-reaching healing of body, mind, and spirit and that is immune to life’s adversities, including disease, aging, and death.

Authentic Happiness that arises from within and is expansive, robust, passionate, and unaffected by the circumstances of daily life.

Genuine Wholeness that experiences the interconnection of all life, a seamless existence and an uninterrupted oneness that is accompanied by ease, universal loving-kindness, and a lightness of being.

The areas that I need to develop to achieve the goals that I have for myself is to get more spiritual and physical. I do not attend church and I know that I need to get back to the point where I do. I believe in God, but I just do not attend. I used to be physically active all the time and then life got in the way and I stopped doing what I really enjoyed. I need to focus on getting more physically fit.

II Assessment:

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

I have assessed my health in each domain by the practices and exercises that we have done in this course. My wellness spiritually needs a lot of work. I believe in God, but I have not attended church in years and I do not pray like I should. My wellness physically needs improvement. I used to work out all the time, but life got in the way and I just stopped. I know that if I make it a point to set aside time to get back into it I would feel a great deal better about myself. My wellness psychologically I feel is pretty good. I do not let things bother me too much and I don’t usually stress out over things. I take things one day at a time and that is all you can really do.

III Goal development:

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

My Physical Goal is to start exercising again and walking on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes per day.

My Psychological Goal is to start meditation practices or just relaxing for 15-20 minutes per day to clear my mind.

My Spiritual Goal is to try to attend church a few times per month and start reading the Bible or some other form of it.

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.

The strategies that I can implement to foster growth in the physical domain is to start exercising again and walking on the treadmill for at least 30 minutes per day. I will set aside time in the morning by getting up when my husband leaves for work and getting my physical regime in before my day starts. By doing this, I will have no excuse for not doing it because it will be done first thing in the morning.

The strategies that I can implement to foster growth in the psychological domain is to start some sort of meditation practice and relaxing for 15-20 minutes per day. I feel that I can accomplish this goal by taking time for myself to just relax or taking a long, hot bath with candles.

The strategies that I can implement to foster growth in the spiritual domain is to start attending church and reading the Bible or other such material. I feel that I can do this by trying to attend church a few times per month and reading my Women’s Devotional Bible. I could even implement this book into my psychological domain while relaxing in the bathtub.

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?

I will assess my progress or lack thereof through keeping a daily journal for the next six months or beyond. The strategies that I will use to assist in maintain my long-term practices for health and wellness is telling every one of my plans. By doing this, I feel that it will hold me accountable for my actions.

Unit 8

Review the exercises and practice sessions you have completed in this course. (Loving Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation etc.) Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

The two practices that I have chosen are visualization and meditation. Both of these practices really seem to bring me peace and relaxation. It is nice to sit back and think about what makes you healthy, happy, and whole. When one does meditation, it brings the whole mind, body, and spirit to a calm state and worries seem to just fade away. The body feels more at peace. It is easy to implement the practices if one just makes the time for them to foster "mental fitness". If one would just set aside, say 15-20 minutes per day, whether it be in the morning or evening for these exercises, one would accomplish more and feel more at ease with oneself. I like to relax in the tub with bubbles and candles to do these. It is so peaceful and relaxing and there is no one around to bother me. Sometimes I like to walk outside and just take in the nature and air.

Unit 6 Blog

Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

The universal loving-kindness exercise was actually pretty peaceful and relaxing. I like the sayings that we were suppose to repeat...may all and may I. I feel that those statements are so true and that I can actually help individuals gain freedom from suffering and finding health, happiness, and wholeness, even by doing something as small as listening when they need an ear, lending a shoulder when they need someone to cry on, or even just giving a smile or hug.

The assessment process was empowering. I discovered quite a bit about myself by doing this. I realized that the aspect of my life that I need to work on is spirituality. I have not attended church in quite sometime. I keep telling myself that I will try to attend services and I still have not done so. I am going to plan on doing this and keeping the promise to myself to better myself. Some activities or exercises that I can do to accomplish this is attend services, make time to meditate, find individuals in the same predicament as me to make myself accountable.

Unit 5 PPT Presentation

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9jZCFsd4rq3YzllOTNjNmQtODEwMS00NThlLThlOTItZTQ5MTAxNjU0NThi&hl=en



For some reason, some of the photos that I put on my PPT presentation are upside down. When I put them there, it was not like that. Anyway....enjoy! :)

Loving-Kindness vs Subtle Mind

1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

I honestly felt that the subtle mind exercise was easier for me. It seemed to be easier to just be calm and relax my mind compared to trying to follow the loving-kindness exercise. This one was easier to grasp and actually follow. I don't know if it is just how the exercise went, but I really liked this one better. I was actually able to do this one while sitting in my car at lunch. It was awesome and I felt wonderful and ready to go back to work when I was done.

2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

Spiritual wellness has a connection with mental and physical wellness because if you have one, you need the others in order to be able to have health, happiness, and wholeness. I feel that I have all of these. I do not attend church on a regular basis, but I do believe in God. I feel that I have these three...health, happiness, and wholeness. I'm in good health, very happy in my life, and I feel that I am one as a whole.

Loving-Kindness/Muscular Relaxation

This exercise was kind of difficult for me. There was so much going on with the CD that it was hard to concentrate. I do feel that I practice Loving-Kindness on a daily basis. I am a giving person and I take the time to care for others and show compassion. I take time for myself, too. If I did not, I would not be the person that I am today. If we do not take care of ourselves, how can we take care of others? I really enjoyed the previous exercise so much more. It really taught you how to relax and just let things go. I practice that one quite a bit. Sometimes it is hard for me to relax because I am always on the go and seem to have things to do all the time, but it does come in handy when needed. We all need a break once in awhile.

Today

Today I am just trying to get caught up on some things that I have let go for too long. Doing laundry, dishes, cleaning a little bit, and doing homework. I am even going to try to exercise a little today if I have the time. I know that I am going to making some changes in my life...I need to. I wish to stop smoking and start exercising again on a daily basis. I did buy the patch for smoking and am going to put that on this evening before bed and I am also going to get up with my husband in the morning and start walking on my treadmill. I have to make changes and I am ready. Wish me luck!