In one of my earlier blogs I was asked to evaluate my well being and now am asked to compare my prior results to those of today. First I rated my physical well being at about a 7. Today I would say that I am about a 7.5. I have made some progress but have room for more growth. I have been eating healthier and exercising more that I had before. Spritually I feel very good and would say that I am still at about a 9.5. This is my strongest area because I feel that spirituality is my foundation. My psychological well being is about a 9. I am constantly growing and working on myself because I am a priority as is my well being.

I have been working on myself daily with what I described as baby steps. They may be small steps but they are steady and sure. My mind is clear and happy. I am on track with the goals that I have set for myself.

This course has exposed how important the mind, body and spirit connection is to well being. I knew that the saying "as without, as within" was true but I did not know exactly how to look inward. Meditation has been the best practice that I have implemented and plan to use it to further my results for life. I appreciate the tips and exercises and would recommend this class to anyone regardless of their major. The more we know about self the better we are as a human. Loving kindness is a priority to me and I plan to spread the love to those I come into contact with.

Alison

Unit 9 Final Project

Hello Professor and class,
I was unable to submit my project to this blog for some reason. I am sorry for the glitch but my project can be found in the Doc Sharing portion of the classroom. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.
Alison

My two best practices for health and mental fitness.

Loving kindness is an exercise that I practice everyday. Although it seems like common sense it takes a conscious effort at first to get started. In time this action becomes second nature almost as if on auto pilot. Little things make a huge difference and these seemingly small things set us apart from others. It is not hard to make someones day, in fact it is so easy. Why not do it? Things like a smile to a stranger or holding a door for them. So simple but very powerful put into practice.
Another practice that I do every day and truly enjoy is meditation. This helps me keep my stress levels low and maintain balance from day to day no matter what the day brings. I see others react to things that happen to them and I feel that I create opportunities to make my life better. I much rather live a life of creation then reaction. Inner peace is what meditation brings to me and my life. I have been using this practice for about 6 months and the changes are remarkable. I sleep better and feel better everyday. I highly recommend both practices to those looking to improve the quality of their lives. It is a gift that you give to yourself.
Alison

"Meeting Asciepius"

I have found that with each meditation exercise I find more inner peace and become more spiritual. I am able to deal with stress in a much more relaxed way. Life is full of distractions and obligations and meditation is something that I do just for me. It is a gift that I give to myself everyday. So simple but so important.
We must walk the walk not just talk the talk. If we can't implement exercises that improve health and wellness than how can we advise others to do so? It is too hypocritical and I believe that patients can see if we are speaking from experience. I know that when I am explaining the benefits to others I get excited about my spiritual growth. That is something that you can't fake. If you try others will notice.

Universal Loving Kindness

This week we were introduced to the idea of universal loving kindness. It was a great exercise to expand our love to those outside our inner circle. This is done by putting thoughts of love and kindness out into the universe. We are wishing wellness to all, even our enemies. I have found this beneficial in my work life. In some ways things happen that frustrate us but this allows me to rise above it and grow from it. This is practicing a love of mankind which is never a bad thing.
In the Dacher text I was challenged to assess my growth and development. There are four areas to consider and the one that I most need improvement in is Biological. I have been experiencing health problems for the first time in my life that required hospitalization. Being in the hospital you have a lot of time to think about life and what may have led you there in the first place. I have taken this part of my life for granted because my health has always just been there. I am in need of healing both medically and mentally. I am using meditation and visualization to help me in the healing process and truly believe that my efforts are working. This is the area that my focus is on and I am grateful that I can work on my healing and wellness daily.

Integral Health, The Path to Human Flourishing. Elliott S. Dacher. Basic Health Publications 2006

The subtle mind exercise

During this exercise I found a deep level of relaxation. At first my mind was busy with chatter but by using the focal point and breathing as my focus I was able to acknowledge it and then dismiss it. I think the beginning was great with the ten deep breaths that helped to shift my focus inward. With each exercise I am finding it so much easier to connect with spirit and on a much deeper level. This is a great way to deal with stress but also the healing process that I am going through. With all the surgeries that I have had over the past three months it would be easy to get depressed. This class and these exercises are keeping me from depression by empowering me to look within to help in the healing process. I enjoyed the loving kindness piece and feel that this is a great companion piece. We are expanding our horizons to more of an eastern consciousness and I am enjoying getting to know myself in a different way.
Alison

Loving Kindness

I had a great experience with the Loving Kindness meditation this week. It is sometimes difficult to focus on ourselves especially with loving kindness. We tend to focus more on our shortcomings than love of self. I was able to relax during this exercise and focus on those that are unkind or negative in my life and turn the feelings I have about them around in my head. What a great feeling and release. I also took the time to take into consideration the pain of my Mother and see it from a different perspective that allowed me to reach out to her from a place of love and kindness. I see her as human and fragile at the same time strong. I offered to share this exercise with her and she is open to it, much to my surprise. I felt better after the exercise and I hope to share this feeling of well being with her.

Mental workouts are a concept that once applied help to foster feelings of well being through exercises that allow us to relieve stress, keep positive thoughts and attitude. Much like we go to the gym to keep our bodies in shape these type of exercise keep our minds in shape. Remember, use it or lose it. We need to put as much effort to the mental workout as we do the physical workouts the outer effects will be just as amazing. We will walk around happier and with less emotional baggage. This is the only life we have, live it to the fullest everyday.

Stop and smell the roses.

After reading the text and applying the tips and techniques learned within, I feel empowered to improve my health even further. Currently I am healing from my third surgery in the past two months. This class is so relevant and I am grateful for all I am learning. That being said, when I think about my overall health and wellness I feel pretty good about it. I would rate my physical well being the lowest at about a 7. Spiritual well being would be the highest because I feel so connected to spirit so in effort to allow room for growth always I will give this area a rating of 9.5. Psychological well being I would rate at an 8 to 9. Everyday I get a bit stronger inside in every area because I am working on it and it is a priority.

I have set some goals for myself and most are baby steps because I want to be sure that I am always moving in a more positive direction. I have decided to eat fresh fruits and vegetables everyday and see what kind of delicious meals I can make for my family. I also keep my home and surroundings clean and clear of clutter so that my mind is clear as well. I play music that makes me happy, I laugh with my husband and friends like a teenager. I basically take liberties to be happy. It is the best medicine.

I also feel that meditation is a great way to connect with self/spirit. We need to stay connected or we become off balance. I enjoyed the meditation exercise this week. It helps to visualize love, balance and light flowing from you. We need to realize that this is what happens to us in reality. We are flowing love when we love and care for our children and when we help others without realizing it. Why not take advantage of the feelings that visualization brings us. I will us it again.

This is our precious life. Let's take the time to enjoy all that it has to offer and smell the roses.

Alison

"Journey On"

"Journey On"
I enjoyed the guided meditation once I got into it. I have been meditating for a while now and really enjoy the peaceful feeling that I have afterward. It is my escape from chaos and almost serves as a medication for my soul. I find it so important to be able to shut out the background noise and the inner voices to achieve ultimate relaxation. I found that the techniques were very helpful and have allowed me to relax so deeply I feel as if I am almost asleep. Ultimate wellness is within us and being able to go inside to find it is truly a gift.

I have been dealing with some serious health issues recently and I am so focused on healing. I find that all signs are pointing me in the same direction even though the sources are completely different. For example, today I picked up a book that I have had for several years that is made up of short inspirational chapters. The book is called Something More and I discovered it when I was in a long term unhappy marriage. In my heart I knew that I was not where I was supposed to be. I felt as if my life was passing me by like sand through an hourglass. It was hard to leave the marriage but I knew that I had outgrown it. I know that sounds strange but I feel that I completed my mission and was ready for what was next. I was truly in search of Something More. So on this day when I have come so far from where I was to end up where I a today, a truly happy person. I have married my best friend and thought to take a look at this book that gave me little pushes towards my destiny. I open to a page titled "Our Pilgrimage Places". I was surprised to find that this chapter was about health and wellness. It was focused on the mind, body and spirit connection. A paragraph that really caught my attention was basically saying something that I had been thinking myself. "We've taken our bodies for granted, abused and dishonored them with too much hard living, with our excesses, and with too few compliments or cherishing caresses. How would you react if you had to live day in and day out with Curella de Ville harping at you? Well, guess what? That's exactly what your body has been up against. If she is tired of the abuse, don't blame her; applaud her spunk. Thank her. One essence- body, mind, or spirit- has to stand up for you if you're going to survive. Oddly enough, but also regrettably, this is what happens when we become seriously ill. Our bodies call a spiritual time out until we can make a lifesaving attitude adjustment." (Ban Breathnach, pg 85)

I was wondering if my work-aholic attitude and over the top perfectionist attitude toward things that others take no notice of, like what shade of bronze to paint the new front door have provided me with too much stress. I can really drive myself crazy over these little seemingly unimportant details but take my health for granted. I believe that my body did call a time out so that I can make the adjustments that will allow me to live my life to the fullest. This has been a tough time but amazing things are at work inside me. Wellness is my priority. What difference does the color of my front door make if I am in the hospital? Absolutely NONE. I am not there yet but I am on the way!
Something More, Excavating your Authentic Self. Sara Ban Breathnach. Warner Books. 1998.