Creating Wellness Experiences (Unit 10)

Complete the following and post in your blog: 

1. Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas . How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?

For unit 3, I rated myself 7/10 physically, 6/10 spiritually and 7.5/10 psychologically.  Today, I would rate myself physically a 7/10, spiritually 8/10 and psychologically 6/10.  I have gained something spiritually and lost something psychologically over the last few weeks.  That makes sense considering the situation I am in currently in my life.  I think this class is to thank for my feeling of advancement in the spiritual area.  I have become more aware of myself and have taken steps to foster a better connection with my spirituality, such as practicing yoga, meditation and the subtle mind.  Psychologically, I have been trying to reevaluate my life, especially my relationships, to better myself.  I realize that some of them are not healthy for me, but letting them go is not an easy process and it has caused me some grief.  I am trying to focus on the bigger picture and not be too affected by small events of each day that threaten to shake me emotions.

2. Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

Wow, I have been pretty good with my physical goals, great with my spiritual goals and fallen off the wagon with the psychological goals!  Hmm… Well, that gives me something to do today.  I have just found some guidance and that is a relief.

3. Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.

Yes, I have been able to ride horses, do yoga, practice meditation and feel much better and more aware of myself.  I did yoga today and it was great.  I have been getting out in nature and that does wanders for my spirituality.

4. Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?

This course has been such a great experience.  I am sad to see it go.  Now where will I go for guidance and fresh advice?  I have learned about being aware, about feeling subtle sensations of my mind, how to let chaotic thoughts dissolve away, how to evaluate myself on many levels and how important all aspects of our lives are for our health and wellness.  It will help me assist others because I can help them look deeper into their own lives and get to the source of the illness; instead of just treating the symptoms, we can heal the whole person.

The Plan (Unit 9)

 

The unit nine project is an opportunity for you to create a plan that applies concepts you have learned regarding holistic/integral health. The plan is created to foster growth and health spiritually, physically, and psychologically in your personal life.  Complete each of the five sections below and post the project in your blog, also submit it as a single Word document in your drop box.

1. 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 because that is what they teach and live by.  Health and wellness goes far beyond the hospital walls and the prescriptions we take.  In fact, they are closer to a sign of illness, than of true health.  Integral health and wellness are a way of living.  They require not only knowledge, but also action.  Therefore, it is only possible to be healthy in the true sense of the word if health is a constant part of life.  Lets think of it from the patient’s point of view.  Would we admire, respect and trust a doctor giving us advice is they were healthy-looking but we knew that they were clinically depressed?  What about an educated health care professional that gave us nutritional advice by the pound but was so obese that it was impossible for him to take his own advice? 

Personally, I need to develop all levels, psychological, spiritual and physical.  The least developed would be the psychological aspect of my life.  I find it easier to make restrictions that affect myself and only myself, which is why I am critical of myself physically and why I am very into my spirituality.  The psychological part I feel is underdeveloped because I find it hard to control the parts of my life that affect me as well as other people.  For example, I do not say no to people and I end up stressed because I do not have the time to do everything I promised, or I have people in my life that cause me more grief than joy, leaving me anxious.  I definitely need to work on that area of my personal development.  I need to heed my mother’s advice and “learn the power of the word no”.   

2. Assessment:

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

Spiritually, I would give myself a 7/10.  I feel that I am very aware of my spirituality.  I have a close connection to nature that fosters this awareness.  Without it, I would feel numb and non-existent.  I feel my soul move and my spirit soar to a beautiful place when the wind blows or waves crash.  It brings me to life.  My family has recently traced itself back hundreds of years to the Wyandot (Huron) Indians near Ontario, Canada.  I grew up on the boarder of New York and Canada, on a huge farm in the country.  I think all of this ties in with me being very connected to nature and my spirituality. 

Physically, I would say I am a 7/10 as well.  I practice yoga, run, eat well and stay active.  I could do much better, but then again I could be so much worse too so I have to be thankful for the physical health that I do have.

Psychologically, I am a 5/10…maybe even a 4/10.  I see so much potential in the mind and I am eager to discover it but scared of the unknown at the same time.  I know a few people who are so at peace.  Nothing seems to shake their world and I want to be like that.  This course has helped me see that it is possible for me to be lie that and it has helped me start to map out the steps I should follow.  It has been an exciting journey so far and I have a feeling that I am just getting started.

3. Goal development:

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

Physical Goal: Some of my goals are to eat proper nutrition and to make time to eat.  I ran my first 5K run a few weeks ago and I would like to do another within the next month or two.

Psychological Goal: My goal here is simply to be more in control of my mind.  I want to have a subtle mind.  I want to have peace.  And I want it all to help me create the important questions of my life.  I am on a hard path, but I think it is a good one.  I think it is the correct one for me.

Spiritual Goal: I would like to be more connected to my spirit and more guided by it.  For this, I feel like I have to practice listening to the soft whispers and be in quiet places where I can hear it when it speaks to me.  More meditation, more yoga, and more time in nature will help with this goal.

4. 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.

Physical: I can run a few miles three times a week and get physical exercise everyday.

Psychological: I will get outside often and go to a peaceful place to meditate because that helps calm my mind.  I am going to research parks and beaches in my area to find good places to do this.

Spiritual: I will continue to think of all people as one, with no one more important than the other.  I will see myself as a part of this whole and ask how I can better it all.  I want to be useful, to be positive part of change in the world.  My goal is to make time to be quiet and be aware of my spirit and its reactions to my environment.

5. 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 have mapped out my goals in each area of human development on a poster board.  I dated the map so that I can recheck myself every month and see if I am inline with my goals.  What I find interesting about these goals is that it none of them are dependent on my location.  I cannot use travel to run from them.  They all originate inside me.  For each area, I wrote something positive, something I can work on, and a relative question.  For example, psychologically, I feel like am in an interesting place in my development and understanding of the world.  I can see the issues with increasing clarity.  That is the positive.  The part I can work on is being less disturbed, mentally, by these problems.  This relates to my family, my work and my view of the world.  All of it would benefit from less debilitating emotions and more action and strength.  The question is: “How can I find the unhealthy sources of stress and let them go?”  I did this for each area of my development so that I have something positive to be grateful for, something else to work on, and a question to ponder because I find the questions to be just as interesting as the answers.  One question always leads to more, such as “Why did I ask that question?” “How long has that been there?” “What experience caused it?” “What do I want to do with the answer?” “Am I scared of the answer?” and so on…

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."

-Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1709

Good Times (Unit 8)

 

All of the exercises, practice sessions and concepts that we have learned have been helpful to me, including using loving-kindness, training the subtle mind, using visualization, practicing meditation, Qigong and energy, health as defined by different cultures and peoples, yoga, patience, forgiveness and finding purpose and spirituality in life everyday.  I am a Health Science major who chose Health Science after contemplating Cultural Anthropology.  I like people and anything to do with understanding them.  In almost three years of Kaplan classes, this course (Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing) has been my very favorite.  I have completely enjoyed it.

When I think back on all of the concepts that we have touched on, I feel that the subtle mind and learning about the four aspects of integral health have been the most beneficial to me.  These two concepts I had never heard of before.  I have practiced “health” as I knew it.  I eat well.  I practice yoga and meditation.  But, those two concepts really opened my mind to the depth of holistic wellness.

The subtle mind exercise showed me how profound and powerful the mind is.  It helped me understand what I can and cannot control as well as how much I can control my body.  Even the physical heartbeat, the racing breaths and the anxiety I feel can be relaxed to a great degree though simply focusing on letting the rushing thoughts come and dissolve away into nothing.  I imagine and ocean with waterfalls crashing into it and I go to the center and deep underwater and feel the calming power of the mass of water.  That image and the idea of the subtle mind enable me to cherish my inner peace and use it for the health of my whole being.

The four aspects of integral health were also very beneficial to me.         I knew about these aspects but I did not know the importance of balancing them and developing them.  I liked assessing my personal growth in each area.  I learned what areas I need to develop more and which ones I could relax with.  I know feel great about deciding that a massage and family time can replace gym time and my health will not decrease!  The other day, I practiced yoga, got a massage and meditated about a friend.  I felt amazing!  What I am trying to say is that understanding that health is holistic helps me be aware of all four areas of myself (psychospiritual, biological, worldly and interpersonal) and where I am in this life. 

Steph

Meeting Aesclepius (Unit 7)

My meditation is increasing, slowly but surely.  My “workout” yesterday was almost completely mental.  I got a water massage and did some stretching and poses for about an hour.  It was amazing.  I felt at least as good as I feel after running a few miles.  The only thing I struggle with is the guilt!  There is a sense of guilt that I did not deserve that time or that I could have been moving faster and therefore being more productive (help!). 

I listened to the “Meeting Aesclepius mp3”.  My first thought was of how beautiful and pure the background music was.  I have always had a deep love for flutes, panpipes and wind instruments.  By nationality I am French and Native American, so I like to think of this as a living connection to my past.  The mystical, airy notes calm me like nothing else. 

To meet my inner mind, I had to choose a person who I respect and look up to, be it living or passed on.  My mind instantly gave me a vision of Gandhi, which I ran with.  I visualized him, his light, energy and passion.  I took all of that in, mentally.  It was relaxing and clarifying.   I felt like I could take my hard decisions and consult another entity within me for guidance and advice.   I will use this practice to improve my life, my reactions and my health.

The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" is a good way of describing how we, as healers, should lead the way for our patients.  Not practicing what we preach as health care professionals is something like handing out a map and information about a place we have never been.  It only makes sense to practice integral health in our own lives first and then spread it out to the lives of others.

!!SPLAT!! My Mind: On Paper & Exposed (Unit 6)

LOVING-KINDNESS: 

I can breathe in suffering and breathe out health and happiness for a loved one.  When I try to do it for myself, however, it feels uncomfortable.  But again, I can do it.  When the voice in the exercise asked me to do it for people I consider my enemies, I almost shut down completely.  Wow, that is hard...apparently impossible for me right now.  I feel like it will weigh me down and strengthen them.  Does anyone know how I can handle this in a healthy way?  These are not just people that I have disagreed with or something like that.  When I think “enemy”, some people who have done some pretty horrible things rush to my mind.  How do I deal with this?

PERSONAL ASSESSMENT:

I have completely my personal assessment.  It includes all four areas of development as well as the rings of body, mind and spirit and the lines of areas to develop within each of the four areas. 

Completing an assessment such as this one is quite a strange and foreign sensation.  How can it be that looking this deeply and critically into oneself is not only strange, but also unsettling?  With this exercise, I have learned what areas of my development I am comfortable with and what areas are unnerving.  I am thankful for the comfortable areas, not because they are rather developed, but because they just feel good, they feel healthy.  The other areas that make me feel uncomfortable, I will take as a sign of a need for improvement. 

The areas I want to improve are the psychospiritual and the interpersonal.  In the psychospiritual, I feel I could improve on all areas in my everyday life.  For example, I should assess my relationships.  Some of them cause me great stress.  I could find ways to either make them healthy or eliminate them from my life.  There are a few people I need to have serious talks with.  I also need to be strong and make the judgments I need to without being dependent on the other persons reactions.  Interpersonally, my family is a major concern.  I feel the need to help them with some issues and be more involved but it feels like closed doors all around.  I need to do some out-of-the-box thinking and soul searching to find a way to move it all in a positive direction.

I have mapped out my thoughts on a poster board and uploaded a picture of it below.  I thought it looked pretty whacky to see myself exposed in all honesty on paper like this.  But, it was kind of cool too, so I wanted to share it…

Thanks for reading!
Stephanie Peterson

Mind over Matter

This Subtle Mind of Mine

Comparing and contrasting the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise...explain the experience, the benefits, frustrations?

“Its like tying your mind to an anchor in the ground” Says the voice. This exercise is slow and relaxing, but it has more to offer.  It gives some great visual and mental aids to teach the act of letting go of those racing thoughts (something I personally struggle with).  “You are now witnessing the mental activity and spending less time absorbed in it.”  I am focused on the thoughts themselves.  Not what I am thinking about, but what they are made of, what they make me feel and where the mind travels and how it moves from thought to thought. “Where does the mental activity go?”

The Loving-Kindness exercise was about sending thoughts and feelings in a certain direction.  I sent them inward, to myself.  I sent them out, to others.  Here, I am not sending thoughts anywhere.  With the subtle mind, I am merely an observer.  I acknowledge the thoughts.  I witness them rise and fall and they do not affect me.  It is a very different concept than that of sending thoughts and feelings to other places.  It is more passive, freer and gives a light sense of presence with no responsibility. 

The connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness...how is the connection is manifested in your personal life?

When we think about health, we generally tend to think about the physical aspect of it.  We acknowledge our mental and spiritual parts, but we rarely give them the credit they deserve.  And they deserve quite a bit, by the way.  As a matter of fact, they are a critical part of our health.  If we are truly healthy (not just looking good on the beach but feeling great about ourselves in our mind and soul) than we must also have health in our minds and spirits.  Similarly, if we are lacking health in any one of these three aspects- physical, mental, spiritual- than we cannot be healthy in the other two.  To truly be healthy, we must be healthy on all three levels.  Thankfully, these levels happen to be much more connected than we seem to realize.
 Did you know that by merely thinking about loving-kindness instead of anger has instant benefits?  Did you know that it would slow your pulse, lower your skin temperature and shift your immune system?  We are talking about a thought!  Just a thought in the mind can systemically alter the body in its entirety.  What happens is that the brain produces hormones that travel throughout the body searching for receptor cells.  They attach and fit into the receptor cells, which activate them much like a key in a lock.  This causes a physical change.  The cells are altered, which is a physical change to the physical body- a change that started with a non-physical thought.  In simple terms: thoughts and emotions cause the brain to create hormones that change and affect every part of the physical body.  Being healthy spiritually will create positive thoughts and energy for love and compassion.  In turn, the mind will produce healthy hormones and the physical body will be ready to workout in the gym, to go for a run, to endure a long and stressful day, to encourage someone, to show love or to be a stellar example of health, all because the spirit inside was capable first.  That is how the spirit is connected to the mind and the mind to the physical body.  In reality, they are all one.

The Mind Gym (Unit 4)

The concept of working out to achieve a higher level of performance is not a new concept at all.  People do it all over the world.  They have been doing it for thousands of years with continue to do it.  I have recently gotten back into running.  Last week I was at 3 miles in 29 minutes.  This week was a little faster, I had a little more breath and a little less cramps!  I have no doubt that I will continue to get better every week as long as I train everyday and set myself up for success.  Why then, do we not automatically apply this concept to our non-physical beings?

The concept of a mental workout is not a new on either.  If the mind is used, focused, channeled, into certain types of thinking, it becomes a habit.  We condition the mind to think as such and our behaviors mirror our thoughts.  Therefore, if we change our thoughts, we change our actions and behaviors.  This concept is lived by in much of the Western World.  In the East however, we are just starting to question our ways and apply this concept in an attempt to obtain the balance we have lost.

The research behind mental workouts is astonishing.  It has been shown that our thoughts and emotions are directly and scientifically related to our level of functioning, our ability to cope with everyday stressors and the mind's ability to organize its self and it's thoughts.  Scientifically, the gamma-waves in the brain have been monitored during positive thoughts of loving-kindness, compassion and acceptance and they have been found to organize themselves into synchronization during these thoughts at a higher rate than they do when the subject contemplates fear, hate or anxiety.

The findings are such that we must conclude that good and positive thoughts, practiced on a regular basis, will lead us to a higher level of understanding and peace for the world and the people around us.  To start today, we merely have to stop and think!  Relax and think about positive things, peace, love kindness, joy and when we are ready, we send those thoughts to specific places.  We can send them inside, to ourselves.  We can send them to family and friends and to people we have never met.  Ultimately, we can send them to our enemies and in doing so we share love, hope and peace. 

We improve ourselves as human beings while simultaneously and scientifically improving the world.  And all of this is free, available anytime, no prescriptions necessary.  If you were born a human being, you have this unique and precious opportunity to intentionally use the power of the mind.  The possibilities are endless. 

Loving-kindness (Unit 4)

Wild Flowers in the Andes Mountains, Ecuador 2012

       To be at peace with our world and ourselves we can practice “working out” our minds using focused thoughts and designated times for our mental workouts.  Just like any behavior, we become conditioned with practice.  Our minds also feel the effects of trained behavior, be it positive or negative.  Let’s focus on the power of positive training.  The first step is to learn to practice loving-kindness.
       Loving-kindness is where we turn our attention inwards, we think and feel our environment and learn to love ourselves in a selfless way.  After learning to love ourselves, we can truly share that love with others.  Taking time everyday to promote these thoughts of loving-kindness to those around us is a great start to a higher state of consciousness.

       I have had experiences with this myself this week.  One of my patients in the Psychiatric Hospital I work in has been sharing her haunting past with me.  Story by story, I begin to understand the faded look in her eye as I realize that her happiness, hope and life itself have been robbed from her since she was a young child; it has left her with the restless and disturbed mind that she battles today.

       I have been taking parts of my days to focus on her and send her my good thoughts, positive energy, loving-kindness, confidence, health and joy.  I do not know how it is affecting her.  She knows it is happening and I can see that she feels special just to have someone remember her.  It is affecting me.  I feel less disturbed and tired when I talk to her.  I am learning how to listen but not carry the weight around with me.  And, I am beginning to make a habit out of sending her my positive thoughts.
   I would recommend this to others.  I do not know how it is affecting the woman mentally.  She is happy that I am making time for her everyday.  For myself, personally, it is very worth it because of the sense of calm and clarity that it has brought to my life.
 

   

Rainbow Meditation (Unit 3)

Rainbow Meditation is what I have chosen to call this exercise.  You can click here to be led through the exercise.  Find a comfortable place, relax, get loose and remember to breathe....

When I did this exercise, I felt very relaxed, like I belonged right where I was.  The exercise starts with red in the base of the spine, orange below the belly button, yellow in the upper abdomen, green over the chest, teal blue in the neck area, deep blue from the head and dark purple from the crown of the head.  All of theses colors are related in the mind to certain traits.

My favorite color is green, which was connected to emotions.  I was really interested in this because I am very guided by my emotions.  Red is my least favorite color.  It stands for being grounded, which I am not...I could not even think of a red object when the voice asked me too!

Overall, the exercise was very nice.  I have been noticing lately how much colors affect what I feel.  This was a great exercise to promote a sense of conectedness and practice the skill of relaxation related to mental images using colors.  Try it out!

Steph

Layers of Existence (Unit 3)

Total wellness depends heavily on the individual’s ability to check themselves on different levels, to be honest with one’s self and to create goals for continued forward evolution.  I have taken a personal inventory of my health on three levels: physical, spiritual and psychological.  I have rated them on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfection.  I have also explained why I have chosen each rating and added goals for each level with an action or activity idea to help me reach those goals.

Physical well-being: 7/10

I could use more physical activity…always!  But, I find myself getting board with the gym and the same old, same old.  I would give my state of physical wellbeing a 7/10 at this time.  I need to make more time for physical activity and get enough sleep so it will not be so hard to get the ball rolling.  I know I am just bored and therefore unmotivated and that is why I am not feeling great about myself physically.  There is a rock gym in my city that I have not tried yet.  I used to be really into rock climbing.  I think I will try that this week.  It may be just the cure I need from the routine.  (I have never done well with routines.)  I have also recently met some horse people in my area!  I grew up with horses so it is something I am really excited to have back in my life.  I now have horses to ride, which is great physical exercise as well as being great for the mind and spirit.

Physical Goal: to be confident with my body, energized, hydrated and strong.

Action: to go either horseback riding or rock climbing this week, or both!

Spiritual well-being: 6/10

         I have been feeling better spiritually over the last few weeks.  I think it is because of a combination of things- not eating meat, praying more than usual because of some new events, taking a little time to think and reflect thanks to this course (Creating Wellness) and really trying to just be more aware of my spirituality.  A few weeks ago I would have rated my spirituality a 3/10.  Now, I would rate it a 6/10 with a strong will and intent to continue improving!

Spiritual Goal: to continue to feel more in touch with my spirituality and be and think positive.

Action: Continue to pray, be conscious of myself, take another yoga class this week and meditate for 15 minutes everyday just to refocus on life.

Psychological well-being: 7.5/10

          Hmmm, this one is interesting.  I feel like it changes day to day, hour to hour and minute by minute so it will be hard to rate on a scale of 1-10.  I would give it a flexible 7.5/10.  This rating is because I almost always I feel on top of my game, confident and comfortable.  However, I still get the occasional panic attack and I am still learning how to best handle them, naturally.  Although they are occasional, they greatly affect my rating as I feel they weight heavily on my health. 

Psychological Goal: to stabilize my psychological state as much as possible and remember that it is affected by so many things (such as other people in my life and how much I have slept) so that I can weigh the changes accordingly.

Action: Finish watching “What the Bleep do we Know?!” because it helps calm my mind by seeing how complicated we are and how I am not meant to understand it all.  Also, I want to be there more for my family, friends, patients and coworkers to be able to be strong and supportive and a source of positive energy in their lives.

Have you ever done this kind of self-check?  If yes, how did it work?  If no, why not?  Would you like to try?  What are your thoughts when reading this?  Do you feel "health" is focused evenly on all the aspects of health?  Why?

Peace~

Reflection (Unit 2)

I have been feeling too stressed lately and looking for a healthy way to handle it.  I have been eating better and trying to get enough sleep, which is helping, but sometimes it seems like it is not enough.  I listened to the exercise called "Journey On" where a calm voice walks the listener through a series of thoughts about moving blood from the abdominal area to the extremities, specifically the hands, to promote muscle saturation and flexibility.  The voice leads the listener through the process in a calm, serene voice as the thoughts lead the blood into the hands and eventually, back into the abdominal cavity.

My personal experience was that I could feel my hands get heavier and heavier.  There was an overwhelming sense of weight and heat in my forearms and hands.  When I lifted my hands, they literally felt heavier.  (It was recommended to remove a watch but I never wear a watch; I find them stressful.)  With every deep breath and focused thought I could feel the changing in the diameter of the blood vessels channeling blood to where my mind was asking for it to go.

I tend to hold stress in the muscles of my forearms.  They get tight when I am not at peace.  This exercise was great because it focused on sending blood to that area and it really had a relaxing effect on my whole body and mind.  After focused thinking and breathing for about 20 minutes, I felt calmer, more focused and ready for the task at hand.

I know that meditation is beneficial to me- I have no doubt.  Yet, I still have issues convincing myself that the time spent meditating is "worth it", especially when I am already rushed and stressed for time!  What a vicious circle that can be!  Making myself stop for 20 minutes per day to reflect, meditate, think, focus, breathe or whatever I choose to call it, is something I am going to strive to make a conscious effort to do.  I believe the benefits are limitless and I am the only one in control of the simple decision to improve my wellness through a little old fashioned relaxation~

Welcome (Unit 2)

"Letting Go" 2012

I am pleased to welcome any and everyone to this space.  All comments are welcome, knowing that we are all individuals and no two minds are alike.  Our uniqueness makes the world a beautiful place and all thoughts and opinions will be respected here.  Thank you for reading, thank you for sharing, and thank you for being here..

From the Inside Out

I stopped eating meat a few weeks ago.  I have felt better since that following morning.

                                                                                           Breathing Well!

 It was not for any religious reasons or even personal convictions.  Nope, just because I was feeling weighed down, slow, tired and foggy.  I also am trying to drink more water, get my heart rate up, do more yoga, catch some sunshine and get a healthy amount of my lovely, cherished sleep (guilt free).  But all that has been an on going thing for years.  I felt like I needed more so I have decided to try to change it up by not eating meat- just see how it goes....  I can hardly believe the difference I have experienced!
  
Everything has been affected: my concentration has improved, anxiety lowered, digestive system improved, I even feel happier (especially my stomach) and I know I am getting better nutrition!  I try to not just not eat meat.  I am trying to replace it with real vegetables and fruit- yeah, I'm eating a lot of broccoli these days.  But, I'm posting this just because I feel compelled to share how such a simple thing has affected my health in such a fast, drastic and big way!  I felt better, wholly better, totally better, in less than 24 hours.  Try it!   

~If true health comes from the inside out, then it is imperative that we breathe well, drink water, sleep in peace and feed the body what it needs to run like the complex and beautiful machine that it is.~

Steph

Lost and Happy

Me, looking for direction and enjoying the scenery

My name is Steph.  I work as a Mental Health Tech at a Psychiatric Hospital.  I love the job, enjoy the patients and am thankful everyday for the chance to be useful to someone in some of their life's darkest moments.  I have a passion for making the world a better place.  I thrive off interesting people, you know, the ones with stories and adventures that outshine Hollywood with all their rarity of real life and human behavior.  I am really into traveling the world, seeing it from different angles and taking it all in with an open mind.

After deciding many times what I wanted to do with my life, I have reached a final decision: I have no idea.  However, I am never happier than when I am lost.  I like being forced to see and feel each moment because of the lack of a tangible finish line to sprint towards.  I am lost in the garden; it's a step past stopping to smell the roses.   

My current ideas on what I want to be when I grow up (I'm 28 years old) are: a humanitarian aid worker, a physician, a surgical physician's assistant, something in public health, a therapist, a paramedic for disaster relief, a social worker, anything for the WHO, the UN or UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders or MAP International as long as I get to work where I have something useful to offer those who need it most.  I want to fight for human rights and promote the empowerment of people everywhere.
  

It's Time...

Well original, we can flow, we test the waters,
deep or low, temperature set to explode,
never stop until it's gold, through the fire through the cold,
over mountains down the road, cities come and cities go,
movin' individuals.
Well if you seen us then you know we ain't tryin' to be no one,
we just dirty headed kids from the city of the sun,
and I wish that we could stay but it's time for us to shine,
if your friends are friends of love then your friends are friends of mine...

If you come to be yourself original let it shine.
If all your friends are friends of love then they're all friends of mine.

~Dirty Heads "Shine"

Northern Mexico Desert, 2010 Road Trip, Photo by Jeremy Bell