Unit 10 - The End of This Part of the Journey

My scores from unit three in physical, spirtual and psychological aspects was about a 4 on a scale of 1-10.  I was and still am on a journey to improve myself so that I can improve the lives of my clients, but know that I have a long way to go.  Unit three only gives me a score of 4.  At the end of unit ten, I have improved greatly in all three of these areas,but know that I have further to go.  My score at this point in time would be a 6.  I can't, in all fairness, give myself more than this.  How could I? 

My goals in the physical aspect of my health include eating better (still not where I need to be) and definitely getting to the gym more because right now I am at a stand-still.  I have made little to no progress in this area, despite good intentions.

Spiritually, I have made good progress, but my goal is to reach even higher planes of awareness.  I will not be Dalai Lama by any stretch of the imagination, but I want to be able to feel the energy in everything around me.  Maybe I will even be able to see auras in people.  This, I know, will take time, patience, and practice.

Psychologically, again, I have made progress, but know that I have further to go.  Loving-kindness is definitely working, but there are days (like today), where I need more effort than others.  My goal is to have this practice come naturally, without any effort.  Wouldn't the world be a better place is we could all do this?

In summary, while I have been able to make progress, I am no where near where I need to be.  I want to be a "whole" person.  Where one of these aspects ends, another needs to begin.  They all need to work together in me so that I can be that one person that people know they can come to in order to get the right guidance for their own journeys in holistic and integal health.  By reaching my goals, it will greater improve my ability to be this guide for people.  I look forward to my future journey and am glad that you were all a part of my learning.

Blessings!

ta – Unit 9 – Final Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practices and Commitments for

My Own Personal Health

KAnnunziata – Unit 9 – Final Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.    Introduction:  It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically so that we can set an example for our clients.  I can say that first impressions do matter; and if I were the one going to seek treatment to help me to heal integrally, I would want my practitioner to practice what he/she preaches.  The areas that I need to personally develop are in all phases.  I am nowhere near the person I need to be on a holistic level, but am well on my way in a journey to get there.  I still need to meditation and practice yoga each day in order to maintain focus and calm.  I need to start eating healthier as I have strayed away from this lifestyle.  Hopefully with the week or so break in between terms, I will be able to get more on track.  As far as going to the gym, I really need to get back into the groove, so to speak.  Time has become very crunched lately and has been a great excuse not to go.  The time has come to get back into the swing of things.

2.    Assessment: My health in each domain isn’t as great as I’d like it to be.  Although practicing loving-kindness has helped immensely, it isn’t enough some days without putting added effort into it.  It seems the closer it is to Thanksgiving and Christmas, the testier the public tends to be.  I just don’t get it.  I thought it was the season to be thankful and love others; instead it has become the season to be grumpier and meaner.  I find myself praying more throughout the day for added patience, which He gives me without fail.  Some days it just takes longer for me to accept that gift.  Physically, besides my psoriatic arthritis, I am doing well.  The gym was helping me to be more flexible (some days when I’m not experiencing a flare).  Psychologically, I need to be more committed to practicing meditation as I know that it would help me immensely.  Relaxing through meditation would greatly improve my pain and help me to get through the day even easier and more cheerfully.

3.    Goal Development: My goal for physical health is to be more committed to the gym, and more committed to healthier eating habits.  These improvements will help my health, my immune system, and my pain regulation.  Psychologically, I need to practice a more positive attitude and look for the positive more in people – especially during this holiday season.  With so much going on in society right now (i.e. unemployment, rising prices, rising military threats in the Middle East), we need to be more patient with each other, and kinder, as we don’t know what our fellow man is actually going through.  Spiritually, meditation is needed more in my life for calming, but so is my link with God.  He is so good to me (although I don’t live in a mansion).  He lets me put my feet on the floor each day; he lets me enjoy my family; he lets me go to work each day.

4.    Practices for personal health: My strategy for growth in my physical health is to eat better foods (less carbs, more whole foods).  I need to eat more fruits and vegetables and less items that come in a box.  Psychologically my strategy for growth would be to be more positive and to be more open-minded when it comes to other attitudes from other people.  Being positive myself will create more positive health in my life overall, and will greatly improve relationships with others in my family and work environment.  Spiritual growth will be found through meditation and yoga.  Guided meditation definitely helps me spiritually as it enables me to grow inside of myself, if that makes any sense.

5.    Commitment:  Over the next six months, I intend to make myself a chart to remind me to eat better, go to the gym at least three times a week, practice meditation and yoga alternately every other day.  Strategies will include segments of the day (i.e. morning, afternoon, evening) as opposed to times of the day, as my work schedule is never the same.  Long-term practices?  Once I get into a solid routine with the help of my charts, I won’t need to be reminded to do these things each day.  It will just flow over the course of time for the rest of my life.  As I learn something new, I will incorporate it into my day to ensure that while I am living a holistic life, I can learn and in turn, teach my clients.

 

I send each of you blessings and wish only the best for all of you in your future health careers.

Wow - Unit 8

Can you believe it?

Let's see - the two forms of relaxation that I most liked - hmmm- I would have to say Loving-Kindness and Visualization.  They provided, to me, the easiest ways to calm down and to have positiveness in my life.  These are the two that I would most likely recommend to my clients/patients. 

I would implement them in my personal life by waking up, thanking God for allowing me this privilege, and then providing kindness to everyone I meet during the day, even if it's only a smile or a kind word.  I need to love myself and share this love with others.  There are times when it is so much easier to be sarcastic, but I need to let them know that I can handle whatever they want to dish out - and handle it with kindness rather than further attitude.

I would foster visions of my 'happy place" that I used during the visualization exercise whenever I felt I had to deal with something unpleasant.  I will deal with people with kindness, even if they are rude and beligerent and then use that visualization process to bring myself back to calm. 

I wish I knew of these practices years ago, as it makes life so much easier and less stressful when using these approaches.  Life is good - sometimes it just takes a little reminder and a step back.

Unit 7

Wow!  I honestly can't believe this term is almost over!

The meditation for this unit was good for me, with the exception of the speaker's voice.  I would listen to her and relax - and relaxed even more when she wasn't speaking.  I listened to the flow of the water and the sound of the flute and then BAM! - her voice broke through the relaxing sounds, I thought, very loudly.  I think she could have started talking more gently through the water.  Maybe it's just me.

The more I listen to the guided meditations, the easier it seems, I relax.  Maybe I'm getting used to them, and it is easier to succomb to the quiet and to the thought that the speaker wants us to relate to.  By further listening to these meditations, and with an honest effort of incorporating them into my daily routine, I can see that stress will be easier to handle.  I just need to make a solid commitment - even if it's only for ten minutes a day until the sessions can get longer.

The saying that "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" means that we, as professionals, cannot ask our patients to experience something that we ourselves have not experienced.  How can we ask our patients to try meditation if we have not practiced it ourselves, or have not seen the benefits first hand?  How can I tell them that yoga is not only good for stress, but also increases flexibility if I have not tried this myself and seen the positive results?  We must "practice what we preach".

I do have an obligation to my patients to be putting my own health on the straight and narrow involving mind, body, and spirit before I could ever even try to make it an obligation for them.  I need to have my own positiveness so that I can overwhelm them with that very same feeling. 

I need to implement these patterns into my own life by making sure that I awaken with a positive attitude, eat the right foods, get physical exercise each day, and make sure that I am meditating to alleviate stress and put my "whole" self in the right path for optimal health.