Final Blog Entry - Unit 10

In reviewing my personal assessments from Unit 3, I feel I have made slight improvement.  In Unit 3 I assessed my physical health at a 4.  I think now I am at around a 5, simply because I am still recovering from surgery and I still have a way to go.  My psychological assessment score then was at a 5.  I would say now I am at about a 6.  I scored this way because I am still under stressful conditions.  However I am learning how to cope a lot better with my stress levels.  In Unit 3, I assessed my spiritual score at a 7.  Now I would assess myself to be around 8 1/2.  I feel this score applies because I have had more spiritual movement, yet I still have more I need to learn.

The goals I set for myself are also still a work in progress.  Since I am not yet released from the doctor's care, I have not been able to exercise to gain strength.  I have however purchased equipment to use when I am ready.  The goal I set for my psychological well being is definitely still a work in progress.  I am still learning how to balance myself with meditation.  This practice has proven a bit harder than I realized it would be.  My spiritual goal will probably will always be a work in progress.  I do not believe there is anytime when you can meet this goal fully.  Because we are always evolving spiritually, it would be difficult to say you have finally arrived.  I believe this particular area is more of a lifetime process.

I enjoyed the material in this course.  I can say I have learned quite a bit about being healthy in all aspects.  I can say that the meditation exercises were of the most interest to me because I had not heard of the meditations we learned about before.  I believe my well being will continue to improve with the continued use of the practices and exercises I have learned about.  This course contained a wealth of resources which I can say was the most rewarding part of this course.  This knowledge will continue to help me to improve in all areas of my life.  I would say the most difficult thing about this course has been trying to establish habits that will prove to be better for me.  I know that continuing to implement these practices and exercises will get better as time goes on.

The resources I have learned about will be useful not only to me but also my clients.  With this information I can suggest changes that would be beneficial to their lives.  I will also be able to make recommendations about courses and the retreats I have learned about.  The practices and exercises I have learned in this course will definitely be a part of  the lifetime of making my life healthier and also the lives of those around me who desire to learn about these methods as well.

Unit 9 - Assessment Project

It is vitally important for health and wellness professionals to have an ongoing development psychologically, spiritually and physically.  A health and wellness practitioner should be able to lead by example for his or her patients.  Also by developing every area of his or her life, gives a foundation from which they operate their practice.  Having hands on experience will also make it easier for the practitioner to give the correct instruction to their patients. 

One of the goals I have for myself is to be able to relax.  I would like to use the practice of meditation to achieve this goal.  I believe learning how to set time aside for myself would be one thing I need to do.  I would also need to be more disciplined and stick to doing meditation on a daily basis.  Another goal is to be more physically fit.  Again I would need to set aside the time to accomplish this goal as well.  I would also need to be diligent in continuing to exercise at least 3 or more times per week.

I know psychologically I need to make improvements in order to keep stress levels to a minimum.  As I have stated before, stress levels are much higher than I would like them to be.  I am doing better after learning some of the practices during this course.  However I am still nowhere near the level I would like to be at.  I know it takes a while in order to be proficient in the art of meditation.  My level of discipline must be increased in order to make the practice a habit.  Physically I am also not where I would like to be or need to be.  Having had three surgeries since August 2009, has taken a toll on my physical body.  It has also been tough on my psychological wellbeing also due to the pain I have experienced.  In order for my physical fitness level to improve, I have to be disciplined in sticking to an exercise regimen.  I would need at least three times per week to exercise.  Psychologically and physically I am not be where I want to be, but spiritually I have reached a much higher level.  I would say spiritually I have been working in that area much more frequently.  Even if I could not get to attend my house of worship, I have still managed to flourish in this area.

My goal for my physical health is to become stronger especially in my core.  I plan to exercise no less than three times per week to achieve this goal.  My goal for my psychological health is to have less stress and learn how to relax.  In order to achieve this I have decided to set aside time each day to practice my meditation skills.  My goal for my spiritual health is to continue to grow in the knowledge of the Divine.  I plan to continue to read as much as I can to gain knowledge and wisdom.

In order to continue to grow in the area of my psychological being, I will implement the practice of meditation on a daily basis.  I will also learn different relaxation techniques that I can do during a busy day.  I will take anywhere from five to twenty minutes to practice a meditation or other relaxation techniques.  For growth in my physical being, I will implement an exercise program.  I will also implement a program for healthy eating.  In order to practice these things, I will set aside at least three days per week to exercise for thirty minutes.  To implement my healthy eating practices, I will make more conscious decisions to eat food that is better for me.  To grow in my spiritual being, I plan to continue my reading schedule and also continue to attend my house of worship as often as possible.

In the next six months, I should be able to tell how much progress or lack of progress I have made.  I will document in a journal how I assessed the level of my health in all three areas as of now.  I will then be able to track my progress or lack of progress according to my journal entries.  Another tool I would use is to have someone I am accountable to.  Sharing my goals with someone who is encouraging and non judgmental would be a great way to help me to stay focused and on track.

Unit 8 Post

The loving kindness exercise is probably by far my favorite.  I was able to relax and feel good about my life during the session.  I also incorporate visualization which is a really good method for me also.  These are two exercises I would not mind doing on a daily basis.  Which is important if you want to make something a habit.  Doing these exercises would definitely be of great benefit to me.  I also believe that those benefits would spread to other important people in my life.  Because I would be able to see them in a loving way and they will also be able to see the changes that have been made with every practice session I do.

Unit 7

Doing the exercise in this unit I had a few moments of relaxation.  I did however have to keep myself on track during the pauses.  My mind kept wandering to other things.  This exercise will take a lot of practice to master.  I do believe that if I continue to practice this my stress levels would be greatly reduced.  To be able to continue with these exercises, would definitely be a start to my inner healing.  There will need to be at least a 2 to 3 times a week or practice if not a daily schedule of at least 10 to 15 minutes each time.

I believe the saying is true.  It would be difficult to teach someone or be able to empathize with someone if you have not experienced what they are going through.  When we offer advice to someone without knowing how the journey begins or how it ends, is dangerous.  I believe health care professionals should practice what they preach.  If they give advice about a patient's health, especially when it comes to meditation, then it should definitely be something that is practiced by the practitioner as well.  If I were to advise my patients to use any of these exercises I have practiced, then I would need to be able to say that I do them myself.  I should be able to tell my patients that it works for me and I can suggest they try it as well.  In order to achieve growth you must do the work that it takes to be successful, otherwise you will stay stuck in one position.