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.