Unit 10 review of personal goals and growth

Review of assessment
Back in unit 3, I rated my physical wellbeing a 10 based on how closely I pay attention to my nutrition, fitness, and sleep.  Included in that scoring was my blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight.  I am in a healthy range in each of those areas.  I would still give myself a 10 in this area.  Not only am I still paying attention to nutrition, fitness, and rest, I am paying even closer attention than I was before this class. 
I rated my spiritual wellbeing as a 9 based on my strong faith and guidance from God in my life.  I will probably always rate myself a 9 in this area no matter how much progress I make, because I know there is always much more to discern and learn.  Therefore, I am still giving myself a 9 in this category.
Psychologically, I rated myself an 8 based on my past self-esteem issues and lack of confidence.  In this area, I believe I have moved up to a level 9 due to the growth I have experienced in this class leading to more self confidence than before.  

Review of goals
My physical goal was to continue toward a complete healing of my hamstring injury.  I am still making progress in this area.  The hamstring is not completely healed, but it is significantly better than before.  I still work on this daily.

My spiritual goal was to read through the bible in one year.  I have not missed a day yet, and I intend to keep working toward the final goal.

My psychological goal was to learn the art of visualization by carving out three 20 minute sessions per week for one month.  I am happy to report that I have achieved the goal of the three 20 minutes sessions per week, and I am still working toward the visualization skill.

Implementation 
I have implemented all of the activities I chose for each goal I set.  The plan is working, and I believe it is sustainable.  I am thrilled with what I have learned and am looking forward to continued growth in each area.

Summary
Throughout this course I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every unit.  I enjoyed the readings, the sharing on the discussion boards and blogs, the seminars, and the relaxation exercises.  I feel I have improved my overall well being and learned valuable lessons for my own personal health and wellness.  The growth has been very rewarding.  Giving myself permission to take time out to just be quiet has been wonderful!  It was difficult for me to do the visualization exercise until I found what I wanted to visualize and made it personal for me.  I believe the challenge and the growth through determination will help me be able to be a help to others on this integral health journey.

I have sincerely enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you during this class.  Thanks Professor for making the class as wonderful as it is!

Sherry

Unit 9 Final Project - Integral Health Plan

Holistic and Integral Health Plan

Health is something people strive for, spending tremendous amounts of time and money to achieve the goal: Vital health.  As health care professionals we have the obligation and the privilege to help people achieve that goal.  Health is more than the absence of disease or pain. Health, holistic and integral health, is physical health, spiritual health, and psychological health.  A shortfall in any of these areas affects the others.  To have complete integral health allows a person to fully experience the joy of living while, at the same time, minimizing suffering.  Dacher (2006) purports, “authentic health will change you” and it “requires a transformation of mind and heart” (p.1).  The result is the goal people are striving to reach – integral health.  With this in mind, the healthcare professional must strive first to achieve this integral health in his/her own life.  One cannot teach what one has not experienced.  We must be role models so that people will want the kind of health we have.  Then, we are in a great place to teach, nurture, and coach (Dacher, 2006).

            For myself, I am very physically active with a balanced fitness program that includes cardio vascular exercise, strength training, and stretching.  My eating habits are very health and nutritionally sound. Spiritually, I spend 30 minutes every morning praying, reading the bible, and spending quiet time in meditation.  Psychologically, I take time for myself, as well as, taking time to serve others.  However, there is always room for growth.  I will continue in each realm to fine tune and improve on the plans and routines I now have.  At this point, I feel that all of the three areas mentioned, physical, spiritual, and psychological, are healthy and balanced. The one area that I need the most practice is the meditation area.  This is new for me, but I am determined to learn the skill in order to inch closer and closer to that goal – integral health. Therefore, I would rate myself in each area in the following manner: On a scale of 1 -10, physically  - 9, spiritually – 8, psychologically – 8. 

            I have a goal in each of the areas mentioned.  For the physical realm, I would like to continue to improve on flexibility.  That is my weak area, but I feel so much better when I take the proper amount of time to stretch.  Spiritually, my goal is to master the skill of meditation.  I know there are many benefits to calming and focusing the mind.  I’m looking forward to increasing my skill in this area.  Psychologically, my goal is to do at least one nice thing for myself, and one nice thing for someone else everyday.  Giving is good for the soul.  It is tremendously satisfying to help others and know I am contributing to the greater good. 

            The strategies I have to accomplish my goals include practicing either yoga or tai chi every day to increase flexibility and balance.  Spiritually, I will continue to practice the Loving Kindness exercise or the Subtle Mind exercise at least every other day until I feel I am ready to practice meditation without the aid of a guide.  Psychologically, doing something nice for myself each day might be taking time out to read a book, getting my nails done, or watching a movie.  Doing something nice for someone else might include doing someone’s laundry for him or her, cooking someone his/her favorite meal, or just listening attentively without thinking about what I need to do next.  Giving someone your undivided attention is a great gift.  There are many other examples outside of the home to be a blessing to others, but these are just a few ideas. 

            In the next six months, I will assess my progress by measuring the degree of flexibility I have achieved.  For example, it is hard for me to put my hands flat on the floor when I am trying to touch my toes; my goal is to be able to put both hands flat on the floor.  Spiritually, I would like to be able to spend an entire 30 minutes in calm abiding.  This is a stretch for me since I am only able to do about 5 minutes at this point.  Psychologically, I will have to assess how well I am doing on my goal of one nice thing for myself, and one nice thing for someone else every day.  This one I will be able to measure on a daily basis. 

            With the goal being integral health, every aspect must receive special care and attention.  Integral health is beyond ordinary it is extraordinary.  Integral health is something that is self-cultivated and sustainable.  Integral health can lead to the ultimate human experience – human flourishing.  Human flourishing is reaching the highest level of physical, spiritual, and psychological health.  Flourishing allows the mind to remain calm rather than reactive to life’s circumstances.  Flourishing is achievable if someone truly wants to attain it.  It takes planning and commitment, but anything worth having is worth working for (Dacher, 2006). 




Reference:

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc. Publisher. 

Unit 8 post

The two exercises I have found most beneficial are the loving kindness exercise, and the subtle mind exercise.  The loving kindness helps me extend love and positive energy to others.  I can visualize sending good thoughts toward people I know are struggling.  I can imagine sending warm thoughts to people I come in contact with such as the checker at the store or the restaurant server.  I can use this in my mental fitness practice to help tame the business of my mind and reflect on other people.  I can visualize helping them, smiling at them, being at peace with them.  Through this practice I don't feel impatient or intolerant.  It actually helps me feel good about myself to send love to others in this practice.

The other practice, the subtle mind practice, is one of my favorites for calming the mind.  To enter a quiet place and yet not escape into a sleeping state is absolutely blissful.  I find I can focus on my breathing over and over as my mind wants to wander.  When I am finished with this exercise, I feel completely relaxed and at peace yet energized in a new way.  I am able to think more clearly for the rest of the day.  Perhaps because I have cleared out the clutter.  I can use this exercise in my mental fitness program to practice mental focus.  I believe learning this skill will help in my everyday life when I need to block out distractions and focus my mind on a task.

Both of this practices will become part of my mental fitness practice.

Sherry

Meeting Aesclepius - the journey

Today I participated in the exercise "Meeting Aesclepius." This was an interesting exercise.  I found it easy to imagine a wise person and even to commune with this person.  I was able to imagine a light shining from  his forehead into my mind cleansing my mind.  I was able to imagine the light flowing from his throat into mine, cleansing my speech.  I was even able to imagine the light flowing from his heart into my heart giving me a heart of loving kindness.  I had some difficulty imagining the entire light flowing into me and me becoming that wise person.  It seems it was easier to receive from the wise healer than it was to "be" the wise healer.

The practice of mindfulness and meditation has brought an awareness to my life that was not there previously.  I find I am able to calm my mind with greater ease.  This calming practice has given me more energy during the day with less mental stress.

I can continue these practices daily to get more and more skilled at mindfulness and meditation.  This will enhance my physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing.  With this enhancement, I can be a blessing to others and make a difference in their lives.

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005).  This saying applies to health and wellness professional because the professional needs to be able to heal them self before teaching others.  If the healthcare professional can take on an attitude of loving kindness and see each patient as precious, the patient can experience a greater healing with a feeling of respect and tender-loving care.  This will bring more job satisfaction to the health care professional too, giving them a sense of purpose beyond just tending to someone's physical needs (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005).

Sherry

Reference:

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. (2005). Consciousness & healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone Publisher.

HW 420-02 Unit 6

1.  The universal loving kindness practice was simple and yet effective.  I could feel myself becoming part of a much larger picture.  The repetitiveness of the lines made it easy to keep my focus.  I can certainly see how this mini practice would be easy to incorporate most any time.

2.  The integral assessment exercise was interesting.  At first, my mind was totally blank.  It's as if I asked it a question and got the deer-in-the-headlight look.  Then a "feeling" started to creep in.  It was brought to my attention that my psychospiritual and worldly areas are needing attention.  I learned that although I am practicing meditation and participating in my prayer time, I have not completely surrendered and put my total faith and trust in the wisdom made available.  I still cling to past thoughts, fears, and reactions.  I am making progress, but this area needs attention.  The worldly area is an extension of the psychospiritual.  I put a lot of mental energy into trying to figure out the future rather than enjoying the journey and being grateful for the lessons presented and learned.

The activities I will use for growth in these areas will include continued practice with meditation, continued focused time in prayer including time to listen for the answers or words of wisdom.  I will continue with my daily eccentrics program (a blend of yoga, tai chi, and pilates).  I will practice incorporating mindfulness into everyday life, and I will practice trusting the wisdom within rather than fearing the unknown.

Sherry

Reference:

Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Unit 5 power point link

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dgftr2h6_0dkfwg2f4

Unit 5 Power Point Presentation

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Unit 5 mental fitness practice

The practice this week was that of the subtle mind.  I found the experience to be very relaxing and somewhat easier than the practice of loving-kindness.  Toward the end it was harder to keep my mind from wandering, but returning my attention to my breathing helped.  I love the sound of the water in the background.  I felt the practice was less frustrating than the loving kindness practice although a couple of times I thought I was going to fall asleep (Dacher, 2006).

Spiritual wellness is very important for mental and physical wellness.  The body is is more than just a collection of physical compounds.  The body, mind, and spirit are all connected.  The health of one affects the health of the others.  I know when my "thinking gets to stinking" it has an impact on my physical wellbeing.  When I have a bad attitude or toxic thoughts, I get more aches and pains, more stomach ailments, and get insomnia.  When I think positive thoughts and attend to my health and wellbeing, my spiritual life is deeper, richer, more meaningful (Dacher, 2006).

Reference:

Dacher, E. Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc. Publisher.

Unit 4 loving kindness exercise reflection

Hello spiritual journey friends!

This week I listened to Dacher's CD tracks #1 and #2.  I found the exercise to be beneficial in that I had to slow down for 18 minutes, be still, focus my mental energies, and relax.  For the most part, I was able to follow along with the session.  At the end, however, I found my mind wandering off onto various topics.  It became more and more difficult to keep my mind quiet.  For the first 5-10 minutes I did pretty good.  I would recommend this to others as it is relatively easy to participate in the exercise.

The concept of a mental workout is essentially practicing contemplative meditation every day just like someone training for a physical goal would physically work out everyday.  This mental workout will help a person progress in the development and expansion of his/her consciousness and its healing capacities (Dacher, 2006). Research indicates that mental workouts can actually change the brain structurally both in the short-term as well as the long-term.

I can implement mental workouts into my life by taking 15 minutes each morning prior to my daily workout to practice the concepts of loving-kindness.  Taking the time to mentally extend this loving-kindness to myself as well as to others.  I believe this will start my day in the right direction with the right attitudes and foster my psychological health at the same time.  It would be a natural progression to flow into the contemplative practice after my daily bible reading.  This, I believe, will help me absorb what I have learned and allow the love of God to flow to me and through me.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Sherry :)

Unit 3

1.  Based on a scale of 1 to 10, I rate my physical wellbeing a 10.  I pay close attention to nutrition, fitness, and sleep.  I am a healthy weight. I have no physical restrictions.  I have no diseases.  My blood pressure and cholesterol are healthy. For a 45-year-old, I have very few physical complaints.  Spiritually, I would rate myself a 9.  I have a strong faith and a deep reliance on divine providence.  I have moments of fear and doubt, but they usually do not last very long.  I know am loved, and that God is in control.  I spend quiet time in prayer every morning.  I seek daily guidance from His word.  I still have much to learn in this area, and much to put into action, but I am not where I used to be - that is progress :).  Psychologically, this one is closer to an 8.  I have suffered from low self esteem and an eating disorder in my past.  I was very self blaming and carried unnecessary guilt for things I really had no control over for a long time.  I am making progress.  I am learning to believe in and trust myself, but I still have my moments.

2.  Physical goal: To completely heal my hamstring injury through daily physical therapy, heat, and rest.  I would like to have this injury healed by June of this year.  I will follow the prescription for healing daily.  I can measure my progress by charting my flexibility gains weekly.
Spiritual goal:  To read through the bible in one year.  I began this task in January.  Following a daily schedule, I can complete this goal this year.
Psychological: To learn the skill of visualization.  I intend to carve out three 20 minutes sessions per week for one month to practice meditation with visualization.  This one will be tougher to measure in terms of and end-goal.  I believe the progress will be something that is felt more than something concrete.

3.  I discussed the activities for each goal back in question #2 :)

4.  I participated in a relaxation exercise called The Crime of the Century. We practiced the rainbow technique for relaxation.  We focused on 7 different body regions starting with the color red coming from the base of the spine cultivating a feeling of being grounded and safe.  We then moved to the belly button region and used the color orange symbolizing a feeling of centeredness.  He then moved to the upper stomach area.  For this area he used the color yellow symbolizing love.  From there we moved to the upper chest and used the color emerald green.  This color represents the ability to give love.  Next was the throat area and the color aqua blue to symbolize the ability to feel like you have a purpose in life.  You have willpower and creativity.  Then we moved to the forehead region and used the color indigo blue symbolic of balance within yourself.  Lastly, he moved to the top of the head and used the color violet that represents feeling connected to the universe.  It was interesting to visualize all of these colors radiating from my body - it was like being attached to a rainbow or having one flow through me. Finally, we were to visualize wrapping our body in a bright white light.  The exercise did create a feeling of calm although at times I had to grab my thoughts that tried to wander.  I still need practice in this meditation and visualization skill.  I would say it was beneficial, but somewhat frustrating due to my busy mind.  Maybe it felt like it moved too slow?  I'm not sure.

Unit 2 classmate following

I will be following classmates through google reader.

Unit 2: Relaxation exercise

http://www.kushs.net/kaplan/HW420/JourneyOn.mp3.  I used the preceding link to go to a relaxation mp3.  The guide explains the experience as an autogenic training technique.  Essentially he is teaching a person how to use the power of suggestion to train various parts of the body to become more relaxed.  He describes the muscles as similar to a sponge.  The muscles need to become saturated with blood in order to relax, like a sponge needs to become moist in order to become pliable.  This was a wonderful journey that was very relaxing.  My arms became very warm and heavy.  My breathing became very slow.  I could feel the tension melting away.  The guide explains that we can learn to have this relaxed feeling through the power of our minds with proper training.  I would recommend this training exercise for anyone seeking an easy-to-learn relaxation technique.

Welcome to my blog "Your Best Life Now"

Welcome to my blog.  This is a new process for me - blogging.  I have a lot to learn, but it looks fun and intriguing.  For now, I would like to share a quote from the book Make The Big Time Where You Are written by Frosty Westering in 1990 and published by Big Five Productions: "The Big Time is not a place; it's a state of your heart.  It's not something your get; it's something you become."  Frosty says "the success road is always under construction."  This is where I got the idea for the name of my blog: Your Best Life Now.  We really only have the now.  Yesterday is gone and there is no guarantee of tomorrow.  We must give each day our best shot.  Zig Ziglar says "If you think a day is not important, try missing one."  I believe that statement helps put into perspective that each day is a gift.  It may not bring the gifts we thought we wanted, but it will bring the gifts we need in order to learn and grow.  Thanks for visiting my blog - a genuine work in progress. 

Initial Post

This is my initial post for Kaplan University HW 420-02.  The instructor is Dr. Susan Johnson.
Sherry P.