Based on your reflections and the assessments completed in this course: On a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal well being) where do you rate your A-physical well being, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?

A-physical well being- Then 6, Now 71/2, the positive change has occurred because I improved my health through some weight loss due to diet and exercise and have increased my strength and flexibility.

B-spiritual well being- Then 7, Now 7, the none change because I have failed to more fully explore my beliefs and my religious practicing options.

C-psychological well being- Then 6, Now 8, the positive change is because I have learned to better deal with and cope with stress and emotions, and I have dealt with the root cause of my emotions more so than before. Also I have developed an inner life that I relish in and I continue to learn more and more about myself.

When I first started this class I considered my spiritual and mental well-beings to be key to my happiness. However, I did not consider my happiness a key to my health. Now I realize that my spiritual, emotional, and mental health all play a big role in my overall health. I used to think that health was all biological, that was before I started this program, I quickly learned that wasn't the case. Now, because of this realization, I have become more self-aware, have developed an inner life that I cherish, have learn to better cope with stress and other emotions, and have shared these experiences with a great group of people. You all have been wonderful, supporting, insightful, and generally good classmates. For that, I thank you. And a special thanks to our instructor, Mark Maule, for helping us on our own individual path to human flourishing.

Unit 9 Project

Unit 9 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 in order to help others one most first help themselves. That may sound selfish, but in order to affect change in others it is necessary to make those same changes in your own person, once that is done the client will be more apt to listen and follow instructions and the health and wellness professional will have the experience needed to give sound advice and help the client on their way to developing themselves psychologically, spiritually, and physically. I need to develop myself in the spiritual and physical areas mainly. Spiritually, I have nothing to help me carry out my beliefs and I am still searching for a good fit religion wise. Physically, I need to decrease my body fat, increase muscle mass, and work to achieve a more balanced lifestyle through physical activity and nutritional changes. There is always room to improve psychologically, in that arena I need to get better at recognizing and following my own desires, rather than those of my loved ones.

II Assessment:

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

I have assess my health in each domain by using a self-grading method on a scale from one to ten, one being the worst and ten being the best. For my physical well being I score myself as a 6, this is because I am healthy but have lots of room for improvement. For my spiritual well being I score myself as a 7, this is because I know what I believe but I am unsure of how to improve my spiritual well being. For my psychological well being I score myself as a 6, this is because I recognize my emotions and deal with most of them but still need to address some.

III Goal development:

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

For my physical well being my main goal is to increase my cardiovascular exercise regime to help shed pounds, then once down in weight begin strength training to increase endurance and confidence. Also, I plan to change my nutritional habits to aid in the process of permanent weight loss. For my spiritual well being my main goals are to reaffirm my beliefs and search for ways to improve my spiritual well being, whether through practices, prayer, or organized services. For my psychological well being my main goal is to change the fact that the emotions that I do deal with are dealt with through release of anger in exercise and cleaning, which is somewhat healthy. I need to start addressing the source of the emotions more so that I can prevent that overwhelmed feeling.

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.

For my physical well being the strategies I will be implementing include increased physical activity and better nutrition. To accomplish this I will do the following exercises: walking, swimming, the use of light free weights, eating a more varied diet of low fat foods, and keeping a food journal. I will implement these exercises by creating a schedule that includes all of these items throughout each day, if, at the end of the day, I have kept to the schedule and to my diet I will reward myself with a low calorie chocolate snack and an hour of television before bed. If not them I will read from my school books for an hour before going to bed without a late night chocolate fix.

For my spiritual well being the strategies I will be implementing are the exploration of personal beliefs and various religions and practices. To accomplish this I will do the following exercises: writing down my beliefs, keeping a beliefs journal to keep track of questions and thoughts on religion and spirituality, and explore religions so that I can find a good fit while continuing my search for ways to improve my spiritual well being. I will implement these exercises by making the exercises part of my schedule, they will be included throughout the week and I will bend my schedule around times when I need to journal, pray, or do other spiritually related activities.

For my psychological well being the strategies I will be implementing are looking inside my mind and more adequate coping of stress and like emotions. To accomplish this I will do the following exercises: the subtle mind exercise to confront my emotions, additional subtle mind exercise to find the causes of my emotions, and different coping mechanisms to confront my emotions head on in a healthy manner, and if my emotions cannot be confronted in this way then I will release my emotions through other means such as exercising or cleaning (non-destructive ways). I will implement these exercises by including the subtle mind exercise in my schedule and allowing myself to go off schedule to better deal with stress and cope with emotions in healthy ways. I will also keep a stress journal so that I can track my stress and stress emotions and find which ways work best for coping with and/or dealing with those emotions.

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?

I will assess my progress or my lack of progress in the next six months by undergoing additional self grading every two week. I have always been a fair self grader and I don’t anticipate any problems in that area. To assist myself in self grading and to help me to maintain this practices in the long term strife for health and wellness I will continue to keep journals on my physical, spiritual, and psychological well being until such a time that I feel it is no longer necessary to write everything down, due to better self recognition in my inner life.

Unit 8 Blog Post

Review the exercises and practice sessions you have completed in this course. (Loving Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation etc.) Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

The loving-kindness exercise is when you think of a person you love and you let yourself fill up with those feelings of love. Then you send those feeling to that person. Also you think of a person in pain and you breath their pain in for them and then breath it out, eliminating it. The subtle mind exercise is when you look inside your mind to view your own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and processes. By doing this you can affect the way you think, feel, and make decisions. The visualization exercise is just that visualization, this is great especially before bed, you can visualize what you want, how to get, something or someone that makes you happy; it is very calming. Meditation is a calming, mind-focusing, breathing exercise that can be done anywhere, anytime. It slows your breathing and heart rate and allows the mind to become more alert and attentive.

The two practices that I find most beneficial are the subtle mind and the meditation. I find the subtle mind practice beneficial because I allows me to get to know myself better and to help we look at how I make decisions so that I can affect my mind to make better decisions, consistently. I find meditation beneficial because it allows me time away from the world to focus my mind and to relax my body. I can implement the practice of the subtle mind into my life by setting aside time to explore myself, I find the morning, directly after I wake but before I get up, to be a good time, to do the subtle mind practice. I can implement meditation into my life also be setting aside a time to devote myself to it, I find that directly before bed is a great time because it allows me to relax and let go of some of the stresses of the day. Also when I am stressed during the day I find that just meditating for a few minutes is extremely helpful in coping and managing stress.

Unit 7 Blog Post

1. Complete the "Meeting Asclepius" exercise on track #4 on the Dacher CD. Describe your meditative practice(s) for the week and discuss the experience.

This week I focused on my inner being in my meditation, I am conflicted between my love of my family and my desire to do something meaningful that makes me happy. I want so badly to join the Navy, but you can’t be in the Navy and live in land-locked Iowa. My meditation has consisted of me working to find what my heart truly desires, like the woodcarver.

Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

Meditation and mindfulness has helped to foster my spiritual and psychological well being and growth by allowing me to become more in touch with my thoughts, processes, judgments, and desires. I can continue to garner greater health in all aspects of my life by continuing these meditative and mindful practices, particularly the subtle mind practice, which was very difficult at the beginning for me, but has helped me greatly.

2. Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself”

This saying, to me, means that I cannot get help to become a more balanced person spiritually, physically, and psychologically, from a person who has not gone through the journey before me. Just as: I can’t get directions through the mountains from someone who has never traveled the mountains themselves.

How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not?
This applies to me as a health and wellness professional by showing me that, even if I have great training and knowledge is this sort of change and transformation, I cannot truly guide a client on this path without first completing it myself. We do have a responsibility, in these aspects, to our clients, making positive changes in the spiritual, psychological, and physical well being is the way to bring a greater sense of peace, happiness, and wholeness.

How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

You can implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life through practices such as the subtle mind, loving-kindness, and Meeting Asclepius practices. Also, you can do so through personal exploration and generalized meditation.

Unit 6 Blog

I enjoyed both the loving-kindness and subtle-mind exercises, along with all of the exercises we have done in this class. I still am having difficulties finding the time, quiet, and patience to complete these exercises. This world is so busy and chaotic that it is hard to just stop, even for a minute or two. I discovered, about myself, that I want to love what I am doing but I don't, I just don't. So I have resolved to go ahead with my plan to join the Navy and do all I can with the time I have left. I have chosen to focus my growth and development into furthering my ability to make decision based equally on myself and my loved ones. Prior to this I had based my decisions almost solely on my loved ones; while I love them greatly I know that, in order to be happy (which is what they want for me as well), I need to follow my heart. I will continue to do both the loving-kindness and subtle mind exercises as they allow me to reach deep inside, sift through the clutter and find what I want, need, and am.

Unit 5 blog post

The loving-kindness exercise focused on feeling love and kindness and sending that to a person whom you feel for. Once you have done that you are to redirect those feeling of love and kindness toward yourself. I think that the loving-kindness exercise is very important because turning those good feelings to yourself is easier said than done. Once you are able to turn those feelings inward you can explore and entreat you inner mind to a better sense of well-being. This is the subtle mind exercise. Finding an inner balance and sense of calm and peacefulness is hard as well but it is a vital step on the path to human flourishing. It was not until I started this class that I realized how important my spiritual well-being is to my whole well-being. By looking inward I can improve my spiritual well-being and so I can further my expedition into the world of human flourishing. To do this I will continue the living-kindness exercise to help turn those good feeling inward and I will continue the subtle mind exercise to help me find myself and increase my whole well-being (that of mind, body, and spirit).

Unit 4 blog post

1. Describe your experience. (Did you find it beneficial? Difficult?) Why or Why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or Why not?

I found the Loving-Kindness exercise beneficial in that it made me realize just how much I care about the people around me and how little time I spend on myself. I found it difficult in that the exercise lasted as long as it did and I began to get restless during the pauses in instruction. I would recommend this exercise to others because it helps to draw attention inward without creating a self-centered state.

2. What is the concept of “Mental Workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a Mental Work Out? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

A mental work-out is an exercise that is done to push your mind in a direction it usually doesn't go, to stretch the limits of your mind to create a wholly healthier state of psychological well-being. Research indicates that a mental work-out reduces stress and can actually alter the physical aspects of the body as well. I can implement mental workouts to foster my psychological health by doing exercises each day; setting time aside to pursue psychological well-being each day through exercises like the Loving-Kindness exercise.

Unit 3 Blog Post

1. Based on your reflections and the assessments completed in the project: On a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal well being) where do you rate your A-physical well being, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?

A-physical well being- 6: Because I am healthy but have lots of room for improvement.

B-spiritual well being- 7: Because I know what I believe but I am unsure of how to improve my spiritual well being.

C-psychological well being- 6: Because I recognize my emotions and deal with most of them but still need to address some.

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

A-physical well being- Increase cardiovascular exercise regime to help shed pounds, once down in weight begin strength training to increase endurance and confidence.

B-spiritual well being- Reaffirm my beliefs and search for ways to improve my spiritual well being.

C-psychological well being- The emotions that I do deal with are dealt with through release of anger in exercise and cleaning, which is somewhat healthy. But I need to start addressing the source of the emotions more so that I can prevent that overwhelmed feeling.

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


A-physical well being- Walking, swimming, light free weights, a more varied diet of low fat foods.

B-spiritual well being- Write down my beliefs and explore religions to try and find a good fit while continuing my search for ways to improve my spiritual well being.

C-psychological well being- Confront the causes of my emotions head on in a healthy manner, if they cannot be confronted this way then release my emotions through other means such as exercising or cleaning (non-destructive ways).

4. Describe your experience with The Crime of the Century relaxation exercise (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)

The relaxation exercise did make me feel more relaxed although I struggled with the idea of beams of light shooting out of my body. Once again I grew wary of the voice and kept thinking: get on with it already! It didn’t help that the Cubs game was on in the next room. I think that next time I do a relaxation exercise I will wait until the house is empty or quiet, either that or I’ll go outside with some headphones. I do like the idea of all the aspects of the body coming together in the end.

My Journey On Relaxation

I did a relaxation technique in which you used your thoughts to move blood from your GI tract to your arms and hands as a way of relaxing them in a way much like a sponge become relaxed when saturated with water. My Journey On Relaxation experience was nice, although it was interrupted by a ‘my car died’ phone call from my father. I have used this method of relaxation before, usually with my legs and feet, which is where I carry a great deal of my tension. I did the method with my arms as the soothing, yet slightly creepy, voice told me to and I felt my arms grow warm and heavy. And although I enjoyed it, it seemed rather drawn out to me, when I do this exercise with my legs I feel the tension begin to melt away in seconds. Following the voice took longer and I started to grow wary of it towards the end.

Reflective Post

I suppose this means I should reflect on something. My brother (Andrew James {AJ}) is naming his son-to-be after himself which is interesting given our family's history with that process. My mother (Susan {Sue}) felt very strongly that she wanted to named my sister (Danielle {Dani}) after my father (Daniel {Dan}), and she did so. My father didn't like this idea but went along with it because it meant he got pick the middle name. When my mother became pregnant with my brother, my father constantly alluded to the fact that he should be named after my mother. Before that could happen a Johnny Cash song was released and it became popular in Japan (where my father was station and living with my mother and sister) just prior to my brother's conception, it was called "A Boy Named Sue". After that my father decided it would be cruel to name his son Sue. I wasn't named after anyone (at least not my first name). My middle name is a family middle name but wasn't chosen to honor anyone specific. My brother's name alluded to my mother's maiden name of Anderson and his middle name was chosen to honor my paternal grandfather and one of my uncles. The fact that I wasn't named after anyone in particular used to make me sad at being left out but now it makes me feel unique.