Final Thought For The Class....

My ratings before: When it comes to my physical well-being I would rate it a 6.5. When it comes to my spiritual well-being I would rate it at an 8. My psychological well being would be rated a 5. Sadly my ratings have not changed. I feel as if they are the same from the first time. The reason they have not changed is because I’m still not finding the time to do what I need to do in order to get on the right path. It is just hectic with school and work and now I’m trying to transfer so that I can move. I have made some progress towards my goals though. I am still trying to lose some weight, I still try to watch what I eat but I’m still not eating as healthy as I should. Also everyone in a while I still do my Zumba workout. I am still trying to stay stressed free, I have been writing in my notebooks/journals like I said I would do. I have not had any progress when it comes to my spiritual goals. This class has just been amazing. When I first signed up for the class I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I really enjoyed this class though. it has taught me many different exercises that I can do, like the loving kindness, breathing exercises, and etc. The class has showed me that I need to be physically, spiritually, and mentally healthy, all at one time. The class will improve your ability to assist others because it has taught me to practice what I preach. If I practice the technique that I want to recommend to someone I will be able to tell them about the technique firsthand.

Unit 9 Project: Self-evaluation

Running Head: SELF-EVALUATION PLAN

Final project: Self-evaluation Plan

Margaret Horne

Kaplan University

HW420: Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

Kim Montgomery

April 2, 2013

          When one thinks about health, the thing that they are mainly thinking of is just the physical aspect of health. There is more than just the physical part when it comes to health there is also the spiritual aspect and physiological aspect. All health and wellness professionals need to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically. Honestly who would want a doctor that is obese, smokes, and is just not in any good health at all telling them what to do? No one wants a doctor liked this it basically goes back to practice what you preach. Dacher has stated many times why one has to develop in these areas to be in their practice, it is stated that “to become the agents of a more expansive health, we must begin with our own life….We must start with preparations and practice. Nothing less will do” (Dacher, 2006). He then goes on to basically say that by incorporating integral health into your life you will discover new possibilities of integral health and healing and you will start to know firsthand what happens when you evolve. If the professional is doing the things that they are trying to convince their clients to do, they can tell them how it has personally helped them and how it can do the same for them. When it comes to me personally I need to develop in all three areas, especially if I would like to achieve the goals that I have set for myself.

          When it comes to my health psychologically, spiritually and physically I have assessed each domain by taking time looking within myself and seeing where I am at and if I am where I want to be at. I have rated myself in each domain on a scale of 0 to 10. When it comes to my psychological well being would be rated a 5. I have come to find myself being stressed out a lot with so many things on my mind. There has just been so much bothering me all the time and it is just hard for me to keep a clear mind. Spiritually I would to rate my well being at an 8. I do believe in a higher power. I love going to church, I look forward to going to church because when I’m there I am able to clear my mind some because I am praising God and giving my problems to him. When I started working though I stopped going to church because I don’t get Sundays off, I may get a Sunday off every few months but I still can’t go to church like I want to because the person I stay with doesn’t go to church and I don’t my own car. When it comes to my physical well-being I would rate that at 6.5. I honestly do not have a good diet and I do not exercise at all. I’m always out so I just grab some fast food, but I don’t eat much candy and chips, I will eat it though when I’m at work and I feel like I don’t have any energy. When it comes to exercise or any physical activity I can’t fit it into my schedule any more. Before I started working I was always outside walking around all the time and that how I stayed active and was able to keep some weight off.

          I have set goals for myself when it comes to my psychological, spiritual and physical well being. My goal for my psychological well-being is to stay stress free as much as I can and to and being able to let go of things like holding grudges towards people for things that they have done to me. My goal for my spiritual well-being is to start going back to church every Sunday and even on other days when they have services. I just want to get back involved into church the way I was before I started working. When it comes to my physical well being my goal is to lose weight, starting off at just 50 pounds for now and moving forward from that. When it comes to meeting my psychological goals I will do this by writing in my notebook more when something is bothering me and finding me a quiet place to just go and meditate even if that means to go sit in the car. Also doing a loving kindness exercise will help me to reach my goal of not holding a grudge towards others because I will be forgiving them during the exercise and showing nothing but love for them.

To reach my spiritual goals I am going to start requesting some Sundays off so that I will be able to attend church services. I will also be waking my boyfriend up so he can take me even if that means he will just drop me off and come back later and get me or maybe even catching a cab if I have to. If I can’t make it to church I will just continue to listen to my gospel music and pray in order for me to set the atmosphere as if I were in church. To reach my physical goal I will do this by starting to eat healthier, even if this means to spend extra money on groceries that are better for me. I will also start to take time out of my day to exercise. I will go to the gym when possible and when not I will do my Zumba workout at home on my game system. In order for me to do any of these things I will be clearing time out of my days just for myself, so that I can better myself. I need to start thinking about myself more to make that I am healthy and doing what it is that needs to be done to live a healthy life.

In the next six months how will I assess my progress or lack of progress? For starters I am going to get me planner and start planning things out. I will make a “me time schedule” that is just all about me. This schedule will include times where I am going to church, praying, going to the gym, going grocery shopping, meditating, and doing exercises like the loving kindness exercise. When I do go by schedule and follow it I will highlight it in green showing that I did what I need to do. Then for the days when I put in some effort but not the way I wanted to I will mark that in yellow, to show that I need to put a little more effort into it. Then on the days that I didn’t stick to my schedule at all I will mark that in red. Then by seeing how my schedule works out at first I can try to alter it to get it to fit around my work schedule more if that is necessary. Also when it comes to me eating healthier I will start to plan out my meals ahead of time. I will probably plan my meals out for the whole month, so that I will know what it is that I am going to eat and to be able to make sure that the meal is healthy. When it comes to a long term strategy I will have to take it day by day and base it off of how I see myself doing with my six months. I say this only because I am not the type of person who is good with long-term planning, but hopefully my short-term planning will lead to long term. Overall if I want to start living a healthier life I will have to go by the plans that I have made and try to stick to them as much as possible.

 

References

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

 

 

 

 

Beneficial Practices

There have been many exercises that we have done for this class. Some of the exercises were more beneficial to me and interesting than others. The two exercises that were more beneficial to me were the relaxation exercise and the loving kindness exercise. The relaxation exercise was able to get me to relax like really relax like I have never been able to do. The loving kindness exercise showed me how to get past my problems with others and be able to be at ease and peace even if the person has just made me really mad. I would love to do both of the exercises every day. In order for me to do that I will have to take time out of my day (probably right before I go to bed) specifically for that and not plan anything else around that time. I will also have to find a quiet place to do these exercises at. The time thing is just the hardest part for me since I don’t have a set schedule at work but I will be working on finding time to do these exercises.

There have been many exercises that we have done for this class. Some of the exercises were more beneficial to me and interesting than others. The two exercises that were more beneficial to me were the relaxation exercise and the loving kindness exercise. The relaxation exercise was able to get me to relax like really relax like I have never been able to do. The loving kindness exercise showed me how to get past my problems with others and be able to be at ease and peace even if the person has just made me really mad. I would love to do both of the exercises every day. In order for me to do that I will have to take time out of my day (probably right before I go to bed) specifically for that and not plan anything else around that time. I will also have to find a quiet place to do these exercises at. The time thing is just the hardest part for me since I don’t have a set schedule at work but I will be working on finding time to do these exercises.

Aesclepius mp3/One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself

This exercise was very relaxing. I was actually able to meditate. At first I didn’t know what to expect out of the exercise. I didn’t know if I was going to like the exercise or not. This was just a great exercise. It made you as if you were the person you were thinking of. Overall though it kind of made me feel more connected to the person, which I’m sure others felt the same thing whether the person they were thinking of was alive or not. Meditation really relaxes me and trust me I need that, because I be so wound up. If I want to continue this though I am going to have to start making more time for myself where I can do more exercises like the ones that we have been doing in this class.

The saying one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself basically says to me how can you help someone get to a certain place in life if you are not even helping yourself get to that place. When it comes to the health and wellness professional, this basically says that you cannot tell your patient that they need to do this and that and don’t do this and that but you are not going by your own words. How can a doctor tell one not to smoke because of all the bad effects but the doctors themselves smokes? No one wants a doctor like this, everyone wants a doctor that will lead by example. Show me that you are doing this and that and that what you are doing is helping you with your health.

Loving Kindness/ Assessment

The exercise basically had you saying to yourself that you want others to be healthy, happy, whole, free from suffering, and etc. it wasn’t just about yourself the exercise seems like you are praying for others. You are opening your heart towards other individuals and not just yourself. The assessment was kind of like prayer also but it more about yourself and where you need healing, growth, and development to take place at. I liked both the exercise and the assessment either way though. The area that I would like to focus on in my life is interpersonally. I have always been the type who tries to make it seem likes everything is ok when it’s not. There can be a million and one things bothering but I won’t admit. When it finally does come out is when more and more problems are just loaded on top of the first one and then I just finally blow, especially when someone pushes the wrong button. I need to learn how to deal with my problems and not try to make it seem like there is nothing wrong.

Subtle Mind/Connection

Both of these exercises are just really long. My mind begins to wander very easily. The good thing about the exercise this week is that it got you to refocusing on your breathing once your mind started to wander. This was a plus about this exercise so I guess you can say that I enjoyed this one more than the loving kindness exercise. I was able to get back on track and focus on my breathing. I actually learned that I can stay focused on one thing and even if my mind does start to wander I can get right back on track. Also this exercise didn’t have you focusing on all these different concepts like the loving kindness exercise did. Just like the loving kindness exercise I will have to give this exercise another shot. I just have to get use to doing these long exercises. This exercise was really relaxing in my opinion.

When I am well spiritually I am also well mentally and physically. When I am having problems that I just can fix or deal with I just give them to God. He takes care of these problems for me and helps me through them. When I do this a lot of stress and pressure is taken off of me. So I don’t have to deal with being stressed out so much or getting sick because I am stressed out so much. We have learned that all three concepts are connected. A mental problem can have an impact on you physically and spiritually and vice versa.

Loving Kindness/Mental Work Out

I enjoyed the loving kindness exercise. I was only able to do it one time but I would like to try the exercise again when I have time. This was a good exercise for me because lately my boyfriend has just been getting on my last nerves and I have really started to dislike him. He is just getting on my bad side right about now. This exercise let me to see past that and I felt at ease and peaceful. The exercise really got me to thinking about my grandmother who is sick. It felt great to actually breathe in her suffering and let out health and joy going towards her. With the things that I am going through this exercise was beneficial. I would recommend this exercise to others so they can get some type of peace of mind and peace with others even if the other people are their enemies. The exercise really does bring some positive energy. It’s like you are breathing in the negative and letting out the positive and surrounding yourself in that. Another reason why I would recommend this exercise is because it helps to remind one that the only way you can love others is by loving yourself first. It is impossible to love others if you don’t love yourself first and foremost and many people do not realize that.

When you think of work out the first thing that comes to mind is staying active with running/jogging, lifting weights, push-ups, and etc.  This is a physical work out that was just described; there is also a mental work out. The concept of a mental work out is to keep your brain active/training so that you can achieve a state of higher consciousness and with that improved healing capacities. you just can’t do this work out for a week and then stop, just like with a physical work out. Studies have shown that a mental work out can bring one peace, calmness, happiness, compassion, and etc. I am going to have to start doing not only some physical work outs but also mental. I will be able to do this by setting schedule times out of the day where I can do more exercises like the ones that we have been doing, praying, and many other activities. Doing these work outs can get a lot of things off of my mind and bring me to peace.

My Well-being Rated

For the unit three blog we were asked to take a moment to reflect on your own level of wellness; physically, psychologically, and spiritually. Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?

A.    When it comes to my physical well-being I would rate it a 6.5. I say this because I really don’t have good habits when it comes to my diet. I went to the doctor a few days ago and I was told that I shouldn’t weigh as much as I do for my age. I try to eat healthy but it’s just hard seeing that I’m not at home I’m always at work so it’s just easier to go and grab some fast food. The one thing that I am doing well with though is eating a lot of chips and candy and drinking soda, I have cut back on those items. Also I don’t really get much physical activity. Before I started working I used to go outside and walk around from the time I went out to the time I came back in, since there wasn’t anything else to do but walk and talk. Now I don’t even get to walk for an hour if thirty minutes.

B.    When it comes to my spiritual well-being I would rate it at an 8. I do believe in a higher power. I love going to church, but when I started working I barely got Sundays off for me to go to church any more. Then I moved to Mississippi with my boyfriend and he doesn’t go so when I do get a Sunday off I still do not get a chance to go to church. To help with that though I will go to my gospel station on Pandora and just listen to that all day. I also pray but I need to do that more often though I don’t do it as much as I would want to.  Over all I am a strong believer when it comes to spirituality when I am having problems I put it in gods hand because I have faith in him and I believe that the will help me through any and everything.

C.   My psychological well being would be rated a 5. I have come to find myself being stressed out a lot with so many things on my mind. To help with the stress though I do try to write about in a notebook that I have just for that purpose. I do try to find time to be alone and have quiet time to just relax and get things off my mind, but it is hard to do that when staying with somebody who wants to have company a lot. On the other hand though I do many puzzles like playing ruzzle, word search, and what’s the word. I do keep myself thinking a lot though so I keep my brain active with some positives things.

I put the next two questions together: develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological) and what activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal

A.   My goal for my physical well-being is to lose some weight (50 pounds for now). I want to be able to find time to do some type of physical activity. I was just talking to a friend last night and I told him I wanted to start going to a gym and he said that he would go with me. When I talked to him again today he asked when we were going to start going so I think he is going to help me out with that goal. My next goal is to start eating better.

B.   My goal for my spiritual well-being is to start going back to church real soon even if that means waking my boyfriend up on Sunday mornings and requesting Sundays off at work.

C.   My goal for my psychological well-being is to stay stress free as much as I can. I can do this by writing in my notebook more when something is bothering me and finding me a quiet place to just go and meditate even if that means to go sit in the car.

The last thing to be done was to complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.).

·         I love doing these relaxation exercises but this I just couldn’t concentrate. I’m sick so it’s already hard for me to breathe so I couldn’t really relax and get into the exercise the way that I wanted to. Also my phone was on vibrate and it kept ringing so it was distracting me. I am going to have to try this exercise again when I am not sick because the last two that I actually got to do I enjoyed them and I was really able to relax.

Relaxation Excercise

I loved the Journey On relaxation exercise. When it first came on though I was like what in the world is this. What is this that the professor has us listening to? I must say that I was able to relax throughout the exercise. The music and the sound of the man’s voice were very calming. Right before I started the exercise I was thinking about so many other things at one time but once I started the exercise all of those thoughts were gone. All I was able to focus on was the exercise. This exercise actually got me to relax the muscles in my body which is actually hard for me to do sometimes. This exercise was just amazing to me because lately my neck has been hurting for some reason and I can’t find a way to get it to stop hurting. But while doing the exercise I was saying in my mind that I need my neck to relax and after a while I can honestly say that I wasn’t feeling the pain anymore, but after the exercise was over I felt the pain slowly coming back. I must say that I am going to do this more often because my body is so tense from being at work all the time and getting enough rest. This relaxation exercise can be effective in reducing stress and anxiety you experience in your everyday life.

Welcome Class and Professor

Hello class and professor

I would like to welcome you guys to my blog. Like I stated in a post earlier this is my first time ever doing a blog. This is all something new to me but it seems like it will be fun and very interesting. Since I am new to this I will need for you all to work with me until I get a better understanding of what is expected and what I need to do. Also I will try to stay up to date with my post as much as possible. It’s already hard to keep up with the discussion boards due to my work schedule. Now let’s get to blogging. I can’t wait to read others post and learn something new. I hope you all enjoy my post.

New To Blogging

This is my first time being involved in a blog. It all sounds interesting but still new to me. I am going to have to get used to this whole new thing. I got started with this blog do to my class, Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing. So getting to the point everyone just bare with me while I am getting used to this blog.