Unit 10- My Final Farewell

DrD, Class,
       What a great experience and journey to a better way of life. Thank to all, and to those that have participated, may you do well in your endeavors.

My original Post and the addition of how I feel now.

My Physical Well Being- On a scale from 1-10 I think physically I am pretty damn good. There of course is always room for improvement, but overall I like the way I look physically and my ability to move. I am still doing well, I have improved how my physical wellbeing is, because I started doing plyometric and changing my routine. Overall I still find that I can improve and I feel as though I sit around an 8

My Spiritual Well Being- Over all I would rate myself at about a 10 with how I feel about it, but my spiritual following and performance are at about a 6. Now after taking this class I have increased my spiritual wellbeing to an 8. Just like my physical wellbeing I can always improve.

Psychological Well Being- I think overall I find I am at about an 8 with this.
Since I do take care of myself physically it helps my mental focus which in turn helps me to relax and deal decently with everyday stress. This returns the favor by taking care of my body since my mental focus is strong. Although I have learned a lot and psychologically I feel as though I am intelligent, I have so much more to go. I still feel as though I am an 8, but I have also learned that I fluctuate between a 5 and 8 depending on the day. Overall I think that the more I intake the more I will have my level go up, but there is so much to learn that it is sometime difficult to be at a higher level. 

Unit 9- Personal Growth

Personal Growth

Colleen Huddleston HT (ASCP)

HW420: Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

August 13, 2014

 Dorette Nysewander, EdD, “DrD”

Personal Growth 

Introduction

            Spiritual growth is not just a practice, it is a lifestyle. The holistic lifestyle creates a strong spirit and a healthier lifestyle. The core of this lifestyle starts with discipline and motivation. As a health care professional it is imperative not only to teach this lifestyle but to live it. Some may ask why is it important to live it and not just teach it. The answer, because you cannot properly teach something that you do not understand. The best way to get others to follow the holistic path is to show them through your own experiences. 

             To have a strong and physical being in life and wellness, one must practice the teaching offered by those who have shown that this lifestyle is a great path to self-healing, wellness, spirituality and a strong mind body and soul. In order to attain this spiritual lifestyle the health and wellness professional must develop not only spiritually but they must also grow psychologically. Psychological growth is necessary to unlock the mind, to open up to the possibilities that come with becoming spiritually connected with the universe and other living beings. Learning the reasons for our inter connectedness will only come if the health professional is able to learn the depths of the brain and what it is to connect the brain to the soul. 

            In order for me to achieve and maintain the goal of a holistic lifestyle I must open my mind. I must allow everything around me to be absorbed into my psychological side, and then connect it to my spiritual beliefs. I am a Buddhist and my belief is that we are all connected. The universe and my inner being are one, and when I pass from this life to the next I will come back with whatever karma has been passed from my family, generation after generation. My goal with my spiritual self-awareness is to stop the karma and allow myself and my family to live long health lives. Loving kindness and meditation will help me continue to grow. The more I grow, the more I can pass on and the more I share with others the more I will grow. 

Assessment

            When assessing health in my spiritual life it is very important to take into account both your everyday life and your overall life. Living for the past and the future are important in order to maintain goals and prevent repeating mistakes, but one must truly live for the here and the now. Assessing my wellness I consider that I am somewhere in the middle of the road. Not in bad shape, but I have not reached my full potential. My spiritual wellness on a day to day basis is back and forth between highs and lows. Daily life can create so many road blocks that it makes it difficult. According to my daily practice of Buddhism, I have learned that there are 10 different worlds that we can transition through on a daily basis. On the extreme side there is the world referred to as Hell and on the opposite spectrum is the world of Buddhahood, or enlightenment. Enlightenment is for those who are completely at ease with their spirit and live the life of spiritual wellness, their physical wellbeing and their psychological mind. 

            Physically I find that I am far above the average person and rate myself very high. I go to the gym once a day. I go to the gym to ensure that my body is well taken care of. If I take care of it, then it will take care of me. I do cardio, such as running, hiking and swimming three times a week. Yoga, tai chi and meditation are the other physical exercises I do on a weekly basis. Continuing to maintain my body in good healthy shape will help me to ensure that I am spiritually well and psychologically well. 

            Although I find that I am psychologically sound, I do find myself occasionally fighting depression. Depression can come and go and is determined by my daily activities and allowing the negative to build. Over time if I am not practicing what I preach about spiritual wellness, eventually it catches up with me mentally. Routinely meditating is the only way to live my life without depression, as time moves forward, I will learn to continue to grow psychologically. 

Goals and Practice

            Spiritually I will work on my mind and souls connectedness. My goal to attain this, as funny as it seems is to set my alarm on daily to remind me that it is important to set aside an hour a day to myself in order to meditate, chant and connect my mind with my spirit. It is difficult because daily life can create so much chaos, and I will either forget or fall asleep from exhaustion. Setting my alarm will allow me actually stop me and remind me.

            Physically I will continue to push myself to my limits, reminding myself of safety, but continuing to grow is important. If I walk a mile today, tomorrow I will walk two, then the next day three. If I climb a hill today, I will climb a mountain tomorrow. Mentally I will continue to focus on myself to workout harder and meditate longer. This will help me both mentally and physically. Pushing myself harder everyday will make my sense of purpose more pronounced. If I am physically in shape, then it will boost my self-awareness and allow me to continue to grow. The physical and psychological goals will be a part of my daily routine. Psychologically, continuing to learn is how I will continue to grow. Learning something every day, continuing my education and learning from those I teach. 

Commitment

            The most difficult challenged faced every day is discipline. Discipline leads to a lack of commitment. The lack of commitment prevents spiritual growth. Commitment is follow through every day with no excuses. Excuses lead to failure and failure leads to a loss of spiritual connectedness and can bring forth an unhealthy lifestyle. Spiritually missing a meditation session, physically not going to the gym, and mentally failing to open your mind, causes of a lack of commitment. One day will turn into a two days, into a week, into a month and continue on. Staying strong and committed is vital to the holistic lifestyle and is imperative to the spiritual professional. 

            Tracking and assessing my growth and commitment will be simply maintaining a journal. The daily journal will be for my physical routines, including current levels and routine checks of progress. Spiritually I will discuss in my journal what I have found on my daily journey to include challenges I have dealt with daily and how I handles them, and psychologically, there are many programs that can challenge this and leave me results to show where I stand. This all comes with the ultimate commitment. 

Conclusion

            Throughout the last ten weeks I have learned so much about myself. I have grown spiritually, and mentally. I will continue to grow and learn more. One of the most important things I have learned is, that no matter how much I know and spiritually well I am, there is always room for more. Opening my mind and my heart leads to a path of enlightenment. The holistic practice is not just a practice, but it is a lifestyle. 

References

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., & Micozzi, M. S. (2005). Consciousness & healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

Unit 8- Loving Kindness and Meditation

          I have found that throughout life and this class that the best part of me having better quality of life, starts with me helping others to have a better quality of life. I have learned that you may not be able to make everyone happy, and there are always those who no matter how much loving kindness you show, they just can’t change. By making others happy and content with life, helps to make me happy and content with life. I found that the practice of loving kindness, which I did not know before this class really put a different aspect into the art of spiritual healing.

          Something I did know and have been practicing for over two decades is meditation. This class helped to reinforce that and make it stronger. I think that this week’s discussion post on meditation really put how much perspective this really gives. The thorough thought process and sharing of my happy place, the ocean really opened me up inside and let the calm of my nature show outward. For those unable to be answered on the discussion page, my children are the alternate to that calming place, even their crazy noises and sounds. I do not need complete silence to meditate, just the sounds that remind me of who I am.