Father's Day

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there! My Dad is 2,000 miles away, but I will be talking to him sometime today. Been busy working on a tax return for a final exam in my tax class. It's complicated! I now remember why I never wanted to become an accountant!!!

Looking forward to the next two weekends without homework to do. The past year and a half have been a lot of working returning to school, but I am hoping to be done after two more classes. I don't know what I will do with all of my free time! Probably catch up on a year and a half of cleaning house. LOL.

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers I know. I saw my Mother for a quick visit yesterday, but we will make plans to get together next weekend for some fun. Both of my daughter's were working today and I had homework to catch up on. It is my first Mother's Day knowing I will become a grandma this year. It is not something I was expecting or hoping for (so soon). It will be a big adjustment for all of us, but it is getting easier to tell my family and friends about it.
I miss my friend that I ended a relationship with. Why are the things that are often the best for us the things that make us sad? I just don't understand my feelings. I should know better!
I did get a good walk in this morning. Otherwise, I had a pretty relaxing day at home. No excitement for me today. Well, time to finish the laundry and get some sleep. Goodnight!

After Class Update

I know we do not need to blog anymore, but I figured this was easier than writing a journal. I am still working on the meditation exercises, just not on a regular basis. I made it to the gym twice last week with my neighbor, but she is planning a trip to Spain and has been "flaking" out on going. I ended the "unhealthy" relationship that I knew I needed to get out of. So I am making small steps towards some good changes in my life. I am so happy that I took this course and learned some useful tools for my self.
On another note, I took a road trip with a former neighbor and high school friend. She and I stayed with some other friends for the weekend, while I also got to go to a big carshow with some of my car club buddies. It was a wonderful break from home, work, and school. Very refreshing!

Unit 10 - Farewell!

My original assessment was: Psychological = 7            Physical = 4  Spiritual = 0

My current assessment is:     Psychological = 7            Physical = 5  Spiritual = 3

The reason my psychological has not changed is because I feel I overrated myself the first time. I need some work in this area as far as having more loving kindness and calming my mind. I have not had much success with the meditation exercises, but I have not given up. I will continue working towards reaching a more calm state for myself. My physical has not changed very much. Due to nicer weather, I have been walking in the early morning on weekends, and my neck problems are getting a little better. I have not returned to the gym yet, and I have not lost any weight, so I still need to continue my efforts. My spiritual was actually always there a little, but I am just now discovering it. I would like to get out and enjoy nature more. We had the strangest weather today. We all stopped working around 4pm to look out the windows at the hail-snow that was falling. We almost never get snow around here. The cars in the parking lot were getting coated in a hail-snow slush. It was quite a sight to see. Amazing!

I am still working on my implementation plan for improving my well-being in all of these areas. I have truly enjoyed sharing experiences with others in class and appreciate all of the encouragement I have received from everyone. I took this class as an elective, and am very happy that I did. It has been a pleasure to learn from everyone and has helped me with my personal growth. Thanks!!!

Unit 9 Project Blog

Introduction: It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because of the treatment limitations they face if they do not. They need to understand the importance of an integral, holistic health approach and need to experience it for themselves in order to convey this to their patients in their care plans. I have learned so much about myself, and I still have much to learn. I need to develop a lot more in all three areas.

Assessment: At the beginning of this course, I rated myself at a zero spiritually, a four physically, and a seven psychologically. These have changed after all of our reading and interactions on both the discussion board and our blogs. I have redefined my concept of spirituality and would rate myself at about a three spiritually. I still need lots of work in this area, but I enjoy nature and find a beauty in it that can make me feel happy and peaceful. Physically, I have not had very much change, but I would still up it to a five. My neck pain that began in January is better, and I have been out walking on the weekends. My rating psychologically is a tough one. Even though I think I am a kind, easy-going, and well-grounded person, I realize that I could use some more loving-kindness towards others. I have also reevaluated some of my friendships and relationships and realize that some of them are not very beneficial to my well-being.

Goal development: My physical goal is to become healthier and more active. My psychological goal is to end an unhealthy relationship and become more at peace with myself. My spiritual goal is to continue practicing meditation exercises and taking nature walks. I will also be getting monthly massages to develop in all three areas.

Practices for personal health: My strategy to foster growth in my physical health would be to exercise more. I joined a gym last year that I have not gone to for six months. Gyms intimidate me, but since I am still paying for the use of it, I plan to go back. Now that the weather is better, I can get out of the house and walk more, which I really enjoy. My strategy to foster growth in my psychological health is to end an unhealthy relationship that I am no longer happy in. I also plan to put more effort into my other friendships and relationships. I will be going on a three-day road trip in two weeks with a friend I have known since kindergarten. My strategy to foster my spiritual growth would be to continue practicing the meditation exercises. As soon as I have some free time, I would also like to give yoga a try. I have also discovered the benefits of massage therapy. I have found that it fosters growth in my physical, mental, and spiritual well-being all in one peaceful and relaxing hour.

Commitment: For getting more active, I can set a goal to lose a couple pounds each month. I can track my exercise and weight loss in a journal on a daily or weekly basis. My neighbor belongs to the gym that I have not been to lately, so maybe I can enlist her help to get me started up again. As far as ending an unhealthy relationship, once I make the commitment to un-involve myself, I am sure that will be that. I have to remember that it is for my own peace of mind and well-being. To continue the meditation practices, I need to establish a regular routine and also a backup plan in case my routine gets disrupted. I can also track my meditation practices in a journal. It seems more realistic and a better strategy when you have your goals in writing. I have also committed to having monthly massages for the next six months, which has helped me in all three areas.

Unit 8 Blog

Loving Kindness is the first practice that I can and would like to implement in my life. Everything bad you have ever heard about California drivers is probably true. I find myself to be an unkind person when I am driving and see other people do stupid things. I have even told myself that my thoughts or words are not following loving kindness. I do not like the way I feel when I get angry with others on the road. Maybe it is because they are strangers to me, but I know that it is not a healthy way to react. I need to learn to just accept others actions as mistakes and let it go without much thought or reaction.

The second practice I would like to implement is the subtle mind. As with loving kindness, I need to learn to calm my mind so I can calm my reactions. I often find myself dwelling on past situations that I cannot change and therefore am wasting my time thinking about. My mind is very busy and cluttered, so I would like to learn to let go of things that really are not important. I would like to train my mind to focus on more important things, especially my own well-being.

Unit 7 Post

"Meeting Asclepius" was not a difficult exercise to try, but I did not achieve a sense of accomplishment with it. I was able to imagine a wise person, but I could not reach any deep level of thought or feeling with the experience. I found the long pauses on the track left my mind open to wandering off too much. I know I still need to work on my quiet place and my focus with all of these exercises.

“One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” refers to the ability to teach others about integral health if you are not practicing it yourself. You won’t have the knowledge or experience to help others on this path if you have not been there yourself. In regards to the health and wellness professional, you want someone that “practices what they preach”. We once discussed overweight physicians telling you to lose weight. It is hard to believe in someone or to take them seriously if they do not follow their own advice. If you feel they are being hypocritical, you will not take them seriously and will not follow their advice either.