Final class blog

Giving myself a rating in the three wellness areas now is not a lot different from my unit 3 blog. Physically I would still rate myself at a 7 because I have not made any real progress toward change in that area.  Spiritually I would still rate myself at a 9. However, I have started giving more time to prayer and devotional reading and occasional meditation or visualization exercises. Psychologically I would increase my rating from an 8 to a 9 because I have reduced my overall stress level and tendency to worry due to the spiritual exercises I have been doing.

I have really enjoyed this course. I think I have developed some improved well being. The only difficult part of the things I have learned in class is still quieting a busy mind sometimes, but I will continue to practice. Know what difficulties I have had with some of the mental exercises and learning how to overcome them will help me to help others better in the future.

Final Project

L Bear HW 420-03 Final Project

I. Introduction

We have an obligation as health and wellness professionals to practice what we preach. It is easier to understand our clients difficulties if we have traveled the same road. Just as I feel that I show my religious convictions by living by example we must also live by example in every area of wellness.

Physically I need to lose 20 lbs and start exercising. Any physical exercise I could incorporate into my day would be an improvement. I need to get moving!

II. Assessment

I would rate my physical wellbeing at a 7. I do have some minor issues and need to lose about 20 lbs, but overall I am pretty healthy. My spiritual well-being I would say is a 9. My spiritual life has grown over my lifetime to a point where it is an integral part of me. My psychological well-being I would rate an 8. I do have some things that I would like to work on such as my stress level and why I let certain things cause me more stress than they should.

III. Goal development

My physical goal is definitely to exercise. I have a problem with motivation to exercise because I never really enjoyed sports or exercise. However I have learned that exercise is so important to my overall health that now I have more of a desire to exercise. I am hoping to find more time to exercise when I finish my schooling this fall. I have also started looking into local gyms trying to find the best place for me to go.

My psychological goal would be to worry less, especially about things which I have no control over. I also need to remember that avoiding conflict at all costs is not necessarily good. Sometime we have to confront a problem but doing it in a healthy way will be less stressful.

My spiritual life is pretty good right now although I want to spend more time in prayer and meditative practices. Again, I think this will be easier once I am finished with school.

IV. Practices for personal health

In the physical domain since exercise is my main problem I need to focus on finding an exercise that I would enjoy and thereby be more likely to stick with it. I have found one fitness facility that is near where I work that has a pool that I think I would enjoy using during the months when my home pool cannot be used due to weather. I also need to swim laps more and not just float and meditate. I need to incorporate both. I also need to get serious about losing the weight that I need to. It will help me physically by lowering my risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Psychological practices would be to learn more about why I let certain things bother me and worry me so much. I once again need to put into practice some of the things I have read about like realizing that I cannot change some situations or people and learn to accept them as they are.

If necessary I may talk to the counselor that I saw several years ago that helped me through a difficult time. I’m sure she could shed some light on this problem also.

Spiritually I intend to practice some of the exercises we have learned in this class. I especially like the “Meeting Asclepius” exercise and the visualization exercise for relaxation. I have also renewed by daily devotional reading time.

V. Commitment

The integral assessment and its six principles from our text will help me to measure my progress in each area (Dacher, 2006). The best way to insure my success is to find exercises and activities that I can enjoy and possibly share with others in order to stay interested in those activities. I also need to consider convenience when choosing an exercise facility and time management so that I have time to meditate and exercise.

Reference

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

more ice storm pics

The first picture was on Tuesday morning after freezing rain/sleet all night. The second picture was Wednesday morning after more freezing rain and 30+ mph winds. You can see the icicles sticking straight out! We ended up with about 1.5" of ice and now today (Saturday) it is snowing with at least 3" expected on top of all the ice. (If you click on the picture it will enlarge it.)

My Favorite Mental Exercises

I think my two favorite exercises have been the “meeting Asclepius” exercise and the visualization exercise on pages 144-145 of our text that we did this week.

As I stated last week the “meeting Asclepius” exercise helped me to feel connected to my father and his wisdom. It also helped me to be still and quiet and listen for God’s wisdom. It helped me to feel much better about my father’s Alzheimer’s disease and current mental condition also. I know that his declining health is not going to be easy to witness, but I think that this exercise may help me to better face that challenge.

I like the visualization exercise this week because as you can see from my last post we have been experiencing an ice storm here in Indiana. I have always thought that I showed some symptoms of seasonal affective disorder during the winter months and I think that this exercise will help me to combat those winter doldrums. The happy time I chose to picture was floating in my pool on a hot summer day. We have talked about the benefits of water for relaxation and I have always found this to be the most relaxing place on earth for me. I love to be outside with only the sounds of nature, in the cool water on a hot day. It makes me feel very centered, content and happy and gives me the outlook and energy to accomplish my tasks. Just a few minutes in the pool can make a huge difference on my mental state. So now, I know how I can tap into that feeling even when I can’t actually be in the pool which is a great thing to know since pool season is all too brief here in Indiana.

Ice storm

We have been having an ice storm in west central Indiana since Monday evening. We lost power Tuesday evening and just got it back this afternoon (Wed) about 1pm, in time for seminar tonight! Several counties across central Indiana have been virtually shut down due to all the ice. These pictures are of my driveway, front yard and the county road in front of our house.