final project unit 9

It is important for health and wellness professionals to have a balance which involves every aspect of their being.  We need to continue developing our psychological, spiritual and physical selves so that we can continue to grow and evolve to become happier healthier versions of ourselves.  In order for the wellness professional to continue to guide and educate other’s we need to continue to learn about ourselves and the advances in the integral health field.  Exploring new options and new treatments can help us continue to grow our integral health us as well as our clients.  I need to develop my psychological self-more so that so that I can connect with my inner self and be more at peace.  Through meditation and calm-abiding exercises I have started this but I feel that I have a long way to go.

I can assess my level of wellness in each area by how I feel now compared to how I felt at the beginning of this class.  I would have to say that this class has made me take a closer look at how my body, mind, and spirit all work together and the different ways that I can work to improve this so that my integral health is where it needs to be.  My attitude and feeling of peace in my life is how I would decide if health is where it needs to be and how much further it needs to go.  I assessed by level of wellness in these areas before in Unit 3 and feel that they have all improved.  My physical well-being was a 7 and it is now a 10.  I have gotten back into my routine of summer exercise by running, biking, and hiking as well as doing an exercise program on dvds.  My physical well-being is only going to improve as the summer progresses.  My only issue is my sleep or lack of which can be attributed to my psychological well-being which was a 5 but is now a 7.  Through meditation I have been able to improve this but I still need more work.  I feel that now that my classes are almost over and my last two will be starting soon some of the pressure is off of me and I have more free time to devote to taking care of my well-being.  My spiritual health was a 5 and is now an 8.  I have been able to spend more time outside which I love and have been taking pictures which is a passion of mine so I feel better spiritually.  One of the meditation exercises I used to feel connected with a friend who passes away gave me so much needed comfort.  I feel more relaxed and at peace spiritually then I did a month ago.

One of my physical goals is to hike my favorite mountain in 50 minutes.  I have hiked the mountain once this spring and my time was 1:07.  I would like to improve on that and have set this as a personal goal.  I would also like to hike the Presidential Range in New Hampshire which would mean camping overnight on the mountain.  This has been a goal of mine for years that I hope to accomplish this year.  Psychological goals are a little harder, I would like to be better at meditating which will take a commitment on my part to set aside the time to do.  I will set aside a minimum of 15 minutes a day to meditate.  I think if I start with this it is a goal I can stick with.  I do not want to start with too much and fail because that would discourage me and may cause me to give up.  There were a few of the exercises that worked for me such as Meeting Aesclepius and a taste of human flourishing.  These are the exercises I will start with and once I have mastered these I can move on to other ones and have a better chance of success.  My spirituality is very connected to my physical because when I am out hiking that for me is where I feel my spirituality.  Last year I hiked to a few waterfalls and felt so connected and peaceful when I just sat and listened to the water flowing.  I have not been yet this year so my plan is to go to a different waterfall each month and just sit and listen to what is around me.  This may also be a good place to try some meditation exercises because it is already a place where I am at peace.

A strategy for my physical growth is to continue to improve my time and distance for my activities.  By keeping a weekly log I can track my progress and see where my improvements are.  I would like to try acupuncture for my back which causes me problems at time.  I am currently looking into a place that provides that and the reviews from clients so that I feel comfortable going there.  I am a little nervous about having needles stuck in me but I have heard many good things about it and you do not grow if you are not willing to explore new things.  Psychological growth can be improved through meditation which I am not good at but refuse to give up on.  I will continue to practice it but understand it is not something I should force; it is supposed to be relaxing not frustrating.  I will try the different exercises that we have learned and hopefully move from loving kindness to subtle mind.  The Insight meditation Society in Barre, MA is a 20 minute ride from my house so that is something that I can look into and see about attending one of their meditation retreats.  Meditation needs to be as important as my physical well-being to me.  I need to make the time for it just like I do for the other things in my life.  We have learned how everything is connected and when one system is not taken care of then it will affect us in all aspects of our health.  This needs to be a priority for me which it has not been in the past.  My spiritual well-being continues to improve as I open myself to new things.  I am not a religious person but have started to wonder about religion lately.  My thoughts on religion need to be explored more so I plan on doing some reading on the different religions and deciding if that is something I feel will help me to understand myself better.  Whether I decide I want to participate or not the knowledge I gain by learning about them will help me grow as a person.  I have done yoga in the past but have not done it in sometime.  The poses and stretches not only helped me physically but it felt calming to me when I did it outside with a group.  To me anything I do out in nature has a spiritual feel to it.  I will bet back in touch with the group and start going again.

It will be easy to assess my progress.  I can keep track of my physical activity and seethe changes in my body and how I feel health wise.  Psychologically I will be able to tell by my stress level and how well I am able to sleep.  I will also look at how I am progressing in the length and progress of my meditation.  Spiritually I hope to have a better understanding of religions and have a better understanding of my own beliefs.  By setting both long and short term goals for myself that are challenging but at the same time realistic I hope to continue down the path to integral health.  By involving my friends and family in some of my exercises and goals I will have someone to push me forward when I start to falter a little.  I know that it will take me much longer than six months but the important thing to do is start and continue to grow.  This class is my start and now it is up to me to take what I have learned and apply it to my life in the most beneficial way for me as a person.