Where I'm at Now

Things have moved right along during this term.  At times it felt like I saw steady improvements, other times it felt more like I was stuck in the mud.  In the beginning I rated myself as an 8 physically.  The main area of improvement I needed to make was in the nutrition department.  I have really started to make a strong effort to eat cleaner since I made a written goal.  I have become more aware of the stuff I put in my body and will continue to improve my eating habits.  I would maybe move my score up to 8.5.  Spiritually I rated myself a 5.  I have also made improvements in this area.  This is another case of when I put it down in writing, it made me realize and conscious of the improvements I needed to make.  I have indeed made more quiet time for reflection on spiritual matters and have increased my study time with the Bible.  My new evaluation would be a 6.5.  Psychologically speaking, I had given myself a score of 7.  I do not have many problems in this area that are not related to being very busy and not taking time for mental relaxation.  Lately this has improved somewhat.  I have not been doing the exercises as much as I should, but I have taken more down time to clear my head.  My score would again be raised a half a point, to 7.5.  Overall, this course has been a positive experience.  Never before have I paid much attention to these issues of mental and spiritual wellbeing.  The awareness is the biggest thing to me.  Now that I know what to look for, I will make it a point to take the steps to improve my wellness.

My Integral Health Plan

My Integral Health Plan

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?

The traditional views on health and wellness
typically only involve one aspect; the physical wellbeing of an
individual.  We are given the task to
develop all three facets of wellness, knowing that if one area is lacking, we
can not fully flourish.  To give the
knowledge and understanding to a patient or client would not be fully possible
without a well rounded and well developed grasp of every aspect of
wellness.  When someone is able to see
the progression in our own lives, from concentrating solely on the body, then
the mind, and finally the spirit, they should be more likely to participate in
and reap the rewards of an integral approach to healing. 

I think to receive the full benefits of an
integral health approach I must always be looking to improve and develop in the
physical, psychological, and spiritual areas. Neither of the three is more or less important, and they all take work
and concentration to ensure a healthy level of efficacy.

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

I do not want to assume that I am “there” in
regards to any of the areas of integral health. I love exercise and I eat fairly well, but the effort still must be made
daily to ensure I am maintaining healthy practices.  Psychologically speaking, I have tended to
neglect my health a bit.  With the
exercises and techniques learned in this class I am better prepared to expand
and improve my psychological health. While I am far from having it all together spiritually speaking, I do make
the effort to remain in touch with God and spend time developing my spiritual
health through reading and prayer.  Of
course I will never be all I should, but making an effort has brought me a long
way.

 

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

Physical goal – I really enjoy working out
and I strength train on average 4 days per week.  I have a weakness when it comes to
cardiovascular training though.  My goal
is to increase my cardio training, using the treadmill, elliptical, and other
devices, to an acceptable level that will bring me health benefits.

Psychological goal – I have learned some
great exercises in this class.  I will
make it a point to use these exercises, especially the Subtle Mind and Loving
Kindness, on a regular basis.  I have
already learned that it does not matter that I have a wonderful session each
time, just that I keep coming back and trying it again and again.

Spiritual goal – I am not searching for the
meaning of life.  I have found the source
and the focus of my spiritual wellness. Concentrating more on serving God, and less on serving me, is the thing
I must work on the most.  This is an area
in which I already know what to do; it is just a matter of doing it.

 
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
strategies – 1. Take 20 minutes at the end of each strength training routine
and implement a cardiovascular exercise. 2. Find alternative ways of getting my cardiovascular fitness to a
higher level.  Joining a basketball or
softball league would be a fun way to get exercise.

            Psychological
strategies – 1. Meditate.  Spending time
by myself in deep meditation regularly should provide me with an increased
sense of who I am and what I am capable of. 2. Free the mind of all negative thoughts.  Instead of just getting rid of these negative
thoughts and leaving a void, I must be willing to focus solely on the positive
thoughts in my life to give my mind something to concentrate on.

            Spiritual
strategies – 1. Read the Bible more often and more deeply.  The book I look to for answers is right
there, the only thing is to read it constantly. 2. Spend more quality prayer
time.  Prayer is an area that is easy to
skip over and put off.  We are programmed
to have the do it yourself mindset, but prayer is a better alternative.

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?

            Assessing
my physical progress should be fairly easy. First, improvements in cardiovascular fitness can be felt.  Each time I engage in the activities I should
feel a little stronger and be able to participate a little bit longer.  The key is to make both short term and long
term goals.  Having something to strive for,
such as a 5K run, would be good incentive to work hard. 

            From a
psychological standpoint, I can gauge my progress by observing how my mind
deals with situations as I get further along with the exercises.  If I am doing them properly, I should notice a
greater peace and kindness in my daily walk. Hopefully one day I will catch myself approaching a situation from this
mindset casually and without any conscious effort.

            Spiritual
progress is more difficult to measure.  I
can go along the road, and strive and work, but there will always be a
temptation to give up and give in.  There
is no arrival point for spiritual health, as long as we are alive.  This, above all others, is truly a journey,
not a destination.  By putting the right
thoughts and words into my life I can make a buffer, but there is not going to
be a place in which I can say I am everything I should be from a spiritual
standpoint.

Summary of My Favorite Exercises

This type of work has really been out of my comfort zone, I'll have to admit.  One thing is for sure, I have found some very effective ways of expanding my previous thoughts of health and wellness.  The exercise I can say has had the most affect on me and my family would be the subtle mind exercise.  The way it forces you to calm all the craziness going on inside my head (that I didn't even realize was there) has brought an awareness I didn't know existed.  I need to do many more sessions to reach the deepest levels, but I am off to a good start.  All types of meditation seem to work best for me.  To relax the body and mind and focus the brain on peace and wellness really put me where I need to be.  They keep me sharper and more aware it seems.  Focus is key for me.  I like to focus completely on a task or upcoming event.  Meditation can take me to a place in my head where I can do this intense focusing. 

Meeting Aesclepius

This exercise was interesting.  A wise man that I looked up to in our church recently passed away suddenly, and he is who I chose as my example.  I have often thought about what it would be like to grow older and have his peace and wisdom.  This exercise fit perfectly with that thought.  I do not know if all the benefits  the guide mentioned could really take place from this, but maybe after many sessions it would work.  This was easy to follow, but I didn't really "feel" it.  Maybe I'll try it again soon.  On a different note, I have been practicing some of the earlier exercises with myself and my wife.  Last night I walked her through the subtle mind exercise and she really got alot out of it.  We are going to start making sure to do these a few times a week!
"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” - I think all the book knowledge in the world is no substitute for experience.  We can learn this stuff for years and not become good teachers or practitioners if we do not allow ourselves to become immersed in it.  Only after going through the steps and feeling first hand the emotions will be able to give our clients the information with some integrity.  Sure, we will not be able to go through every single thing, but knowledge through the experience will go much further in helping others.  A personal testimonial on the efficiacy of a particular technique may make people more at ease with the process.