Unit 10 Blog assignment

I think that my numbers from unit 3 are the same as what they are now, however, I feel that I have the knowledge to be able to better myself with dedication and work. 

I made goals to meditate more often and to lose weight to have a better self concept.  I feel that I have begun my journey meeting these goals.  I have been good meditating a couple days per week and I have dropped three pounds. 

Implementing these goals has been hard to stick with.  The importance on mental health is insignificant in our culture and has not been in my life until now.  I have begun working with my children to have them sit through the meditations quietly.  It is very helpful at naptime. lol  

Overall, this class was pretty neat.  It was completely new concepts and challenged me to find a deeper meaningin myself. 

Unit 9 Final project

I.                   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 they are responsible for setting the example for others that wish to seek the same thing.  It is important for them to be role models for others by living what they teach.  Being able to experience this wellness for themselves will give them the experience needed to help others. 

            I need to develop in each of the three areas before being able to experience the wellness I wish to achieve.  Psychologically, I would like to work on my own personal mental health by seeking the services of a psychologist.  This will help me work out any internal issues I have experienced throughout my life and maybe put meaning behind some of the feelings I experience.  Spiritually, I could use a lot of growth there.  I need to start going back to church regularly and praying.  Prayer is similar to meditation and this may assist me in getting better with this as well.  Physically, I need to work on my weight management.  I have let myself go, so to speak, and will require a stricter diet and exercise regimen.

II.                Assessment:

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

            I have assessed myself in each domain since beginning this class and it has opened my eyes to the many changes I could make to make myself a better person. 

Spiritually I give myself a 7 since I do not attend church regularly.  Not being exposed to religion has made my lifestyle lax and I do not feel the deeper purpose I hear some people speak of. 

Physically I give myself a 7.  I scored myself this way since I have so much work to do to get back into shape.  Diet and exercise will help me attain my goals and raise my score.

Psychologically I give myself a 7 too.  I feel like I do not have the control of my mind I used to have and with the help of a psychologist I should be able to raise that score.

III.             Goal development:

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

            Physical – Lose any weight I have gained since high school by eating a healthy diet and exercising.

            Psychological – Begin attending sessions with a psychologist to clear my head and reduce the stress levels in my life.

            Spiritual – Begin attending church at least twice a month to expose myself to the positive aspects of organized religion.

IV.              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 – To work towards my physical goals I have implemented a diet and exercise regimen that I have been using over this past week.  This reduces my caloric intake daily and demands that I work out at least 30 minutes 3 days per week minimum.  The other strategy I have chosen is a weight loss meditation that I found.  I listen to this meditation each evening before bed and it keeps me focused on concentrating on chewing slower with each bite and feeling fuller more quickly.

      Psychological - Attending sessions once a week with a psychologist is my first strategy to fostering growth psychologically.  I feel this will help me focus on the problems I have had in my past and help me to overcome any negative attributes it has caused in my daily life.  I will begin meditating to the Loving Kindness meditation from this class daily.  This will redirect my thinking from what can the world do for me to bringing what contributions I can make I can to the world

            Spiritual – Attending church twice a month minimally will ensure I get the exposure to the positive aspects of organized religion.  I used to be forced to go to church as a child and had rebelled against it as soon as I could, however there are things that I miss from that time period.  The happiness that flowed through the congregation, the teamwork, the support that everyone had for each other and the family like atmosphere all would contribute to a higher level of spiritual well-being.  Another exercise I intend on implementing in my life is to take time each day to reflect on my own personal beliefs.  This will promote a greater understanding of my beliefs within my life and help me to practice them.

V.                 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?

            Over the next six months I will track my progress on my daily calendar and mark the days I complete each item.  Each month I will add up how many successes and failures I have had.  I will plot these numbers on a graph to help me see a visual representation of how I am doing.  Being able to have the visual aid I will be able to more quickly see where I am lacking and where I am doing well.

Unit 8

Easily the visualization exercise that was in this weeks discussion boards is the most beneficial for me.  This is the first time I felt like I actually got it.  I actually cried when I realized what I have been missing.  This has not happened in any of the other exercises and it impressed met that I got that deep into the exercise.  This will be a life changing exercise for me.  As I said in the discussion board, I now know what I need to do to find the motivation to get off the couch and go jogging.  Just putting myself back into the body and states of mind I used to have during these special times in my life makes me want to try harder to achieve the serenity I felt during the merging of the three topics.  The other beneficial one was the loving kindness.  I think this made me open up my perspective on how I think of others.  I knew the importance of prayer but I never realized it made the difference that it does.  I think I could achieve mental fitness using these two methods because the first one was a huge eye opener to me on how I could change myself.  The loving kindess, used regulalry, would help me to become more sympathetic and empathetic towards others situations and I would end up making more differences in others lives.