When rating the different aspects of my health in my blog post for Unit 3, I rated myself as:
Physical-7
Psychological-6
Spiritual-9
When reviewing my ratings from a few weeks ago, I do not think there has been much of a change in my ratings. I would keep my physical and spiritual scores at the same level, but I would probably increase my psychological rating to a 7 rather than a 6. This is because I feel that in taking this course I have become more adept at handling stress in my life.
I have made some progress toward the goals I had set back in Unit 3. I have been becoming more involved in my community, and trying new activities. I have started to volunteer with the Nature Conservancy of my area, and I plan to do much more.
I would definitely say that overall my experience with this course has been a very positive one. It has opened my eyes to many fascinating studies and practices that I would most likely have never heard of otherwise. I think that my well-being has improved as a result of this class, and I now know many techniques to enhance in further.
I have also learned a great deal about assisting others. I have learned that in order to help someone, first of all you must help yourself. I have also learned that when helping another person, you have to really find the way to assist them that is best for them, because the same approach will not work for everyone.
This has really been an interesting class, and I wish the best of luck to all of my classmates in their future endeavors!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Final Project
Physical, psychological, and spiritual development is an incredibly important process for every human being in order to live a healthful and wholesome life. This fact holds even more truth for a person who is an aspiring or accomplished health and wellness professional. There is a saying that has many different versions all with the same general meaning: “one cannot lead another where one has not gone him or herself” (George; 2005), “Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”(Luke 6:39) These bits of wisdom, offer the basic explanation for why it is so important for a health and wellness professional to be well developed in all areas of their life, before they can expect to assist a patient to develop physically, psychologically, and spiritually. The health and wellness professional must be seasoned in their knowledge, understanding from their personal experience the means of achieving a more integral health and lifestyle. Having this awareness will allow the health and wellness professional to form a closer relationship and bond with their patient, which will enhance the quality of their treatment.
In my own life, I am in most need of developing further in my psychological health. I have a very difficult time in dealing with all of the stress in my life, and I become overwhelmed easily. I also have severe problems with anxiety. By working to develop this aspect of my life, I believe I will find coping with these challenges to be much easier.
I was able to assess my health in the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of my life by taking into consideration what positives and negatives each of these domains has on my life. When assigning myself scores on each of these portions of my life from 1 to 10, I concluded as follows:
Physical: I would rate my physical health at a 7. I am overall a healthy person and have very good eating habits. I have taken points away because I am rather weak, and get sick easier than most.
Psychological: I would rate my psychological health at a 6. I am not in a terrible state psychologically, but there is a great deal of improvement that needs to be done. I struggle with stress and anxiety on a regular basis, and I need to find effective ways to lesson and cope with these feelings. I also tend to have very low self-esteem which I believe also inhibits my psychological growth.
Spiritual: I would rate my spiritual health at a 9. I am very much connected with my inner, spiritual self and I am very secure in my personal beliefs. I am well aware of the inter-connectedness of life. Of course there is a great deal I have to learn, and much that I do not understand. However, I trust that with consistent practice in time, more will become clear to me.
Goals are very important things to have to work towards in every person’s life. They serve as wonderful motivations to assist in the improvement of a person’s life. “Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”-Fitzhugh Dotson (ThinkExist Quotations; 2010) In order to achieve personal integral health setting goals in each of the aspects of my life (physical, psychological, and spiritual) is necessary. The goal I have established for my physical health is to have better toned muscles. For my psychological health, the goal I have set is to have the ability to cope with stress in a healthier way. The goal for improvement in my spiritual health is to be able to look upon the world with more loving-kindness, and being able to see beyond all the negative and depressing happenings in the world to observe the underlying good that is still to be found.
Goals, however helpful they may be, are absolutely useless without the desire and strategy to work towards achieving them. That being said, in order for me to achieve further development in each aspect of my life I must take steps to bring myself closer to my goals. For improvement in my physical health, the two strategies that I can implement are strength training exercises and taking up some form of dance. There are many different ways I could go about doing this. I could purchase workout DVD’s related to those two exercises, or I could even search for a class nearby to join. I would make the commitment to do one, or both of these exercises every day. Two strategies that I can make use of in order to improve my psychological health would be community volunteering, and joining some kind of group or club. I believe volunteering my time in order to do something that is valuable would be of great assistance in dealing with my low self-esteem. By joining a group or a club, my feelings of anxiety would be lessened by having the chance for interacting with a group of people brought together by common interests. For further development of my spiritual self two strategies that I can utililize would be daily meditation, and the completing loving-kindness exercise mentioned by Dr. Dacher within his book Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing (2006). By doing these exercises each day my spiritual awareness would continue to grow and progress, ultimately bringing me closer toward integral health.
In order for the health of all the aspects of my life to continue in their improvement, it will be crucial for me to monitor my progress. I plan to do this by keeping all of my assignments I have completed for this class and on a regular basis I will review them to consider how my development compares from the time I completed the assignment to the time I look over them. I will ask myself questions such as, “Am I more or less advanced in this aspect of my life?” and “What can I do to advance my development further?” I must be vigilant in order to achieve progress. If I find that one strategy does not work for me the way I would like, I must find another. Any person wanting to bring themselves closer to achieving the ultimate contentedness that is integral health can never become negligent. It is a commitment that must be maintained for the rest of your life.
References
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing.
Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications Inc.
Biblos. Holy Bible: King James Version. Luke 6:39.
Retrieved from http://kingjbible.com/luke/6.htm
George, L. (2005). Transformation of the Healer:The Application of Ken Wilber’s Integral Model to Family Practice Medicine
Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi. Consciousness and Healing.
St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Inc.
ThinkExist. (2010). Fitzhugh Dodson Quotes.
Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotation/without_goals-and_plans_to_reach_them-you_are/252600.html
In my own life, I am in most need of developing further in my psychological health. I have a very difficult time in dealing with all of the stress in my life, and I become overwhelmed easily. I also have severe problems with anxiety. By working to develop this aspect of my life, I believe I will find coping with these challenges to be much easier.
I was able to assess my health in the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of my life by taking into consideration what positives and negatives each of these domains has on my life. When assigning myself scores on each of these portions of my life from 1 to 10, I concluded as follows:
Physical: I would rate my physical health at a 7. I am overall a healthy person and have very good eating habits. I have taken points away because I am rather weak, and get sick easier than most.
Psychological: I would rate my psychological health at a 6. I am not in a terrible state psychologically, but there is a great deal of improvement that needs to be done. I struggle with stress and anxiety on a regular basis, and I need to find effective ways to lesson and cope with these feelings. I also tend to have very low self-esteem which I believe also inhibits my psychological growth.
Spiritual: I would rate my spiritual health at a 9. I am very much connected with my inner, spiritual self and I am very secure in my personal beliefs. I am well aware of the inter-connectedness of life. Of course there is a great deal I have to learn, and much that I do not understand. However, I trust that with consistent practice in time, more will become clear to me.
Goals are very important things to have to work towards in every person’s life. They serve as wonderful motivations to assist in the improvement of a person’s life. “Without goals and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”-Fitzhugh Dotson (ThinkExist Quotations; 2010) In order to achieve personal integral health setting goals in each of the aspects of my life (physical, psychological, and spiritual) is necessary. The goal I have established for my physical health is to have better toned muscles. For my psychological health, the goal I have set is to have the ability to cope with stress in a healthier way. The goal for improvement in my spiritual health is to be able to look upon the world with more loving-kindness, and being able to see beyond all the negative and depressing happenings in the world to observe the underlying good that is still to be found.
Goals, however helpful they may be, are absolutely useless without the desire and strategy to work towards achieving them. That being said, in order for me to achieve further development in each aspect of my life I must take steps to bring myself closer to my goals. For improvement in my physical health, the two strategies that I can implement are strength training exercises and taking up some form of dance. There are many different ways I could go about doing this. I could purchase workout DVD’s related to those two exercises, or I could even search for a class nearby to join. I would make the commitment to do one, or both of these exercises every day. Two strategies that I can make use of in order to improve my psychological health would be community volunteering, and joining some kind of group or club. I believe volunteering my time in order to do something that is valuable would be of great assistance in dealing with my low self-esteem. By joining a group or a club, my feelings of anxiety would be lessened by having the chance for interacting with a group of people brought together by common interests. For further development of my spiritual self two strategies that I can utililize would be daily meditation, and the completing loving-kindness exercise mentioned by Dr. Dacher within his book Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing (2006). By doing these exercises each day my spiritual awareness would continue to grow and progress, ultimately bringing me closer toward integral health.
In order for the health of all the aspects of my life to continue in their improvement, it will be crucial for me to monitor my progress. I plan to do this by keeping all of my assignments I have completed for this class and on a regular basis I will review them to consider how my development compares from the time I completed the assignment to the time I look over them. I will ask myself questions such as, “Am I more or less advanced in this aspect of my life?” and “What can I do to advance my development further?” I must be vigilant in order to achieve progress. If I find that one strategy does not work for me the way I would like, I must find another. Any person wanting to bring themselves closer to achieving the ultimate contentedness that is integral health can never become negligent. It is a commitment that must be maintained for the rest of your life.
References
Dacher, E. (2006). Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing.
Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications Inc.
Biblos. Holy Bible: King James Version. Luke 6:39.
Retrieved from http://kingjbible.com/luke/6.htm
George, L. (2005). Transformation of the Healer:The Application of Ken Wilber’s Integral Model to Family Practice Medicine
Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi. Consciousness and Healing.
St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Inc.
ThinkExist. (2010). Fitzhugh Dodson Quotes.
Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotation/without_goals-and_plans_to_reach_them-you_are/252600.html
Friday, February 4, 2011
My Most Helpful Mindfulness Techniques
During my time in this course I have been introduced to many great techniques to help improve the health of my mind and spirit. I can also see that as a result of having better mental and spiritual health my physical health is in better condition as well. I tend to have much less stress in my life since learning these techniques, and when stressful situations arise I am able to deal with them accordingly. The two practices that I have found to be the most beneficial were the meditation and loving-kindness exercises. Meditation is such a wonderful way to really connect with your inner self. Many people spend their entire lives without ever really getting to know themselves, and they live their lives as if they were in a fog. They go through each day merely surviving, rather than thriving. I have done meditation for many years, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I hope that one day I will reach the total "Integral Health" that Dr. Dacher speaks of in his book of the same name.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Meditation Practices
For this weeks unit, I completed the "Meeting Asciepius" guided meditation from the Dacher CD. Personally it was not one of my favorites. I prefer my own meditation techniques that I have practiced for years. I am sure the only reason for this is that I have become set in my ways, and have found my own techniques that are more beneficial to me. Mindfulness meditation has allowed my psychological and spiritual awareness to grow. When I practice my meditation techniques I am a much more upbeat person with a positive attitude. These techniques have also made it easier for me to deal with my problems with anxiety. I plan to continue to practice my meditation techniques for the rest of my life.
The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" is a very great insight inti thehealth profession. In my opinion no professional has any business giving another person directions on how to live their life, if the professional is unable to follow similar directions themselves. When I become a nutritioist/dietician I do owe it to those seeking my guidance to be developed psychologically, physically, and spiritually. I must have my own life together and under control before I can assist another person with their own.
The saying "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" is a very great insight inti thehealth profession. In my opinion no professional has any business giving another person directions on how to live their life, if the professional is unable to follow similar directions themselves. When I become a nutritioist/dietician I do owe it to those seeking my guidance to be developed psychologically, physically, and spiritually. I must have my own life together and under control before I can assist another person with their own.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Integral Assessment
For me, the loving-kindness meditation exercise and the integral assessment that were a part of this weeks assignments were not difficult to do. I found that the loving-kindness meditation really brought about a sense of peace, and sort of oneness with the world. In completing my integral assessment, I realized very quickly that the area of my life that I needed to focus on growth and development is the worldly aspect. This is because I have social anxiety, and I have difficulty interacting with other people. I am extremely shy, and I prefer to just keep to myself. This is a problem I have dealt with my entire life, and I have not been able to overcome it. Honestly, I believe I am just a shy and quiet person by nature and I will never overcome that completely. The key lies in learning to thrive among others despite it. I could further develop this area of my life by trying to get more involved in my community, and interacting with others as much as I can.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Loving Kindness vs. Subtle Mind
I found this weeks subtle mind exercise to be easier to do than the loving-kindness exercise. I think this was mainly because the subtle mind exercise was so similar to meditation exerises that I have been doing for a while. Since I have a little experience with this kind of exercise, it was not hard for me to focus on my breathing and allow my various thoughts to fade away. When I successfully quiet my mind, it fills me with a great sense of peacefulness.
Spiritual wellness is very much connected to mental and physical wellness. If a person is healthy in their spiritual wellness, it will be reflected in their mind and body as well. I can see this connection in my life because when I do an exercise such as the subtle mind exercise, or the loving-kindness exercise I feel in much better health mentally and physically.
Spiritual wellness is very much connected to mental and physical wellness. If a person is healthy in their spiritual wellness, it will be reflected in their mind and body as well. I can see this connection in my life because when I do an exercise such as the subtle mind exercise, or the loving-kindness exercise I feel in much better health mentally and physically.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Loving-Kindness
I was found the loving kindness exercise which we were required to do for this weeks unit, to be a very interesting concept. It would be great to be able to eventually be able to live your life having that outlook, but it would be very difficult for most people. For myself, it found it very hard to think of all the horrors that occur in the world and the people who are the cause of them, with an attitude of loving kindness. This was the first time I have ever tried a loving-kindness exercise, and I can see that it would be beneficial for everyone. I just need to practice the technique further.
The concept of a mental workout is basically just some activity that requires extra effort of your mind. It is exercising the mind. Mental workouts can be used to benefit your psychological health by helping you to become more tuned in to your mind, and what you may need to do to keep it healthy.
The concept of a mental workout is basically just some activity that requires extra effort of your mind. It is exercising the mind. Mental workouts can be used to benefit your psychological health by helping you to become more tuned in to your mind, and what you may need to do to keep it healthy.
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