Motivational Quote of the Course! :)

Unit 10: Wrapping it Up!

1. Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas.  How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?

In my unit 3 personal assessment my psychological well-being was an 8.  I would honestly admit my rating back in unit 3 was not on par, since I now would rate myself a 6 or 7.  I feel this score reflection is mainly due to my OCD and perfectionistic mannerisms.  Though I still maintain daily meditation into my health and wellness prescription this is still an area I clearly struggle with.  I will admit I have shown great improvement in this area since this course began and even the people closest to me have seen this improvement.  I have much further to go, but I am confident in the not too distant future I will be able to not be so ‘anal’ with many things in my life and will learn to live my life with a sense of balance and control. 

In the unit 3 assessment my physical well-being was a 9.  I would still presently rate this aspect a 9 and I don’t see this area showing any real changes in my future (God willing).  As a personal trainer and person who loves to exercise and get the rush that comes with physical exercise, I will always try to be at my optimal physical well-being. 

In my unit 3 personal assessment my spiritual well-being was a 7.  I would say this has changed to an 8 although with an upcoming move and the hectic pace of my life, I have yet to go to female bible study which is important to me and my overall spiritual wellness.  I will most definitely incorporate this into my life once I am settled in my new home and feel comfortable within a church congregation. 

 

2. Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

Physical Goal:  The goal in this area was to incorporate walking every morning.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to walk, due to the upcoming move which has taken up most of my energy.  I will motivate myself to incorporate this positive addition to my physical well-being once I get settled since this is extremely important in my quest for integral health. 

Spiritual Goal:  The goal I set in this area is to participate in a female bible study class at least one night a week.  As mentioned previously this has been quite difficult for me to presently incorporate.  Again, this will most definitely be intertwined into my weekly agenda when I move up to New Jersey.   

Psychological Goal:  The goal I set in this area was to try and not take on so many things in my life and to learn the art of balance and patience.  I can admit I have made positive strides in this area, but I have a long way to go in order to find this balance in my life.  I feel the many tools I have learned from my previous stress course and this course have been a tremendous help and have benefited my quest for human flourishing and wholeness. 

3. Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.

I have implemented many activities into my life and will no doubt implement them in my future.  I do focus each morning on my spiritual aspect via prayer and devotional reading.  In addition, I also meditate each morning after prayer and this has been a beneficial aid in my overall well-being in all three areas of my well-being.  I also have learned the art of reframing a situation and placing the importance of many things in my life which in the past would cause my unneeded stress and anxiety.  I have shown great improvement in not letting the small stuff get to me the way it would in the past.  

 

4. Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?

I leave this class with a positive and upbeat feeling on my overall health and wellness.  I know in my heart I am a much calmer, less tense, and more spiritual person than I was nine weeks ago.  I have also incorporated the loving kindness practice into my life and I’m happy to report have taught this practice to my mother and my husband as well.  Not only did I benefit from learning how to forgive and love ‘everyone’, so did they and it has definitely worked wonders. 

 

Godspeed to all my fellow classmates and I hope you will take these tools and find your path to human flourishing!

 

Angie

Words of Wisdom

Unit 9 Health Assessment

I Introduction

Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

As a personal trainer and future health and wellness professional I am in a position to profoundly and positively impact and influence the lives of others more than just their biological health, but their psychological, spiritual, and physical wellness.  As the public becomes more disheartened with the current health care system they are craving more health care providers who are focused on their individual needs.  It is important for health and wellness providers to be at the forefront of the change that is taking place and be knowledgeable. Having a personal understanding of the process is an important part of the evolution of health care (Dacher, 2006).  As future health and wellness professionals we must lead by example. It is our responsibility to constantly educate ourselves, so we bring as many tools to the table as possible. We have learned in this course everyone is unique and what works for one person may or may not work for another, so it is important to be cognizant of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and show compassion and care and of course kind hearted.  Health and wellness is more than just the absence of disease.  It is making choices and practicing healthy habits that lead to a more whole, fulfilled, and complete life.  As we have learned the ultimate goal for each of us is human flourishing (Dacher, 2006).  Our body is a machine and like any highly effective machine it needs to be maintained.  If something is broken we all know the machine won’t function to its full potential.  The same holds true for our body and our health and wellness.  Each aspect of wellness directly and synergistically affects the other to create fulfillment and satisfaction.  Overall, I am content and satisfied with my current path to human flourishing.  I would like to continue to foster my spiritual wellness, so I can possess a more compassionate and loving kindness behavior to not just people I love, but people that have hurt me or have had a negative influence in my life.  In addition, I would like to further develop my mental health as I work to alleviate the many phobias and perfectionistic tendencies that engulf my life on a daily basis. 


II Assessment

How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?

To develop and flourish in integral health, I feel it is essential for me to look at all aspects of my life and eliminate any sources of negativity, pain and suffering, yet continue and improve the areas I am finding happiness and inner peace. Over the past nine weeks I have discovered there are many facets of my life that need tweaking and further development.  Nine weeks ago I assessed my psychological wellness at an 8.  As the course moved further along, I realized how I was clearly disillusioned with this assessment.  My initial psychological assessment should have been more in the range of 5 or 6.  I have learned how my Obsessive Compulsive Behavior (OCD) has a firm grip on my overall mental and physical health.  I am not as “whole” or “complete” as I would like to be because my perfectionistic behavior consumes my every thought and move in my life.  This is clearly an area I struggle with and look to modify with the tools I have acquired from this course.  I previously assessed my spiritual wellness at a 7 and I feel it has increased to a 9 since I began this course.  In the current future, I would still like to incorporate bible study into my life, but I now have had a deeper understanding of how God and my inner faith is the true backbone of my life.  With my faith I am truly a much calmer, patient, and kind-hearted person; which leads me one step closer to human flourishing.  The loving kindness exercise is in the forefront of my prayer and meditation.  I still struggle with forgiving and loving those who have hurt me and my family, but I am more compassionate and grateful for all the positives in my life.  Previously I assessed my physical wellness at a 9.  I feel this facet of my wellness hasn’t changed.  This is the one area I am truly in sync with and feel I have wholeness.  Of course, there is always room for improvement, yet I am very content and deeply satisfied with my physical well-being. Additionally, I maintain a proper diet by eating a plethora of fruits and vegetables and focus on complex carbohydrates and fiber rich foods.  Furthermore, I get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water throughout the day.  I am confident I have the ability to teach and coach others to find their balance in this area of their life as well. 

III Goal development

List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual.

Goals provide focus and enhance productivity.  Additionally, they bolster self-esteem and increase motivation and commitment so you are more likely to achieve what you set out to conquer in life. 

·         Physical:  One physical goal I strive to achieve in the future is to follow through with a Tough Mudder event and actually have the nerve to start the race and complete it.  The race is not so much physically challenging as it may be mentally challenging, but indeed it is taxing on your body.  In addition, I would also like to incorporate morning walks into my daily health and wellness prescription.  I feel even a mile long walk is effective at reducing anxiety and stress in your life and I know it would definitely bring me not only relaxation, but a deeper connection to nature.  Furthermore, I can have more time for meditation and inner tranquility. 

·         Psychological: My goal for psychological wellness is to change the way I deal with stress and control my Obsessive Compulsive Behavior. I mentally must retrain my thinking and not allow my perfectionism to control my life as it presently does.  I will try to place priority on things that are important in life and not focus or dwell on insignificant and trivial things such as cleanliness and neatness.  Meditation each day will still my mind and allow me the chance to act with intent.   As an aside, I will put this goal to the test very shortly when I move into my new home.  In the past, I would want my house functioning and in ‘tip-top’ form in a few days, but I am going to strive to learn the art of patience, taking my time and relish the moment of the enjoyment of owning my own home. 

·         Spiritual: A spiritual goal I strive for in the future is to attend women’s Bible study at least once a week. Though I receive great pleasure and inner peace from my daily prayer and devotionals, I would enjoy the female fellowship with other women also looking to enhance their spirituality.  Having the common bond with other women enhances your knowledge and also fosters new and ‘equally’ yoked friendships. 

IV Practices for Personal Health

List strategies you can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example.

·         Physical: A great workout not only is an effective flab-buster, but it’s a viable solution for almost any troubling health issue you are facing such as: anxiety, insomnia, lower back pain, and even for women menopause symptoms.  Whether you are performing various Yoga postures or jogging a couple miles fitness is truly one of the best mental and physical exercises you can do for your body, mind, and spirit. 

 

·         Psychological: Physical exercise, hobbies, and meditation all help to benefit my mental outlook. These practices clear my mind of the mental chatter that consumes my mind and allows me to make clear and wise decisions throughout the day.  Furthermore, these practices fulfill my inner drives and promote a calming and still wholeness in me. 

 

·         Spiritual: Each morning before my day begins I take time for God and meditation.  I will sit for a few minutes, say my prayers, ask God for the forgiveness of my sins, and ask for peace and love to surround my family, friends, and the world around me.  In addition, I ask God to guide the higher authorities in our country to make honest and concise decisions for the benefit of our country.  After prayer, I turn to meditation and usually visualize something beautiful and relaxing in my mind, such as a warm island with crystal blue water surrounding me.  I focus on a word as my focal point such as love, gratitude, kindness.  When my mind wanders I train my mind to refocus on my focal word and control my breathing.  Furthermore, I have also incorporated journal writing into my spiritual and mental wellness prescription. By writing all the many positives in my life it allows me to diffuse negatives thus providing a more positive outlook promoting happiness and peace within. 

V Commitment
Like any behavior change it is essential to maintain and commit to your new outlook and path of life.  To progress through the early stages, people apply cognitive, effective, and evaluative processes. As people move toward Action and Maintenance, they rely more on commitments, conditioning, contingencies, environmental controls, and support.  We see this process in the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change.  Commitment comes from deep within and the key is retraining our thoughts and incorporating important mental thought processes such as: awareness, love, gratitude, forgiveness, and mindfulness.  Training the mind to focus on these powerful and poignant concepts is critical.  Additionally, it is important to change our old thoughts.  Through intention, practice, and perseverance we aspire to reach an optimal level of integral health and human flourishing. 

 

References:

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

 

Forgiving someone even though they don't deserve it doesn't mean you're soft hearted. Forgiving someone is not for their benefit, its for your own; forgiving that person makes you the bigger and better person.

 

Monday Motivational Quote :)

Unit 8: The Benefits of Loving Kindness and Visualization

Review the exercises and practice sessions you have completed in this course (Loving Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation etc.) Choose two practices that you have determined to be most beneficial. How can you implement these practices in your personal life to foster “mental fitness”? Provide specific examples.

 

Two practices most beneficial to me are loving kindness and visualization.  Loving kindness can be implemented into my life by allowing forgiveness and unconditional love to supersede bitterness and grudges I may harbor.  This exercise made me understand and realize the importance of letting go of anger and frustrating feelings and replacing them with love, compassion, and forgiveness.  This is not an easy feat, especially when someone has hurt you or caused you pain, but it is imperative if we are to progress in our path toward human flourishing.  My cousin’s husband has done some terrible things to everyone in my family in his quest to try and win back my cousin.  He is an abuser and a narcissistic person.  He is a, “me, me, me, I, I, I” person who will hurt anyone in his path.  This is a person I have to delve deep inside and learn to forgive and love.  I realized during this practice harboring unpleasant feelings and emotions only ends up hurting me and short changes my ultimate goal of human flourishing and unity consciousness.  Moreover, loving kindness is what God would want me to be like.  It is important as a spiritual and Christian person of faith to “turn the other cheek” as the Bible states.  Visualization is another practice I find extremely beneficial.  I believe if we visual something (whether a goal or accomplishment in life) it will happen.  As a personal trainer, I find my clients often like to hear how many more reps they need or how many seconds are left to perform a certain ‘tough’ exercise.  The reason simply put is because they visualize in their head the end and the feeling of accomplishment.  Additionally, I have waited over 20 years to achieve my Bachelor’s degree and I personally like to visualize in my mind holding up my diploma one day.  This gives me the extra incentive to perform well and the drive to push forward.  I am sure I will continue to use visualization throughout my life, since I believe in it and feel it is a wonderful and advantageous technique to foster mental fitness. 

Angela

P.S. A picture that pretty much sums up this week's blog! :) 

 

 

Where Loving Kindness Begins....

Unit 7: Meeting Aesclepius

Unit 7 Blog Assignment:

1. Complete the Meeting Aesclepius mp3 (located in the Doc Sharing area). Describe your meditative practices for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

Each morning I meditate to allow myself an opportunity to feel an inner peace and calmness throughout my day.   In addition, meditation encourages better coping strategies to stressors in my life and the many jumbled thoughts that consume my mind throughout the day, especially being the OCD person I am! I enjoyed this practice and felt very relaxed and peaceful. When asked to visualize a loving man/woman that I respect, love, who taught me wise things and to become one with this person I instantly thought of Jesus Christ.  I felt His spirit in me, as the sound of the waves crashed in the background.  I pictured us sitting on the beach together as He held my hands.  The beam of white light shined down all around us and transformed my inner peace and tranquility.  At that very moment I felt comfort and security knowing I would never be alone.  He is always with me, guiding me, and shining His white light on me as I walk my journey on earth.  Mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in my psychological or spiritual wellness since I find I am overall less angry in stressful situations and handle myself differently towards my personal and social interactions.  I find through daily meditation, even the few minutes practiced, I am a MUCH calmer and all-around better person.  In addition, meditation has made it so the little things that used to bother me don't seem like such a big deal anymore.  Trivial things I once thought were catastrophic now seem rather insignificant. Furthermore, maintaining meditation in my life personally adds peace, happiness, and serenity to my life developing greater health and wellness.

 

2.      Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (p.477). How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

The saying “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" simply means in my opinion to “practice what you preach.”  If you are going to show someone how to get somewhere or do something, you need to have done it and experienced it yourself.  This most certainly applies to the health and wellness professional.  In order to teach and instruct health and wellness to clients, we need to achieve it ourselves.  On a personal note, I can recall my first day of personal training school our instructor saying if anyone in the room smoked.  One person raised his hand and our instructor told him to either quit or leave the room because he was in the wrong profession.  How can you smoke when you are teaching people how to better improve their health and wellness?  It would certainly be hypocritical.  As a trainer and future health and wellness professional I most certainly have an obligation to my clients to develop my health physically, psychologically, and spiritually.  These three concepts make me a complete and well-rounded person.  It is critical I look and feel the job I am about to embark into.  Currently, I implement prayer and meditation into my life each morning.  Additionally, I am physically active on a regular basis and incorporate many hobbies into my life to foster creativity, stress release, and happiness.  All of these contributions benefit my mental and spiritual growth. 

Angela

 

Monday Motivational Quote

7 Lovely Logics

Unit 6: Angela's Focus for Growth and Development

What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?

After completing the Integral Assessment I realized there a couple areas of my life that need fine-tuning.  There are two specific areas I need to focus for growth and development to include Psychospiritual Flourishing and Interpersonal Flourishing.  I am a perfectionist in many facets of my life, to the point where it causes unneeded stress and at times can cause strain to my personal and social relationships.  I like everything in my life to be neat, clean, organized and in perfect order or I feel “out of sorts”, if you will.  My father taught me at a young age to live your life by the Golden Rule “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”  Though I am spiritual and overall kind-hearted to everyone I know, meet and love, there are times when I will place my selfish wants and feelings ahead of others.  This is not something I am proud of or is ego-driven, but more because of certain phobias I tend to carry with me.  For example, I may not go to a certain restaurant my husband may want to go because I feel it is dirty.  I may not stay at a hotel because in my mind I feel there are certain hotels that I am only comfortable staying out of fear of a dirty room (when in reality they are all dirty).  If there is a chore that needs to be done around the house, I would rather do it myself because I feel I can do it better or the way I prefer it.  Additionally, I may get upset with my mom if she spills something or makes a mess cooking.  Though the people who love and care for me most know my idiosyncrasies, there are times it can aggravate them and add stress to my life.  These are areas I have struggled with most of my life and through my studies and health and wellness background I am finally recognizing and realizing how detrimental they can be. 

As an aside, my poor husband and mother are left to do nothing around the house because I will end up doing it over!  My mom wanted me to include this in my blog. 

Some specific exercises I have incorporated in my life to foster greater wellness is meditation and prayer.  Through daily prayer I ask the Lord to take this struggle away from me.  Honestly, I sometimes feel my phobia and OCD behavior tends to wear on me and takes away from my overall health and wellness.  Over the past few months I have also incorporated meditation into my daily prescription and it has worked wonders.  Though, I must admit, I have far more room for improvement in this area.  Moreover, I feel reframing and looking at things through a different perspective can help ease me and make me realize the importance of these feelings in my life. 

I just happened to find the perfect picture for me!! :)

-Angela

 

 

Forgive Yourself and Move On..

Thoughts become Words

 

Words become Actions

 

Actions become Habits

 

Habits become Character

Unit 5 and The Subtle Mind

1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

Loving Kindness:  The focus is shifted from focusing on ourselves and our needs, but rather we build a concern and compassion for the well-being of others.  At first, we must practice a mental attitude and later it will reveal itself as a natural and effortless aspect of higher consciousness.  I have practiced this exercise a few times the past week and it has made an overwhelming difference in my overall attitude and my overall compassion for others. 

Subtle Mind:  This practice is related to the breath for two main reasons.  First, there is a direct relationship between the breath and your mind.  As your breathing becomes more and more easy and rhythmic, so will your mind.  Still the breath and you still the mind.  Second, the breath is always with us, so we can practice it any time of the day no matter where we are.  By using the breath, we learn how to tame and stabilize the mind.  With progression of this exercise we experience calm-abiding, which in turn leads to unity consciousness. 

Comparison: The loving kindness exercise focused on forgiveness, healing, and taking away suffering from another; in return sending love, forgiveness, and expansion of the heart.  The subtle mind exercise focused on the calm abiding mind, slowing the mental chatter causing the mind to experience pure stillness and relaxation. 

My Experience: In the subtle mind exercise I concentrated my breathing on the rising and falling of my chest, rather than through my nostrils.  I used love as my focal point, since I had my little Dachshund in my lap.  I enjoyed both exercises appreciating each one for their ability to ease my mind and in essence bringing me to a state of comfort and relaxation.  The subtle mind practice can be frustrating to a beginner, since it is incredibly difficult to remain focused; avoiding all the mental chatter in your mind.  It took several times to settle my mind, remain focused on my breathing and my focal word (love), and explore my mind since I decided to sit down and do this exercise in the middle of the day. 

 

2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

Wellness is much more than physical health, exercise or proper nutrition.  It is the full scope of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It is important for one to discover what they believe is their own sense of meaning and purpose in life.  The mind, body, and spirit are all connected.  Each aspect of wellness directly and synergistically affects the other to create fulfillment, happiness, and satisfaction.  Personally, when I am in touch with a higher purpose it allows me to think clearly and make wise decisions in my life.  Furthermore, it gives me the energy to be physically active.  When I am having a stressful day or things in my life are hectic, my mind is in chaos and as a result, I have no ambition to be physically active.  We all must try to live our life to be the best we can be and both of these valuable exercises enable us to reach this plateau in life. 

-Angela

Reference

Dacher, E.S. (2006) Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.

 

 

 

Beautiful things...

Unit 4:  Loving Kindness Exercise

 

1. Describe your experience. Did you find it beneficial? Difficult? Why or why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or why not?

My experience during this exercise was very moving.  Initially, I found it difficult to get in the zone, but as my thoughts became restful and at ease, so did my mind and inner being.  This was a very beneficial exercise for me because I was truly able to let go and felt a calmness come over me.  In addition, I felt my inner burdens subside and a feeling of comfort and peace filled me.  My mind clearly became more positive and my mood heightened.  I would recommend this exercise to others.  I think we can all use loving kindness in our lives to make us not only love ourselves, but be an overall better person.  My religious beliefs teach me “love others as ourselves.” 

 

2.      What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

Just as the body needs physical activity for optimal health and well-being, so does our brain.  The most significant purpose of reflective practice is the continuous growth of an enlarged awareness and its healing ability (Dacher, 2006). 

Research has shown that when people stop worrying so much about themselves and their lives and actually spend that energy on helping, accepting and loving others, they are happier and more fulfilled.  Dacher stated, “We give back what we give” (2006) and when we give and receive loving kindness our minds are calmer and it puts on a path of human flourishing. 

Proven benefits of a mental workout are the ability to train the mind.  Once you find peace within, harmony and oneness will find you.  Dacher states “an hour a day of mental practice will execute good health, promote enjoyment, and completeness” (2006).  The proper mental workouts can notably cultivate one's intellectual behavior.  There are many methods a person can implement to foster psychological health to include: regular physical activity, crossword puzzles, Suduko, board games, memory games, or simply reading a book. 

-Angela

Rid Yourself of Negativity!

Loving Kindness: When your present state of mind becomes more positive, it opens your heart to feel compassion for other people. 

 

Unit 3 Blog Assignment and Relaxation Exercise

1. Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal well-being), where do you rate your:

A. Physical well-being: Though I am a personal training and am extremely passionate about my physical well-being, I would rate my optimal well-being at a 9.  I feel there are so many areas I can still polish, especially endurance and core strength.  Overall, I am very physically fit, incorporate regular physical activity into my daily life, and maintain a proper and well-nourished diet.  And I eat breakfast EVERY morning!  A must for your physical well-being!

B- Spiritual well-being:   I would rate my spiritual well-being a 7.  I live my life through my faith in God.  He is my driving force and I choose to live my life through His will and not my worldly, selfish wants and desires.   This is very difficult as worldly circumstances seem to always get in the way and try to sway you off the right track in life. 

C- Psychological well-being:  After taking Critical Issues in Stress and currently Creating Wellness, I would rate my psychological well-being an 8.  I have found my meditation techniques have had a tremendous boost to my overall frame of mind throughout the day.   Meditation allows me to clear my mind, rejuvenate my thoughts, and gives me a sense of inner peace.  Additionally, meditation allows me some “me” time every morning when the entire house is fast asleep snoring! 

 

2.      Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).

A, Physical Goal:  Running in a marathon would be a physical goal I can set my sights on in the future.  Additionally, I would like to incorporate walking every morning, since I feel it is not only a great way to start your day, but would allow me to get in touch with nature and clear my mind. 

B. Spiritual Goal: To be able to understand and interpret the Bible in a way I can fully live my life abiding by.  The Bible can be very confusing, yet I still receive so much comfort and peace reading through it; as I know God is a dominant presence in my life.  In addition, I would enjoy joining a Bible study class.  I keep using the excuse of how busy my life is, but there should be more time in my schedule to devote to my spiritual faith.

 

 

 

 

C. Psychological Goal:  My goal would be to try and not take on so many things in my life and learn the art of balance and patience.  Also, I would like to be able to relax more when things become overwhelming in my life.  Also, I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, so I have found people tend to take advantage of this weakness (or strength if you look at it through a different lens).  

 

3.      What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?

I believe time is the biggest culprit in my life and interferes with my moving toward each goal.  To be honest, if something is important in your life you will make the time.  This is true with social relationships and it must be true with your physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being. 

 

4.      Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century.  Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)

The Crime of the Century relaxation exercise was very beneficial.  It allowed me to stop, sit still (from an otherwise hectic, fast-paced day), and relax for a few minutes.  I also found it refreshing and felt energized afterward.  I became fully aware of my body regions and focused on the colors of the rainbow to allow peace and tranquility permeate through me.  Great exercise and I recommend it to anyone who needs a quick breather in their day!

 

Hi Everyone...Welcome to Unit 3!

I felt this was a great quote to start our week on the importance of a mind-body-spirit focus for Health and Wellness professionals.  Spiritual wellness and the profound impact on healing and well-being starts by releasing the many negative thoughts that interfere with our happiness and well-being.  So, consume your mind with happiness, peace, and positive thoughts, so you can become a better YOU! 
Have a great week! :) 
Angela

A great to exert all your negative energy!!

Init 2: Relaxation Exercise Thoughts

Hi Professor Beth and Classmates,
Wow..talk about being in a calm and relaxed state!  After listening to the relaxation exercise my muscles were so relaxed and my body was completely at ease.  I definitely felt the warmth and heaviness in my hands.  My arms were completely comfortable and relaxed.  I trained three people prior to listening to this exercise, so I was very wound up and tense, but after the exercise my whole body was at peace and I felt rejuvenated and completely energized.  Who needs a Red Bull when we have meditation! :)
-Angela