Unit 9 Project

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

            If I rate myself on a scale of 1 to 10, (ten being optimal well being) I would rate myself the following way. I would rate my spiritual well being a 6 out of 10.  I must admit that if I were more in touch with my spiritual well being that it would definitely help me be a better person than I am today.  Being spiritually connected helps to strengthen many areas in an individual’s life, such family relationships, community relationships, religion, health, and many others. 

            My physical wellness I would rate myself with a 6 as well.  My reason for this rating is based on my level of energy, stress and quality of sleep.  I’ll start off with how I wake up in the morning. Most of my mornings are a struggle for me.  My alarm clock goes off at 7am every Monday thru Friday. I always feel like I need just a little more time to sleep so I hit my snooze button at least twice before I actually get out of the bed.  Now on the weekends when I can sleep a little later, I wake up on my own between 7:30-9 am.  Next is my level of energy.  Usually once I take my shower in the morning I feel rejuvenated, refreshed and my energy begins to build.  I do not currently exercise however it is in my plans to develop a routine to get started on exercising.  Throughout my day I am usually full of energy until after I eat lunch.  What I have noticed is that everyday around 3pm  my energy slowly starts to drop. That is the time of the day that my body begins to feel tired and sluggish as well as feeling somewhat stressed at times.

            Psychologically I would rate myself with an 8.  I think that I am at a point in my life where I have learned that you have to be happy with yourself first before you can be happy with anyone else.  Our character, feelings and emotions play a major role with who we are as human beings. 

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

            My physical goal is develop an exercise routine a few days a week so that I build up my energy level as well as get into shape.  I also need to try to go to bed a little earlier than I have been doing. 

            My goal for psychological well being is to take things one day at a time and enjoy life as if it is my last.  Not let simple matters become more than they are and not let other peoples problem become my problems.

            My goal for spiritual well being is to read the bible and start attending church more often than usual.

            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 order to move towards each goal I feel that the best thing to do is get started immediately or find a partner that has the same interest so that you can motivate each other and do it. 

            A physical wellbeing helps our bodies to stay strong.  Research shows that aerobic exercise has anti-depressant effects on the body. When you elevate your heart rate and increase your blood circulation, you will experience an increase in endorphins. Endorphins numb pain and improve your mood. To get these benefits, engage in aerobic exercise that you can sustain for a minimum of 30 minutes several times per week. A few options include aerobics classes, cycling, running, hip-hop classes or hiking. The more challenging the aerobic activity, the better it will be for delivering mental health benefits. 

              A psychological wellbeing helps us to achieve and sustain a state of good mental health.  If you find that you are constantly under stress, feeling anxious or suffering from persistent low self-esteem, consider incorporating a regular exercise regimen into your life. It is not uncommon when feeling low energy to avoid exercise altogether. In this case, you might want to start out slowly. Choose an activity that challenge you just enough but not to the extent to be discouraging.  Yoga is a psychological strategy.  The most important benefit of yoga is physical and mental therapy. The aging process, which is largely an artificial condition, caused mainly by autointoxication or self-poisoning, can be slowed down by practicing yoga. By keeping the body clean, flexible and well lubricated, we can significantly reduce the catabolic process of cell deterioration.

            A spiritual wellbeing gives us the feeling of security and safety, peace of mind, self-confidence and the capacity to give and receive unconditional love.  Learning to practice meditation, reading spiritual and uplifting books, and acknowledging the fact that you are a spirit with a physical body, not a physical body with a spirit, are tips for spiritual growth.  If you can really accept this idea, it will change your attitude towards many things in your life. 

            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?

            In the next six months I will assess my lack of progress.  I need to focus on the growth and development of all areas of integral health.  I feel motivated some days and other days my mind is not focused which causes me to feel stressed.  To implement specific exercises or activities I must first allow myself time to do so.  The exercises that we have been participating in throughout this course so far is helping me to choose which exercise I would like to continue practicing as well as blending in a daily physical exercise plan.  I think part of my problem is I am so busy worrying and making sure everyone else is alright that I don’t take the time to focus on what I need to do for myself.  If I don’t make a change there is no one that can do it for me so I have to do it for myself.

Unit 8 Practices that I found to be most beneficial

The two practices that I have determined to be the most beneficial are the Loving Kindness and Visualization practice.  The Loving Kindness practice gives me the feeling of letting go of the negative feelings I have within myself and developing a space for opening my mind and soul to loving myself and others. It has taught me how to accept peace within myself and to experience awareness of my thoughts and actions.  As I practice Loving Kindness I am learning to not only invite a positive energy into myself but to feel that same energy with or about those I encounter and associate myself with. 

The Visualization exercise made me aware of how healthy one can feel as they visualize something good.  Visualizing brought out the happiness I have inside myself.  When focusing on something positive and meaningful in your life it gives off such a good feeling.  A feeling of joy that is so refreshing it makes you feel that you’re reliving the moment again.  Implementing this exercise will keep me reminded of what it feels like knowing that happiness on my mind helps keep the mind, body and soul healthy. 

Lori 

Unit 7, The Meeting Aesclepius practice

The Meeting Aesclepius practice was quite an experience for me. It allowed me to look at my relationship with my soul mate and visualize all the times we shared that has touched me.  I saw him from the beginning and through many stages of our relationship that made me love and appreciate him for being the man that he is.  Of course there were some rough spots that came through momentarily in this practice but I quickly removed the thoughts and focused on the goodness.  The goodness allowed me to see that there is room for continued love and understanding however at the end I ran into a slight problem.  It was that white light that would not fully emerge through some bit of a blurred vision.  It was almost like the white light was trying to break through some   orange and yellow colored fog and I felt as if I was lost.  I was searching for him and he was searching for me but we couldn't find one another. It was such a strange feeling for a few minutes.  I even went as far as listening to the exercise again trying to find answers to why that light was struggling to fully break through.  I didn't go all the way through til the end listening the second time because at that point I needed to open my eyes and face my problem.  I knew that we had just experienced a situation that he had not fully let go of so in the practice of the exercise my mind and inner body felt that the connection was lost.
The saying, "One can not lead another where one has not gone himself", I have mixed feeling about.  I can lead you to a place you haven't been and you might be able to have a visual, but unless you have personally experienced it yourself, you will not have felt the actual pain or joy or what ever that feeling was.
Looking forward to responses.

Lori

Unit 6 The Integral Assessment

The integral assessment has made me aware the stress that I have put on myself by over reacting to the responsibilities I have with balancing school and work.  Being a single parent can sometimes be hard work because I have to take full responsibility of not only my own self but my children need me as well.  I have to go to work 5 days a week in order to support my household and I have made the choice to further my education because I want to be able to provide a better living and work in a field in which I am happy with my job.  There comes a time when I feel like I have taken on too much and I get frustrated.  Listening to the exercise made see how letting go of my frustration can ease my thinking so that I can focus better on my outcomes. 

Motivation is where I need to focus on growth and development.  I feel motivated some days and other days my mind is not focused which causes me to feel stressed.  To implement specific exercise s or activities I must first allow myself time to d so.  The exercises that we have been participating in throughout this course so far is helping me to choose which exercise I would like to continue practicing as well as blending in a daily physical exercise plan.  I think part of my problem is I am so busy worrying and making sure everyone else is alright that I don’t take the time to focus on what I need to do for myself.  If I don’t make a change there is no one that can do it for me so I need to do it for myself.

Lori

Unit 5 The Subtle Mind

The Loving Kindness exercise retrains the mind to overcome all forms of negativity. It brings about positive attitudinal changes as the meditation systematically develops the quality of loving-acceptance. In this way, it acts as a form of self-psychotherapy, a way of healing the troubled mind to free it from its pain and confusion.  It is the act of letting go of all forms of negativity and directing your attitude towards an open mind of friendliness for all those you encounter.

The subtle mind exercise is more focused on a breathing technique to help you understand how the mind thinks. This exercise shows you how to use the body to benefit the mind as well.  There are three levels of the subtle mind.  The witnessing mind which will tame and stabilize the mind to stop to make choices about what we are thinking and moving us in the direction of having a calm abiding consciousness.  Then we are moved to a unity consciousness. With the breathing exercise we are witnessing what the mind is thinking and learning how to let it go.  I kind of look at it as when you’re having a bad dream and you feel like it is real, you can sometimes take control of it and wake yourself up to get out of the dream.

My experience with these exercises was something that I had to try a few times.  I believe that it takes time to get the true feeling that we want to discover in these exercises.  I was able to get a little feeling of understanding through the exercise based off of what I read and what is to be expected more than anything.  I wasn’t frustrated at all however I do plan to make it my business to try these exercises more often.

The connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness is that they are all dimensions of wellness.

Spiritual Wellness is a personal matter involving values and beliefs that provide a purpose in our lives and being open to diverse multi cultural beliefs and backgrounds.  Having compassion, the capacity for love and forgiveness, gratefulness and fulfillment help you enjoy your spiritual health.

Mental wellness focuses on the acceptance of your emotions and feelings. It is influenced by biological factors which changes in the central nervous system, medications illness and family history.  It is also influenced by social environments such as losses, traumatic events, stress and low economic status.  An individual who has mental wellness maintains a healthy and satisfying relationship built on understanding and being able to express emotions.  Physical activity, good nutrition, adequate sleep and rest, optimistic attitude and stress reduction all promote mental wellness as well.

Physical wellness is the ability to apply your knowledge, motivation, commitment, behavior, self management, attitude, and skills toward achieving your personal fitness and health goals.

These dimensions all have an impact on how I feel in relations to myself and others.  I am learning how important it is to love myself and heal myself from all negativity.  Learning to witness the mind to a calm abiding conscious and unity consciousness is preparing me for a future of good health and wellness.