I rated physical wellbeing as a 7 in unit three, but now I put a 5. I have actually been working out more than I was in unit three, but maybe it is because I have higher goals now. I really want to get in shape and show my kids that I can keep up with them! I am the same with my spiritual and psychological assessments, but do feel that I have learned a lot. Now I just need to actually put my knowledge to good use, and practice a lot.
The exercises on meditation and mindfulness are so helpful, I have been able to let go of some stress. I cannot live a healthy life if I do not improve all aspects.
I will keep my wellness plan where I can read it often, and in six months I will see how much progress I have made. I will then make adjustments to my plan, and reward myself when I achieve my goals.
Selena
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
My Wellness Plan
I Introduction:
It is very important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically. Patients need to relate to the professional, and hear personal experiences and knowledge. If the professional does not practice anything that he/she is telling the client to try, this person would not trust the advice given. Nobody is perfect, so here is an example. If the professional is smoking but tells the client to quit smoking, this could be an opportunity for the professional to talk about it. Maybe he has been trying to quit for a long time, and knows that it is very bad for his health. He could talk about new ways of quitting, and discuss what he is going to do next. The client will listen to this personal story, and hopefully take his advice to try and quit. When I become a health and wellness professional, I will give clients my advice and knowledge and also personal experiences. I want the client to trust me and have good communication about treatment. I need to develop all areas to achieve the goals I have for myself. I need to develop spiritually, psychologically, and physically because you cannot be whole without all of these aspects.
II Assessment:
III Goal Development:
My goals for psychological development are to be in the present moment, and to look at life positively. I want to be able to reduce stress daily, and be mentally fit. My goals for physical development are to be very fit and healthy. I want to be able to keep up with my young children, and take them everywhere…swimming, parks, and hikes. I want to have cardiovascular health, and low blood pressure. I must also eat a well balanced diet, and take a multivitamin daily. I have the goal of reducing or completely eliminating drinking wine at night. I do not feel that I can grow emotionally, spiritually or physically with alcohol in my life. If it is just a glass with dinner, that is fine. My goal for spiritual health is to be close to god, and feel alive spiritually.
IV Practices for personal health:
I plan to do yoga, workout at the gym, and swim to improve my physical fitness. I plan to use a yoga video or go to the yoga class at the gym, and do workouts at least three times a week. I can swim at my local swimming pool at least once a month. During the summer I go to Lake Tahoe and swim, and go to the pool twice a week. There are beautiful hiking trails in Lake Tahoe, so I would love to take my three children on these trails a few times a year. I need to include proper nutrition in my routine, because I cannot be fit without proper nutrition.
For spiritual growth I want to attend church on Sundays, and do my daily Bible readings in the mornings. I would like to write in a journal about what I need to do to grow spiritually. If I have prayer needs, or if my spirit is telling me something, I am going to write it down. I have found that it is easy to not act on thoughts and feelings if it is not written down.
I want to practice meditation and visualization to develop my psychological wellbeing. I find that walking meditation works well, and so does the subtle mind exercise. I will write it on my calendar, because I do not give myself any time to meditate. I plan on getting up earlier than I already do, so I can meditate before the kids get up and also before I have had any coffee. I might be able to meditate at night, but so far never wind down enough to do it. My goal is to meditate every day. If I am stressed out, I am going to close my eyes and try to meditate right then and there to relieve the stress. With practice, I think I can do this anywhere.
V Commitment:
The next six months are going to be challenging, but I can do it. I will look at my progress every month, and make necessary adjustments to my activities. I will work on areas that are not where they should be, and keep doing what is working. Once I have achieved my goals, I will get to where I can maintain them. I will keep going back to my plan if I fall behind, because I know that this can happen. After six months, I am sure that my goals will be met and I will be where I want to be. I plan to reevaluate my goals every six months, because they can change. I will write down what it is I want to achieve in life, what it is that I want to be doing. My needs can change as I get older, so my plans must change also. There is no quitting; I will stick with my plan, as it is a lifetime commitment. A strategy I will use to stay on track is rewarding myself! I will give myself something nice if I stick to my plan, and this will keep my motivation up. Rewards help keep me in the maintenance stage. I am very excited to get started!
I Introduction:
It is very important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically. Patients need to relate to the professional, and hear personal experiences and knowledge. If the professional does not practice anything that he/she is telling the client to try, this person would not trust the advice given. Nobody is perfect, so here is an example. If the professional is smoking but tells the client to quit smoking, this could be an opportunity for the professional to talk about it. Maybe he has been trying to quit for a long time, and knows that it is very bad for his health. He could talk about new ways of quitting, and discuss what he is going to do next. The client will listen to this personal story, and hopefully take his advice to try and quit. When I become a health and wellness professional, I will give clients my advice and knowledge and also personal experiences. I want the client to trust me and have good communication about treatment. I need to develop all areas to achieve the goals I have for myself. I need to develop spiritually, psychologically, and physically because you cannot be whole without all of these aspects.
II Assessment:
III Goal Development:
My goals for psychological development are to be in the present moment, and to look at life positively. I want to be able to reduce stress daily, and be mentally fit. My goals for physical development are to be very fit and healthy. I want to be able to keep up with my young children, and take them everywhere…swimming, parks, and hikes. I want to have cardiovascular health, and low blood pressure. I must also eat a well balanced diet, and take a multivitamin daily. I have the goal of reducing or completely eliminating drinking wine at night. I do not feel that I can grow emotionally, spiritually or physically with alcohol in my life. If it is just a glass with dinner, that is fine. My goal for spiritual health is to be close to god, and feel alive spiritually.
IV Practices for personal health:
I plan to do yoga, workout at the gym, and swim to improve my physical fitness. I plan to use a yoga video or go to the yoga class at the gym, and do workouts at least three times a week. I can swim at my local swimming pool at least once a month. During the summer I go to Lake Tahoe and swim, and go to the pool twice a week. There are beautiful hiking trails in Lake Tahoe, so I would love to take my three children on these trails a few times a year. I need to include proper nutrition in my routine, because I cannot be fit without proper nutrition.
For spiritual growth I want to attend church on Sundays, and do my daily Bible readings in the mornings. I would like to write in a journal about what I need to do to grow spiritually. If I have prayer needs, or if my spirit is telling me something, I am going to write it down. I have found that it is easy to not act on thoughts and feelings if it is not written down.
I want to practice meditation and visualization to develop my psychological wellbeing. I find that walking meditation works well, and so does the subtle mind exercise. I will write it on my calendar, because I do not give myself any time to meditate. I plan on getting up earlier than I already do, so I can meditate before the kids get up and also before I have had any coffee. I might be able to meditate at night, but so far never wind down enough to do it. My goal is to meditate every day. If I am stressed out, I am going to close my eyes and try to meditate right then and there to relieve the stress. With practice, I think I can do this anywhere.
V Commitment:
The next six months are going to be challenging, but I can do it. I will look at my progress every month, and make necessary adjustments to my activities. I will work on areas that are not where they should be, and keep doing what is working. Once I have achieved my goals, I will get to where I can maintain them. I will keep going back to my plan if I fall behind, because I know that this can happen. After six months, I am sure that my goals will be met and I will be where I want to be. I plan to reevaluate my goals every six months, because they can change. I will write down what it is I want to achieve in life, what it is that I want to be doing. My needs can change as I get older, so my plans must change also. There is no quitting; I will stick with my plan, as it is a lifetime commitment. A strategy I will use to stay on track is rewarding myself! I will give myself something nice if I stick to my plan, and this will keep my motivation up. Rewards help keep me in the maintenance stage. I am very excited to get started!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Unit 8 : Exercises that worked for me
I am choosing two practices that worked well for me this term. I really enjoyed visualization and the subtle mind exercise. I can actually visualize myself going to the ocean and relaxing on the beach with a nice cool drink...I can do my own visualizations, but also enjoyed listening to some of the ones that guide you. I like the "walk in the woods", it guides you through the woods, and brings you to a lake. You then look into the lake and the ripples are your stress...when the ripples stop, you are completely relaxed. It works!
The subtle mind practice was easy for me to do. My mind did not wander like I thought it would. If it started to wander, I concentrated on my breathing. I felt relaxed for most of the day after doing this exercise!
I would love to be able to show my clients how to do these exercises, and experience is the only way to really communicate with them. With my knowledge, I can pass down what I have learned.
I plan on learning many more exercises that will relieve stress and calm the mind. The ones that didn't work for me are the exercises that kept interrupting by talking...it was also hard to picture some of the things they tell you to, like the loving kindness exercise. I could not picture someone suffering and then take it in, and breathe out love...very difficult for me.
The subtle mind practice was easy for me to do. My mind did not wander like I thought it would. If it started to wander, I concentrated on my breathing. I felt relaxed for most of the day after doing this exercise!
I would love to be able to show my clients how to do these exercises, and experience is the only way to really communicate with them. With my knowledge, I can pass down what I have learned.
I plan on learning many more exercises that will relieve stress and calm the mind. The ones that didn't work for me are the exercises that kept interrupting by talking...it was also hard to picture some of the things they tell you to, like the loving kindness exercise. I could not picture someone suffering and then take it in, and breathe out love...very difficult for me.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Unit 7
I did the "meeting Ascepieus" exercise, and I was able to visualize my father. He worries a lot, but always cares for his family, and has a positive attitude. I was able to sit for a while picturing him, but then as soon as the voice spoke I would snap out of it. I do not like to be interrupted periodically like that, it kind of ruins the vision. Other than that, it was a great exercise, and like the others it only gets better the more I try it.
I like to do the subtle mind exercise, because I can actually let my mind relax and if an image comes up I just accept it and don't hold on to it. I find it very relaxing, and this class came about during a very stressful time in my life. I am glad I know many techniques for quieting my mind now.
The saying " One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" is so true. I find that if a Health and Wellness professional is giving you advise on your lifestyle, and recommending changes, that person should be following her/his own advise. I will not believe or trust someone who tells me to quit smoking, and then goes out and smokes after our conversation. I understand this happens all the time, but it isn't a good way to gain a client's trust. If the professional talked about personal experiences with me, I would relate better...maybe she would explain that she is trying to quit smoking. As a Health and Wellness professional I plan on doing everything possible to improve my health, so I can tell the patients what has worked for me. I want to be as healthy and well, and it will show.
Selena
I like to do the subtle mind exercise, because I can actually let my mind relax and if an image comes up I just accept it and don't hold on to it. I find it very relaxing, and this class came about during a very stressful time in my life. I am glad I know many techniques for quieting my mind now.
The saying " One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" is so true. I find that if a Health and Wellness professional is giving you advise on your lifestyle, and recommending changes, that person should be following her/his own advise. I will not believe or trust someone who tells me to quit smoking, and then goes out and smokes after our conversation. I understand this happens all the time, but it isn't a good way to gain a client's trust. If the professional talked about personal experiences with me, I would relate better...maybe she would explain that she is trying to quit smoking. As a Health and Wellness professional I plan on doing everything possible to improve my health, so I can tell the patients what has worked for me. I want to be as healthy and well, and it will show.
Selena
Friday, September 3, 2010
Unit 6 Reflection
I did the universal loving-kindness exercise, and found it to be good once I could remember the words I was trying to repeat for 10 minutes. I pictured people that are suffering in the world, and then I saw myself helping by handing out food and clothing. This was not my favorite exercise, but I will do it again over the weekend to see if it gets easier to do...remembering the phrases is hard!
I did the integral assessment, and find that I need to focus on all areas. I chose the psychospiritual area to focus on this week, because I would like to really use the meditation exercises that I have found. Meditation can help me to relieve stress look at life more positively. I want to be able to still my mind for a while, and I know this will take some time. I also want to practice mindfulness, just being in the present moment. I want to stop and smell the roses :)
My strategy is to start with this area, and then move to another aspect, like biological. I would like to start working out more, and eat better. I cannot change everything at once, so I am going to take little steps until I get where I want to be.
I did the integral assessment, and find that I need to focus on all areas. I chose the psychospiritual area to focus on this week, because I would like to really use the meditation exercises that I have found. Meditation can help me to relieve stress look at life more positively. I want to be able to still my mind for a while, and I know this will take some time. I also want to practice mindfulness, just being in the present moment. I want to stop and smell the roses :)
My strategy is to start with this area, and then move to another aspect, like biological. I would like to start working out more, and eat better. I cannot change everything at once, so I am going to take little steps until I get where I want to be.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Unit 5
I enjoyed listening to the subtle mind CD this week. I was able to focus on my breathing and still my mind. I could not believe that I could do this so easily, my mind wandered only a few times. I like to picture myself somewhere like the ocean, which keeps me from that "mental chatter". I plan on doing this during the day...if my mind starts driving me crazy with chatter I will focus on my breathing and not attach to anything.
I did not like the Loving Kindness CD as much, but I did not give it too many tries either. I found it difficult to take in others' suffering...it was just different, and I should try it a few more times.
In order to have physical and mental health, one needs to also have spiritual health. Spiritual wellbeing is what keeps a person grounded, and is important. I find that when I am not growing in spirit, I am not happy (mental health), and I also am not as motivated to exercise or take good care of myself. This is what we have been learning in this course, you cannot be fully well if you do not have all three things...spiritual, mental, and physical health. When I am physically fit, my mental health benefits...I usually workout when I am right with my spiritual health. A lot of people hear the word spiritual, and think it means religion...but it is what is inside of all of us, we all have the need to grow spiritually. It is different for everyone, but the need for spiritual wellbeing is universal.
I did not like the Loving Kindness CD as much, but I did not give it too many tries either. I found it difficult to take in others' suffering...it was just different, and I should try it a few more times.
In order to have physical and mental health, one needs to also have spiritual health. Spiritual wellbeing is what keeps a person grounded, and is important. I find that when I am not growing in spirit, I am not happy (mental health), and I also am not as motivated to exercise or take good care of myself. This is what we have been learning in this course, you cannot be fully well if you do not have all three things...spiritual, mental, and physical health. When I am physically fit, my mental health benefits...I usually workout when I am right with my spiritual health. A lot of people hear the word spiritual, and think it means religion...but it is what is inside of all of us, we all have the need to grow spiritually. It is different for everyone, but the need for spiritual wellbeing is universal.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Unit 4 Reflection
Loving Kindness Track:
I found this very hard to sit through. I could not picture everything that the woman was saying, and there was a long pause in between. The woman's voice was distracting me, and not at all taking me where she wanted. I have to try this a few more times, but right now I would not say it is one that I will use in the future. I found it easier to just sit by myself and think positive thoughts regarding people.
Mental workout:
Dacher says that you need about an hour a day to workout the mind. I find it hard enough to work out my body, much less the mind. But I know how important it is to keep the mind busy. If you don't use your muscles they get weak...the same goes for the mind. I plan on mentally working out by using meditation techniques like guided imagery, crossword puzzles, and other games that require me to think.
It will take practice, just like physical exercise. If I don't practice daily I will lose progress.
I found this very hard to sit through. I could not picture everything that the woman was saying, and there was a long pause in between. The woman's voice was distracting me, and not at all taking me where she wanted. I have to try this a few more times, but right now I would not say it is one that I will use in the future. I found it easier to just sit by myself and think positive thoughts regarding people.
Mental workout:
Dacher says that you need about an hour a day to workout the mind. I find it hard enough to work out my body, much less the mind. But I know how important it is to keep the mind busy. If you don't use your muscles they get weak...the same goes for the mind. I plan on mentally working out by using meditation techniques like guided imagery, crossword puzzles, and other games that require me to think.
It will take practice, just like physical exercise. If I don't practice daily I will lose progress.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Unit 3 Reflection
1) Based on my reflections, I rate my Physical wellbeing as a 7 on a scale of 10 (10 being optimal). I am not as physically fit as I want to be, but am still active with my children. I rate my spiritual wellbeing a 6. This is because although I go to church on Sunday, I have not been very spiritually connected lately. I have faith but not enough, and would like to get more into the Bible and prayer. My rating for psychological wellbeing is an 8. I feel that I could do things to reduce stress and emotional turmoil, but overall I feel good because I handle life struggles well, and can adapt to change when necessary.
2) My goal for physical wellbeing is to be very fit and active. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and not feel groggy and tired. My goal for spiritual wellbeing is to be very connected with my faith, with God. I want to feel that my spirit is being fed daily, and that I will know the path I am supposed to be on. I cannot walk alone. My goal for psychological wellbeing is to be more positive (left-brain), and always be able to look at the glass as half full. I want to be as stress-free as possible, and happy.
3) For spiritual wellbeing, I can pray more and find quiet time. I want to look at the bible for inspiration and knowledge. I can keep going to church, and get connected with the people in it. I tend to just leave and not meet new people, and this doesn't help me spiritually. For psychological wellbeing, I can meditate, do yoga, use relaxation CDs, and go on walks to relieve stress. I can get more hobbies to prevent boredom and depression. For physical wellbeing, I plan on walking with my dog and kids, go swimming, go to parks, and go to the gym 3 times a week. I currently only go to the gym every 2 weeks, and this is not enough at all. I want to try new workouts to prevent boredom.
4) The relaxation exercise "The Crime of the Century" was very relaxing. I liked the different colors going to different areas of my body, and was actually able to feel what he said the colors meant. For example, Red means you feel grounded. Purple means you are feeling connected to the universe. I was very calm after this exercise, and had my daughter try it with me. She is only 9, so didn't quite stay still. But I like her to get into things with me, so she be interested later in life.
2) My goal for physical wellbeing is to be very fit and active. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and not feel groggy and tired. My goal for spiritual wellbeing is to be very connected with my faith, with God. I want to feel that my spirit is being fed daily, and that I will know the path I am supposed to be on. I cannot walk alone. My goal for psychological wellbeing is to be more positive (left-brain), and always be able to look at the glass as half full. I want to be as stress-free as possible, and happy.
3) For spiritual wellbeing, I can pray more and find quiet time. I want to look at the bible for inspiration and knowledge. I can keep going to church, and get connected with the people in it. I tend to just leave and not meet new people, and this doesn't help me spiritually. For psychological wellbeing, I can meditate, do yoga, use relaxation CDs, and go on walks to relieve stress. I can get more hobbies to prevent boredom and depression. For physical wellbeing, I plan on walking with my dog and kids, go swimming, go to parks, and go to the gym 3 times a week. I currently only go to the gym every 2 weeks, and this is not enough at all. I want to try new workouts to prevent boredom.
4) The relaxation exercise "The Crime of the Century" was very relaxing. I liked the different colors going to different areas of my body, and was actually able to feel what he said the colors meant. For example, Red means you feel grounded. Purple means you are feeling connected to the universe. I was very calm after this exercise, and had my daughter try it with me. She is only 9, so didn't quite stay still. But I like her to get into things with me, so she be interested later in life.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Journey On
I listened to a relaxation technique called Journey On...It was relaxing, and I could feel my hands getting warmer, but I could not get completely into it because of noises going on in the house. I need peace and quiet, so this will only work when I am alone with the bedroom door shut! I get distracted by any noises such as the air conditioning, dog barking, and kids talking. The other issue is that if I am in my room completely relaxed and not distracted, I just might fall asleep!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Hello Everyone
I will be putting a picture on here very shortly, just wanted to say hello to my followers :)
I look forward to sharing information and thoughts with you.
I look forward to sharing information and thoughts with you.
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