UNIT 10 - FINAL POST

Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas . How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not? Through the past 10 weeks I can honestly report that my scores have not necessarily changed to a dramatic scale.. I sadly did not go from the number 1 to a number 10 in any of these categories. However, today I can proudly report there have been changes. These changes have taken a conscious effort on my behalf. I know report my scores as follows: 2/10 in spirituality, 4/10 in physical wellness, 5/10 in psychological wellness. This is how I score myself now. The scores did change, but I have a very long way to go. Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.Psychological Goal: I feel as if I have made the most effort and change in this category. I have made a conscious effort to evaluate myself from the inside out. I have had more self-realizations in the past nine weeks than I have had in a very long time. I realize that physical pain has a profound impact on the mind and the body. If you have had a chance to review weeks 9 blog posting I gave spoken to my orthopedist and pathologist about meditation and relaxation exercises over the past three weeks. I am happy to report that both are working for me and I plan on keeping this up for months to come. Spirituality, well..this is going to need some time and a whole lot of research. Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? This is still a work in progress, but Rome was not built overnight. Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others? I believe that I have begun the first step into fostering greater development into my life. I have begun to realize that my life is in need of change and the change is not out of reach. In order for me to integrate the concepts of integral health into my life I first had to realize what my life was missing. I am a firm believer that you cannot fix a potential problem if you do not understand what the problem is. I realize that my problems in life were veiled by the stress of everyday life. I understand that I have to make the changes in my life. I would like to remain consistent in the practices that I have learned in the past weeks in order to foster growth in my life.

Unit 9

UNIT 9

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?

Answer:

       The health care profession begins with an introduction to other people’s lives. In order for an individual to render the most significant care possible it is essential that the health care provider is aware that the patient’s illness may not only be subjective of only physical symptoms, but can accompany spiritual and psychological ailments as well. If the health care provider is unwilling to open their minds to inner structure in peace it will be very complicated to thrust that understanding to their patients. The mind-body connection must maintain a level of balance that is congruent with the persons needs. If the healthcare provider is unable to search past the mere physical symptoms of the illness; the patient, may suffer for the duration of their human life. A keen understanding of these three principles can offer a person insight that seems almost unfathomable. With a sense of development in psychological, spiritual, and physical development the health care provider can begin to render care that is Holistic in nature. The care will exceed treating mere symptoms, but instead will treat the persons as a whole from the inside out.

       I personally, have just begun my journey. In order for me to achieve the goals that I have presented for myself there are a number of aspects in my life I must make an effort to change. The first principles I must change are my worldly and personal perspectives about the world around me. The second principle I must address is a strengthening in my connection with the world around me. The third principle I must address in my life is the acceptance that there truly is a mind-body connection and it affects everyone differently. There are so many I would be writing to you until my hands and fingers felt as if they’d fall off. My journey has only begun. As I proceed to place one foot in front of the other I will continue to grow. I do not think this change is going to be easy but the goals that I have set for me are attainable. I realize that human flourishing is a gift. At the age of 30, I am truly glad that this path has been introduced to me.

II. Assessment:

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

Answer:

       Yes, I have assessed my health through the confines of this course. A number of weeks ago I reported that my assessment was less than “healthy.” This is a close reintroduction to my findings approximately nine weeks ago: 1/10 in spiritual wellness, 2/10 in physical wellness, and 2/10 in psychological wellness. The reasoning behind the hideous scores: I am not religious or practice religion of any sort, nine years ago I was diagnosed with Paget’s disease and suffer a number of medical ailments, and both a lack of spiritual connection and chronic physical pain has taken a toll on my psychological wellbeing.

       With that said...I have been able to evaluate my life constructively and take a good look into aspects of my life that need to change or are completely non-existent. Through the past nine weeks I can honestly report that my scores have not necessarily changed to a degree that is unrealistic. I sadly did not go from the number 1 to a number 10 in any of these categories. However, today I can proudly report there have been changes. These changes have taken a conscious effort on my behalf. I know report my scores as follows: 2/10 in spirituality, 4/10 in physical wellness, 5/10 in psychological wellness.

       The reasoning behind the improvements: I gave myself a minimum of 1 point because I realized just how poor my spiritual connection truly is. Although my score in the category of spirituality did not raise drastically the self realization that I met during the evaluation deserved credit. So my score went from a 1 to a 2. My physical wellness is not always perfect nor will it ever be, but since I started setting time for me - my physical pain has decreased. Integrating stillness and encouraging calm has offered me an outlet. After I have taken a few minutes to reflect on daily aspects my mind seems clearer. The most significant change that has occurred over the past weeks is a change in psychological wellbeing. I have begun to reform how I perceive the world around me. This has impacted on my interaction with family members, friends, and co-workers. These small steps have begun the process of balance into my life. This process is going to take time, effort, and an open heart. I am looking forward to raising my scores as time passes.

 

 

III. Goal Development:

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

Answer:

      Spiritual Goal: My goal in seeking a spiritual connection is attempt to find a spiritual connection that fits into my life. This means that I will have to physically educate myself and explore an array of cultural beliefs and religions. Without the knowledge of spirituality I believe that I will have a difficult time finding a spiritual connection.

      Physical Goal: My goals for this category may differ from someone that has not been diagnosed with a chronic illness. I realize that physical pain has a profound impact on the mind and the body systematically. I have spoken to my orthopedist and pathologist about meditation and relaxation exercises over the past three weeks. I have asked that both reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals used for my pain management and inflammation if meditation or relaxation practices reduce my pain levels. I explained to both of them that I will keep a detailed journal so that we may discuss changes in my physical conditions. Both physicians have agreed and are willing to work with me on this matter over the next 3-6 months.

     Psychological Goal: I feel as if I have made the most effort and change in this category. I have made a conscious effort to evaluate myself from the inside out. I have had more self-realizations in the past nine weeks than I have had in a very long time. I have adjusted pieces of my life to positively reflect who I am. I have been slowly removing negative aspects that I see as troublesome in my life.

       Recently, I took a close friend to lunch. I explained to her that her negative attitude, constant nagging, plethora of harsh words, along with her extraordinary gift to make others feel high levels of guilt...were not healthy for her or anyone around her. I offered some suggestions to help her try to connect with herself and even bought her a copy of Dasher’s book. She explained to me that I was being “foolish” and there was nothing wrong with her harshness because it protects her. Through the meal I watched her interact with the waitress attentively. I noticed her tone, body language, and sarcasm that she was projecting toward the waitress. I realized for years she has treated me the same way. At the end of the meal, I explained to her that I thought it best to not talk for a while. I proceeded to explain to her why. The interactions she was bringing into my life were full of hurt, anger, and harshness. Surprisingly, she looked at me in disgust...shrugged her shoulders and said “Really, Sarah – you will regret this!” I haven’t heard from her since.

 

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.

Answer:

       Spiritual: I will make an effort to educate myself to the point where I accept a spiritual guidance into my life. After I have completed this I will learn the realm of prayer. There seems to be healing powers in prayer. I hope to one day learn what this concept encompasses.

       Physical: Like I mentioned above, I have spoken to my orthopedist and pathologist about meditation and relaxation exercises over the past three weeks. I have asked that both reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals used for my pain management and inflammation if meditation or relaxation practices reduce my pain levels. Also, I have been watching my diet closer and eating less processed food.

      Psychological: I will continue to practice loving-kindness daily in my home and work life. I would also like to continue to weed out negative aspects that I see as damaging in my life. I think through doing this that my mind will be clearer, calmer, and more enveloped in aspects of life that need higher levels of attention.

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?

Answer:

      Call me old fashioned, but I will be keeping a recorded log in my daily schedule book (My little black book). I carry it with me everywhere I go. Four weeks ago I began writing down my feelings for the day and how it progressed through the evening. I also quickly jot down meals throughout the day when I have time. It has served as a record for me to keep about myself. I prefer this method over keeping and online journal only because I am more likely to write in my book every day. Whereas, I understand that I will not get on the internet every day.

Unit 8

   I think that the two most useful techniques to me are going to be the loving-kindness exercise and the focused concentration exercise. Both have created the most positive emotions during the duration of the past weeks. The key is to train the mind to focus on the body without any form of distraction both of these exercises have proved to be the most effective for me. I also found the “focused concentration” practices were also beneficial; some of these were tough for me to complete. However these other exercises have offered me a connection that links concentration, emotions, and have offered me positive biofeedback from the persons mind in direct correlation with their physiological functions. This can lower my blood pressure, heart rate, and assist with a lessened chance in developing disease which will be beneficial in later years of my life. I was also a huge fan of the progressive muscle relaxation practices that we have partaken in. I had a tough time with the Transcendent meditation and mindfulness meditation. However they are supposed to assist patients and people to relax, improve coping skills, and reduce levels of physical pain.    It has been very difficult for me to meditate through the last six weeks of this course. Like many other Americans in today’s society I seem to pay more attention to what is going on around me in the outside world verse what is going on within me. I now have come to the point where my happiness revolves around concepts of external circumstance. I understand that through meditative practice my awareness will be redirected to focus on myself and the inner part of me that will offer serenity and peace. This can benefit each and every one of us on a different level. I am determined to find a meditative practice that is right for me and offers me the chance to look at myself from a different perspective. I am going to make an effort to integrate these activities into daily activities.

 

 

Unit 7 Health and Wellness

       Meeting Asclepius meditation exercise was a visual experience that reminded me of sitting on the beach and quietly reflecting on aspects of life. It generated a feeling of inner peace and was tranquil. This exercise would be great to practice daily to remind ourselves that loving kindness, wisdom, ad inner peace are not unattainable goals. Mindfulness has seemed to assist my mental wellbeing more than meditation it as fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness by offering me insight into myself. Through this course I have learned a great deal about myself, some concepts that I have learned on a more personal note are obviously better than others I have learned about myself. Being mindful of others, my interactions with other people, my personal thoughts and feeling has brought me closer to an understanding of who I really am. I have had a tough time meditating, but even those exercises’ have helped me learn that not everything in life is going to be fitting to my personality type. It was a learning experience. One that I will never forget. I never in a million year thought that I would ever try meditation, but as it turns out it’s not that bad. I only wish my house was a bit more peaceful sometimes.

 "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (p.477).

       It is difficult to lead another in the direction of holistic wellbeing if you yourself do not understand the basic concept of the healing system. In order for us to help others on their journey we must first understand what ours is. Attempting to teach another human being something that you do not understand does not exemplify the truth of the cause, but can cause confusion and doubt.

  Psychiatrists, spiritual mentors, and behavioral health specialists have continually mandated and updated research techniques to ensure that patients are equipped with the education and skills to cope and adapt to medical illnesses with differential diagnoses. Health and wellness professionals should have a keen understanding of themselves in order to assist others effectively.  The relationship between pain, anxiety, physical illness, and have been studied for years. The strict correlations between these intertwined topics have influenced patient’s physical and mental conclusions, but if a health and wellness individual cannot understand concepts of self it will be very difficult to understand others. To increase the end patient outcome regimens must be expressed in a manner that benefits the patient’s physical and mental wellbeing.

I have an obligation to my patients daily, to be continually developing my health psychologically, physically, and spiritually so I can provide them with the best and most efficient patient care possible. If I am unaware of myself, then I am unaware of them. I have begun implementing psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life by practicing mindfulness, loving kindness, and learning how to listen to others with a genuine reciprocation. This course has taught me a lot over the past few weeks and it continues to teach as we move forward.

I am in complete compliance with the statement the Universal Loving-Kindness exercise is expressing. I believe that this phrase brings great meaning to others than ourselves and helps with aspects of interpersonal development. I could not remember all of the lines so I took turns with each one for 4 minutes. This helped me to concentrate on the words and not thinking about not knowing the next ones. I felt calm afterwards.

      Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

       The evidence that supports the validity or truthfulness of the information is found primarily in the study methodology. Here is where the investigators address the issue of bias, both conscious and unconscious. Study methodologies such as randomization, blinding and accounting for all patients help insure that the study results are not overly influenced by the investigators or the patients. Evaluating the medical literature is a complex undertaking but must include the individually addressed needs of the patient. The sessions with the patients should provide you with some basic criteria and information to consider when trying deciding if the study methodology is sound and what the best route of treatments should be. You will find that the answers to the questions of validity may not always be clearly stated and conducting your own assessment may prove to be troublesome. You will have to make their own judgments about the importance of each question. Once you have determined that the study methodology is valid, you must examine the results and their applicability to the patient. We may harvest additional concerns such as whether the study represented patients similar to his/her patients, whether the study covered the aspect of the problem that is most important to the patient, or whether the study suggested a clear and useful plan of action. This process brought to my attention just how little I pay attention to patients. In order to focus on health and growth in this area I am going to have to start from scratch and work my way through the complexities. This task will not happen overnight. The main exercise I can execute in order to grow in the area of focus is make a “thoughtful-heartfelt” effort to be more receptive to the process. This will be my biggest step. It seems crazy – sometimes after I am done reading these chapters..I realize I really don’t know myself. I enjoyed this week’s activities and discussions.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I spent yesterday at the beach. Now, that is relaxing! J This week we are supposed to Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise. It is no surprise to any of you that have read my blog previously that I am having a heck of a time with these exercises. I am not sure if this is because of my personality, or my sense of humor. I wrote a fellow student this week to express that I am actually trying these to help relax my mind. I have been pretty unsuccessful. When I tried the love and kindness exercise the other week I could do nothing but chuckle. I would love to explain why: I am not mocking meditation - by any means. The person I pictured was my husband. We have been together for going on 8 years and he is still the funniest human being I know. I love his sense of humor. He is always making me laugh and smile. So after I pictured him in my mind I could so nothing but chuckle. The activity for relaxation – just didn’t work.  I liked the subtle mind exercise because it offers insight into you. However, I just need to work on these a harder with a more serious approach. The connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness to me is complicated, because I am neither spiritually connected nor, in the best shape physically. In this weeks discussion blog we covered a majority of this information in detail. I have concluded that if I am to become physically fit, my mind and spirit must play a part in this in order for me to find true happiness. I think I personally have a very long way to go. Thanks for listening this week. I will be here at the same time and on the same channel next week. J

Anger?

I don't understand why I am so angry all of the time............

Unit 4 - Psychospiritual Flourishing (Rough Week).

1.      Ok, this week’s post is not going to be as enlightening as many of my others. I am having a very difficult time with any of these relaxation exercises. Between the monotony of my house and the endless struggle to find some kind of time and peace for me my brain feels like it’s going to explode this week. I have tried these things for the last few weeks. The first one was awesome, the second one was not so awesome, and this one (well, was continuously interrupted by screaming children and my loving husband). This week’s exercise would have been much better and enlightening if I didn’t have to pause it every five stinking minutes! Sorry for the negativity. However, I do feel better now that I have gotten that off of my chest! Did anyone else get to actually partake in the activity fully? Did you like it? Moving on to portion number two (with my foul mood-right behind me). The concept of a mental workout is – living in my house…just kidding – well kind-of. The concepts of mental workouts are to enable you to strengthen and maintain a level of mental fitness that is contusive to everyday living. This can be done through almost anything. If I could have 10 minutes to myself in my house I would choose meditation for a minimum of 15 minutes a day. This could help ensure that by the time I earn this degree I will not have already lost my mind!

Week 3 Already! :) Physical, Spiritual, and Psychological Well-Being

1.        Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your:

A-physical wellbeing = (2) My physical wellbeing is poor. 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Paget’s disease. The diagnosis is so rare for patients of my age that I can even go into a doctor’s office for a runny nose without them asking me a million questions on the diagnosis. Really??? I just went in for a sinus cold!

 B-spiritual well-being = (3) I do not routinely practice any form of specified religion. I have spent a number of years living in the mid-west and I can’t image any human, nonhuman, or higher power letting people suffer in the ways that I have seen in the past. When I was younger my spiritual well-being was much higher, but as I have aged it has become progressively worse.

 C-psychological well-being = (7) this is where I can say that I compensate for my physical and spiritual well-being (or lack thereof). I call it my “compensational Umbrella”. My psychological health is both poor and good. The stressors of life seem to keep this internal wheel going. This has brought much prosperity and good into my life.

    However, being that I lack so much in both of the other categories it catches up to me sometimes.

2.        Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).

Physical – be more optimistic about my diagnosis. It’s been 10 years and I am still angry at my genetics (there is some serious projection going on here!) “Blame the genetics”. Wow, let’s analyze that……

Spiritual – I have not really come up with a good solution to find a good source of spirituality again. In ways I wish I would have never seen how other countries live and thrive. On the other hand – I would not trade that experience for the world. I will try to be more open minded everyday and not see things from my personal perspective, but a perspective that encourages open-mindedness and compassion.

Psychological – Hmmmmm? Were to begin? The goal that I will attempt to integrate into my life encompassing my psychological health is……drum roll please? …….. “I will try to not be mad at the genetics that I have acquired”.  

3.        What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?

    For the time being I am going to keep researching these concepts more in depth through the time of this course. Until recently I was not aware that these factors could influence so many aspects within our lives. This means that if I can learn to be more spiritual, more positive, more expressive, more loving, maybe my psychological and physical body can become more – Healthy. I am going to learn about me for the time being and attempt to right some of the major wrongs.

4.        Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century.

This exercise was very frustrating to me. I could not get the program to open even after sitting in front of my computer for over thirty minutes. I was so frustrated with the program that I honestly did not have enough patients to open it. Later that evening I went back to the computer and tried again. It worked. My home is very hectic – so trying to complete the exercise in full was virtually impossible. I think that if I were in the right environment that it would have been less frustrating. However, this was not the case yesterday. I hope you all enjoyed the new experience more than I.

Journey to Relaxation?

I attempted to try the "Journey on Relaxation Exercise". It really worked. I could not believe how relaxed I was after I completed. (With the exceptions of a few Interruptions). My stress levels are much higher than they should be for being a 30 year old woman. I hope to obtain a better understanding of myself and others around me by the end of this course.

Sarah Pratt

Reflective Statement

Reflective Statement: I am looking forward to getting to know all of you on a more personal level. I understand that this blog will be used for aspects of personal wellbeing, spiritual, and emotional health. I am asking all of you to please be patient with me. This is the first time I have ever used a blog. It has been frustrating to me so far. I am not sure how to set up circles or follow blogs - so if you have any suggestions (or instructions) that will make this process less stressful to me - I am all "ears".
I believe people should be more in-tune with their "self". The concept of good health has been around for so many years, but everyone in the world seems to be wrapped up in everything else. A fast pace life really has gotten Americans away from relaxation and self-awareness. It is sad to me. However, I have followed suit. What a shame.

Sarah Pratt

Introduction!

Oh yeah! Introduction...... My name is sarah Pratt. I work as a career firefighter, part time on an Ambulance, and teach at a college on my days off. I am very busy all the time and never really make a whole lot of time for myself. I have a husband whom I rarely see and a career that is super demanding. I NEED to learn to relax! I feel like I am a walking time-bomb sometimes. However, I would offer my last dime, pair of sock, and crumble of food to those who needed it more than I. I love people, love to help them, and have an undying passion for "little elderly people". Their has always been a soft spot in my heart for them. I think that sums it up. I look forward to chatting with all of you and gaining personal insight to your lives.
Sarah Pratt

I had to re-set this site up. My Appologies.

Last week I set up a blog. However, I believe I set it up improperly. So to make it easier for everyone (to include myself) I am going to just start completely over from scratch. (exept, for the comments I posted to you all last week, for obvious reasons). I am so sorry for this inconvienence and hope this one is much easier to access and post to. I still may need some advice, but for now I am going to try tp get the hang of this blogging thing.


Sarah Pratt