Going Forward

Hi everyone.  In my initial reflections, I rated my physical well-being as a 6 on a scale of 1-10.  I would have to say that at this point, I am doing a little better but I still need to get my exercise in.  I would only say that I rate gained one point.  I will also need to get those meal times down to something workable. 

In the spiritual well-being, I have implemented the steps of the serenity prayer and that is to not worry about the things that I cannot change.  I have eliminated a lot of pressures in my life and also have continued to reduce the noise in my home.  I have done these things but know that I still have room for improvement so I will rate this one as I did before.  I rate this category as an 8.

In the psychological well-being, I have made an improvement by interacting and reaching out to people more often.  I have started volunteering in other areas of outreach in my church and I now work around people instead of just the home and find that I am instrumental in helping to brighten someone’s day.  In my exhorting, I am often encouraging someone to pay more attention to their total being. I would say that at this point I am at a rate of 8 

I have found many of the exercises to be most helpful.  The human suffering exercise was most difficult for me.  I guess because I try not to look someone’s life in the realm of their suffering.  I don’t quite ignore it, but choose not to focus on the negative in order to improve the positive.

And Finally, we go forth with all the new possibilities!

Introduction

It is very important for health professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically.  People tend to model what they see and especially in the case of someone we look to as an authority on something.  We look for our health professional to be compassionate and impart knowledge of which she/he has invested lots of time and resources. We must hold our professional accountable and they must build themselves to be someone we can trust.  In order for us to grow and become whole, we must also invest the time and energy to be mindful in our psyche, our spirit and our physical well-being.  As a means of getting to that place, we look to our health professional; hopefully they will lead us by example.  After all, for most of us, seeing is believing.  As for me, there are definitely some areas in which I can improve myself.   I need improvement in staying calm when it comes to my daughter.  I also need to improve my eating habits and exercise.  These are areas within the three; psychological, spiritual and physical.

Assessment

I would assess my wellness with obvious ratings of poor, fair, good and excellent.  In the area of psychological wellness, I would rate myself in the good category; still with room for improvement.  I must say that before taking the Creating Wellness class, I probably wavered in this category.  I have become much more stable in the environments in which I find myself.  I have more of an understanding of who I am in many circumstances, where before, I wasn’t quite sure how to handle or approach situations.  I understand that I cannot control many of the external things going on around me including how people will respond to me; however, I can be intentional and not reactive towards them. 

In terms of spiritual wellness, I would also rate myself as good.  I say that because I have an open heart and I am at peace about how I fit into the world.  I volunteer my time and I am a spiritual caregiver for those who are in crisis.  For some time, I let my emotions rule me and was always getting upset about other’s expectations of me.  I’m a caring and compassionate individual with goals of lending myself to the world with loving-kindness but not to the extent that I am overwhelmed.  It is in this area and the psychological area that I need to improve where it concerns my daughter.  Since starting this class I have done better and not upset myself when it comes to her, but in the last couple of weeks, I have become flustered about her care and education.  Having to advocate for a child who is so defenseless can be extremely challenging when they can’t speak for themselves.  I have to remind myself that I must do the things for her that I can and trust in my absolute, God that is, to handle the rest. 

The physical aspect of my health could definitely use some improvement so I rate it at fair.  Before the fall weather hit, I was exercising 5 times a week and my eating was almost good.  After the cool morning set in, the air was making me ache so I decided to find somewhere to go and get exercise and I never did.  Lately I’ve been eating good foods, but I don’t ration them and I eat at odd times.  This is definitely not something good for me.  I am fighting diabetes so I must get a handle on this area.  I have had to make some adjustments to my medication and that seems to be settling now.  I do, however, think that with some of the practices that I have adopted since taking this class, I am doing better with managing the medication.  It would all be better when I get the meals and exercise in line. 

Goal Development

In the physical area my goals are to start with exercising at least four times a week and also some mind/body conditioning at least once a week.  I will measure this goal by weight and endurance.  In the psychological area my goal is to stay calm when handling the challenges of balancing the care and advocacy of my daughter and keeping the bills down while still looking for gainful employment.  I can do this by being more organized in keeping up with her progress more frequently at school so that I don’t build up anxiety and also organize bills and appointments.  As for my spiritual goals, I will try more meditation and try balancing it with my prayer life.  I’m sure that my health will be a measurement of this aspect.

Practices

In order to foster better personal health, I will try certain strategies.  For my physical health, I will get back to exercising at least four times a week by walking or doing aerobics.  I will also try yoga for the mind/body conditioning.  My walking has always been a great stress relief.  Previously, I used that time to talk to myself and think about how I will use my day and also work through problems.  I think now, since I’ve taken the Creating Wellness class, I will use my exercise time to sometimes free my mind.  Also, I have already sought a class for the mind/body experience.  These will help in keeping my constitution strong and will give me the adrenaline needed for the body to fight. 

The fight or flight concept of health would be nothing without the practices needed for the mind.  I am going to meditate more often to give myself the opportunity for calm-abiding to deter the disturbances that can come from external noise.  The use of calendars and journals will help in keeping the clutter out of my mind and on paper to refer to when needed.  These will be instrumental in reducing the anxiety mentioned.  Finally, for spiritual health and growth, I will keep volunteering my time towards causes that are important and I will recite the serenity prayer more, especially at night, to remind myself that some things aren’t meant for me to tangle with;  this will probably aide me in getting a better night’s sleep. 

 Commitment

I think that I will go back to journaling more often.  When I look back at my journal at mid-year, I should be able to tell how my new practices have helped me in my whole health.  The use of the calendars and documentation should make a big difference.  Previously I’ve used calendars but now I will use them to keep things together and to keep my mind free of pressure.  I think if I start each week by taking a look at it, I will better handle all of the things that I must endeavor for the week.  My friends and I will also continue our practice of the check-in; which has been a great tool in the past.  We often ask one another, how things are “really” going.  Some people use “how’s it going” as just a phrase, but when we ask it of one another, we really want the other person to talk out whatever they need to and listening to yourself talk about things can often give you the solutions you need. 

Hey folks, you know, going back over the exercises that we practiced this term actually showed me some growth.  The visualization exercise was particularly influential.  I liked the way that I connected with my grandfather and I was reminded of those great, grounded values that he possessed.  He seemed to be so much a presence at the time and I always looked up to him so being reminded of his kind ways may help me some.  I think that I will also use the visualization exercises to heal the eczema that troubles me from time to time.  Earlier in the term, I just started looking at my hands and visualizing the way they used to be.  It worked for a while, but I guess chaos set back in and I wasn't as intentional when it came to shutting it out.

The other practice that I liked was the subtle mind exercise.  For me, it was the most relaxing one.  I used the rise and fall of the breath to go deeper into my mind.  I think that I will use this one more often to relieve stress and to just get away from the daily hustle and bustle.  This one can help soothe away the bumps and lumps of the day.

Meeting Aesclepius

I had the opportunity in the exercise of "Meeting Aesclepius" to unite with my grandfather.  I always looked up to him as a leader of the family but also as a kind and compassionate human being.  He had a very deep and firm voice and a singing voice that was like the bass of the choir in heaven.  This exercise called for me to visualize a wise and compassionate person and I chose him.  I had trouble with the visualization at first.  I was able to finally get his silhouette.  When the time came for me to pull the white ray from his head/mind, I was able to do it and I was connecting with his character.  The things that were drawing me was his kindness and love for people, his incredible work ethic and his love for being with and doing for family.  This was a man with many values.  When I drew to the light of our mouths, I was connecting with his eloquent speach and grammer; the clearness of his voice and speaking with a volume that was never left to question what was said.  The white light of the heart sort of made me feel deeper and calmer.  This loving spirit is one that would made everyone feel included.  I also started to feel the loving spirit in my body.  I did not experience this in the body as deeply as I would like, but I did experience it.  I will look forward to getting to a place where I am the river connecting to the deep ocean.

My grandfather is in heaven now and I wonder if he was here with me.  I felt a closeness that I haven't felt with him in a long time.  For the first few years after he died, I communed with him on occasion.  I'm thankful for this experience. 

Wow!

Hello fellow bloggers.  Today I went back to the exercise of loving-kindness.  I am troubled by this exercise because the person that suffers in my life is my daughter.  You see, she is trapped in a body that is very limited in physical movement.  Some people say "she has it made".  She has someone to wait on her for her every need.  Whenever I close my eyes and I concentrate on this, I am so disturbed because I know that there are so many issues that I cannot help.  I'm beginning to wonder what will happen if she and I sit together and I concentrate on her and her situation what my energy might bring her.  I'm seriously thinking about seeking some help with doing that.  I really think that she might benefit from the energy.  What do you all think?

Now, on the next thing, focusing on the aspect of my life where there is more difficulty would be the biological aspect.  As I concentrated on the area that needs more development, I am sorry that I have to go back and try to catch up on something that I started and fell down on...my fitness.  A few weeks ago I was walking five times a day and now nothing.  The good thing about this exercise is that it motivated me to immediately get back to developing myself to become fit again.  Actually, this will lead me to be better than I was before.  Ha ha, guess I was Grateful, now I guess I'm thankful (smiling).  I actually stopped by an exercise facility on yesterday, and will go by another on tomorrow.  I'm choosing a facility this time for a little more social interaction, which I'm lacking.  I'm stuck at home most of the time and I'm changing that a bit as well. 

I want to share with you all that on one day over the weekend, I had a pain in my leg that I've never experienced before.  I quieted myself and closed my eyes and for about 7 minutes I concentrated on removing the pain.  In about 4-5 minutes it was lessening.  I tried to make sure I wasn't assessing it while I was doing the breathing exercises but I couldn't help it.  Although my mind checked in to see if there was pain, I brought myself right back to the breathing exercises where I was moving the pain.  By the time I stopped, it had gone away.  This stuff is awesome!!!!

The Subtle Mind

Wow, meditating can be soooo good for you and to you.  I did the exercise where I focused on the breath, and I chose the rise and fall of the chest, and it was not all that easy.  These exercises are truly beneficial to me because my mind can race a million miles per minute sometimes.  I found myself having to bring myself back to focus quite a few times; however, at one time I did get to a point where if a thought crept in, I easily dismissed it.  I got a little frustrated though because I had to keep bringing myself back to focus, although it became easier.  In comparison to the practice in loving-kindness, I think that this one may need to be the prelude to that one.  I think I will really make a practice of this one because I hardly ever rest and my mind is always going. 

You know, I mentioned to someone earlier in this term that my spiritual wellness seemed to be more positive than my physical or even mental wellness.  I think that some of these practices have started to bring me to a closer or central point.  I know that if I can integrate them, I may not have to use the phrase "fighting diabetes" as much.  Since taking this class, when I monitor lately, I am much more please with my numbers (if you know what I mean). 

Loving-kindness

Loving-kindness....

Sounds like something we should all have.  Although it seems like something that should be innate, believe it or not, the aspect can be and very well should be practiced.  When I did the exercise that coaches through the consciousness of loving-kindness, I struggled to stay with it.  It was easier for me to abound in loving-kindness of a loved one than it was to interrelate the whole world.  I'm glad that I was able to partake of this exercise because as we all know, a caregiver can become worn and our skin can sometimes get a little thick.  The exercise brought me back to the caring person I normally am.  I believe this is Caregivers' month so I hope that any of you who are in a position of caregiving, can become rejuvenated this month and give yourself some peace and relaxation.

Now, let's all do a little mental workout some time.  Do some meditating and practice some mind techniques or some imagery to keep the mind sharp. 

Guess What....it's possible.  Ah hah!

Reflections

Reflections:  Rating my wellbeing

My physical wellbeing is not at a good state right now.  I would have to rate it at 6 right now.  I have recently been handling a stressful situation and I guess I have allowed it to affect my health.  However, with the help of the principles that I’m learning from the Creating Wellness class, I have employed some techniques that I’m sure will get be back at a balance and I can move forward from this point.  My goal in this area is to go back to my 5 days of exercise.  I can work toward this by going to a nearby park with a facility so weather won’t be a factor.

In being in a positive state of spiritual wellbeing (rated 8), I am sure that I will return to a better state of physical wellbeing.  Remembering that I shall do the things that I can to improve life, being sustained in the things that I cannot and staying thankful through it all is a very worthwhile practice.  I think I let go of this practice for a time and that’s how the physical got broken down.  My goal in this area is make sure that I practice these principles mentioned and embracing more possibilities.  I have reduced the amount of noise in my home and I will now reduce the time on the telephone for more time for inner strength.    

 I really don’t know how to rate my psychological wellbeing. I am very interactive with others and have an attitude towards the betterment of mankind.  I just question my wellbeing because I am at home a lot and don’t get a chance to interact with others as I wish.  Loving-kindness is a big part of my make-up.  I get offended easily sometimes though.  Putting my emotions and ego in check is sometimes a challenge.  My goal for this psychological thing is to have more interpersonal connectivity. 

 

Change!

Hi, my name is Carla Kinsey and I am enrolled in a very thought provoking class at Kaplan University this term, called Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing.  After all the introduction to this idea of an approach to integral medicine, I have begun to think in terms of things I can change.  I do sometimes take personal inventory every now and then, but this time it's a little different.  Have you considered how you can change the patterns that you have set in order to achieve health, happiness and wholeness?  Wow.  Lots to adjust for most of us, huh?

Welcome to the World of Possibilities!