Unit 10

THEN My physical well-being I will rate at a 5 for the moment, but I also feel it is on the way to getting higher, six months ago I would have put it at a 3, I am in the process of making every effort to bring it higher. I recently starting taking boot camp classes 2/3 times a week at a place called The Power Center in my town, they blend Eastern and Western aspects into their workouts and each work out ends with a great stretch and a semi meditation. I feel FABULOUS afterwards. Because of the recent turn of weather related events in my area I have been unable to go consistently 2/3 times a week for 10 days but am hoping come next Monday I will be in full swing ( as long as my sons school is finally fixed and ready for students). I will say it is addicting. Spiritually I feel I am at 6, I don’t practice any religion on a regular basis but I do thank the universe daily for what we have, I have a semi regular habit of writing down 3-5 things I am grateful for daily (if I don’t pass out in bed before thinking of doing it) and I do feel that I spend a little time each day just to be still in my favorite chair outside no matter how cold. I believe that I have a good sense of inner peace, I hold myself responsible and accountable for my actions and thoughts and I have a strong sense of spirituality. Someone said to me once, religion is for those who believe in hell, spirituality is for those who have been to hell or something along those lines ;). I will never say I have had a bad life but I will say there was a time in my life that was absolute and utter hell, and when I stopped holding myself responsible for other competent adults I came out of it a better person and more at peace because of it. And because of what I experienced I appreciate my life so much more now. Psychologically…. I am STRESSED!!! Ever since the storm ( and I thank the universe daily our home was unscathed) my life has been in upheaval, my mother was staying with us on the pull out in the TV room, my kids were home for 2 weeks, my husband has been working dawn to dusk since Oct 30, when my kids finally went back to school my 5 yo is on a split schedule with the middle school so he is only away from home for 4 hours, my work schedule has been a little nutty, my mom drops laundry off for me to do at her whim and expects us to drop our priorities to help her ( I can’t blame her she did lose her first floor of her home), my week with no power was the least of my concern. I need a week on a beach in the sun just to recoup. My brain is fried so for this moment I put myself at a 4 psychologically. NOW I would put my physical score at about a 6.5 I have really made an effort to incorporate physical activity more into my life. I have been going regularly to my boot camp classes and have really been benefitting from it. When I can’t get to class I go for walks around my town or on the track at our local park. I enjoy the solitude of it. My husband bought me a heavy bag and pink boxing gloves for Christmas so I have also enjoyed punching and kicking on a regular basis, and it is a great stress reliever!! Spiritually I think I have gone down a bit I would put myself at a 4.5, I will find ways to improve this score by finding more time to meditate and bring myself to find more solitude in other way than just walking. I still and always will hold myself accountable for my actions but I think I need to step it up a nitch. Psychologically I am in a much better place than I was at the beginning of the term I would give myself a 7 in this department. This class has really taught me to open and calm my mind and I am so grateful for that. I realize there is only so much I can do and I need to let myself enjoy the little things in life and have more fun. During the next six months I need to focus on the goals that I have set and keep it going. Like a train that rumbles down the track I will do the same and keep on going but always take a break a reflect at the stops.  :) Best of luck to all!!!

Unit 9

Final Project Unit 9 Jen Hussey Kaplan University HW 420 Professor Dorette Nysewander January 14, 2013 Final Project I. Introduction: 　 I believe if you are going to be in a profession where people come to you for advice and help that you as a professional need to be as healthy as possible. Healthy is a broad term here meaning mind, body, and spirit because only when those three are interacting properly and connected can one be truly whole and healthy. Psychological health in the health and wellness profession is so important because of the simple fact that as professional we need to know where our heads are and how we stand emotionally. If we as professional are psychologically healthy we can help people better. Spiritual health in the health and wellness profession is important because when we have spirituality in our live we are more centered and healthier and in a sense happier. Physical health is just as important for a health and wellness professional as it is for any person you may meet on the street. To be physically healthy means less risk of disease and obesity, it also means that people who are physically active are happier and more motivated people. Because the endorphins that are released in the body from physical activity stay with you after the actual exercise motivation and metabolism stay with you and hence helps you exude a more positive attitude to everything you do. II.Assessment: Physical, spiritual , and psychological health are so important to me and since taking this class not only can I really recognize which areas I needed a little extra attention in but also when I am 'off' I can see what areas I am suffering in. Psychologically, I feel I am in a really good place most of the time, my relationships with others are well and I feel motivated and ready to tackle the next six months of Kaplan. I would rate myself higher than I did a few weeks ago. When I get frustrated with my school work or other work in my life and feel overwhelmed it affects me and my relationship with my husband, even though I don't want it to. I am just a tad bit crankier and tend to have a tone in my voice that doesn't come off very nice to him. I need to focus on me when I feel this way and possibly let him know how I am feeling and that if I come across cranky it’s not him it's me and I need to work it out. Usually that means just sit myself down and get going with my homework. The mental stimulation helps me be more psychologically better also. Spiritually I still need to grow, I feel like I have gone downhill in the past few weeks as I have not done my gratitude list on a daily basis in a month or so, I enjoy doing a daily gratitude list because it helps me know how much I have to be grateful for. I am not religious but I will say I am spiritual and I need to develop this aspect of my life more. I think in a way I used to be more religious years ago but now I just focus on me and my family and usually hopefully have time to sit in nature a few minutes a day. With more meditation I can help this spiritual side of me because I do realize I am a small peon in this great wide universe. I would love to ponder more spiritual possibilities. Physically, I am well on the road to greater things. I love the East West boot camp class I take and when I can't go I get cranky and I feel that I could honestly say my rating in this department has gone up since the last assessment. I see great changes not only in my body but my overall outlook on life and my daily focus. I love when I work out in the morning because I feel great all day long. It is very hard for me to get up at 6:30 to go and very often my Gemini twins argue with each other about who is going to win, the one who wants to go work out or the one who wants to stay in the warm bed until 7:30. I usually interrupt them and get my butt out of bed and go!! I need to set my goals to go to class at least twice a week if not three and walk two or three days so I will continue to feel fabulous. III.Goal development: Physical: Attend the Power Center three times a week and walk two times a week. I am currently attending the Power Center classes two times a week and walking maybe twice a week also. I would love to step it up and be physically active five days out of the week. Psychological: Stop having negative tones. I need to be fully aware of my brain status as it does affect the relationship with my husband. As stated before I tend to get negative tone in what I say when I feel behind on school work or just overwhelmed with life. I will be more aware of my mental status and be more active in not having the negative tones in my voice. Spiritually: I believe that if I incorporate more meditation into my life it will not only help with my spiritual side of life but it will also help my psychological side of life and reduce the negative tone in my voice when I get overwhelmed. Meditation will not only help my concentration levels but also help me grow spiritually. IV.Practices for personal health: Strategies are very important and I feel you must be very self-determined to incorporate them into your life. You also need to be able to be aware of warning signs if you are slipping. I can take many of the tools I have learned here and incorporate into my life. To be more physical I will stick to my goals and aim for achievement, I know I am well on the road to improved physical health but I need to constantly be aware and willing to strive for more. Incorporating yoga into my physical regime along with sticking to the goals I have set will help me physically and mentally. To be more spiritual I will incorporate meditation into my weekly activities, practicing the subtle mind exercise will help me be more spiritual as when I do practice it I feel so open to the universe and quiet. I love the quiet mind that comes with the exercise. I will also get back on the wagon and begin my daily gratitude lists. Psychologically, I believe the loving kindness exercise will help me with my stress when I get overwhelmed, as the exercise says “the mind is calmer when we give back loving kindness (Loving kindness practice, n.d.).” I need a calm mind to enjoy the little things in life and to focus on what needs to get done. I also need to implement more me time or should I say family time, I feel that we as a family get caught up in the rigmarole of life and we don’t do enough to enjoy each other. I realized this over the holidays as I took time to do something fun for my son and something fun for just me I realized that having fun is just as important as getting your work done whether it be your studies or your employment. V.Commitment: In six months I will revisit these goals and see how I have progressed or slacked. I will use my final day of school as my focus point to reevaluate myself. I feel that this is great time to sit and see where I am and where I have been. If I feel that I have stuck with my predetermined goals I will set higher ones, if I have not then I will look at myself honestly and see why and how I failed myself and reanalyze the goals set. My one combined goal is human flourishing, through this I can be a better persona and a better professional. When all of my goals are balanced I can flourish personally and professionally. References Loving kindness practice mp3 [Audio file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://kucourses.com/re/ DotNextLaunch.asp?courseid=7519047&userid=6412743&sessionid=ecf58dc2d9&tabid=9sGU9CmrYOgwoI+nH5u72KAERibmwwYqFWnMT1eMlwxd4ScnvhvhatXcMy4we2Vv0LmHa5SEB/VOGwEpmGVFNEHKobzwIcfyKS/EzweX2UiAq6L4nsl7l2hfR4zUxNjs&sessionFirstAuthStore=true&macid=yO/8SaRJiin9JQ3Ofaw4gI+daRcrmBNiaHjxq11YeGHaXLJuYYlh26e1TR2EQTfynXEI7KrIApVNvQ1vZq81LCkVRNUQ83Ifgf+qCdqk5TVKoSvZGm4+9D9ss54nu6S4iPbYIHYEVD04j4e4UrcFCOFZaiZsZ3KrEJWeNyVIG+WpCZ8ZiOtkFt9I7/FL28hZDGVy8L4OCuzJONA7wohg2ZN+svSvsfocEZJLhdoJpY2GI/jiR7E0Y2QzK6mxFNd1DCDPNyKL2mqKBvvYv8WX4k5fI3KpDyWGUnR3VhJ80cLmm58i7EVaHB01jPJJXF/1

Unit 8

My favorite exercises from this course were the loving kindness and subtle mind exercises, both of these exercises were easier to come by for me to focus on. I have a tendency to experience anxiety especially when I need to go away from my family or vice versa, I think in a way I have always used the Loving Kindness exercises when I have anxiety, as to calm myself down I would just focus on my family and picture us when we would be together again. The loving kindness exercise just helps me focus more on the love I want to put out to them while I am not with them. I really like the subtle mind technique as I felt very relaxed and rejuvenated afterwards, I need to increase the amount that I do this exercise as I do feel that I can focus better on my life and more importantly my school work when I use this exercise. I have two more semesters after this one ends before I get my degree and at time I have moments that I just want to say screw it. Not screw it in the sense that I want to quit but screw it in the sense that I don’t want to put 100% into my work and slack off a little. But then I think I would be really angry with myself for not doing my best and maintain a good GPA. I believe if I was to practice the subtle mind exercise at least once a week that this would help my mental fitness more!!

Unit 7

I sat and tried this meditation last week and I couldn’t focus properly. When asked to focus on someone wise who has passed my first thought was of Phyllis. Phyllis was a client of mine; I had been doing her manicures every two weeks for the past 13 years. She passed in July at the age of 85, I still cry when I think of her, she was a mentor to me, she was resilient, she was outrageously intelligent, she lived life to the fullest and didn’t take any BS from anyone, you never asked her opinion if you really didn’t want to hear the truth, but most of all she was full of love. I think of her almost every day and I miss her terribly. So, I try again knowing what emotions may come to surface. It wasn’t any easier on the second try but I knew what to expect as far as my emotions so I was able to control them a little bit more. It was nice to focus on Phyllis and to see her as if she was here with me and just know that through this meditation I could seek her out somehow, and yes I can realize now that all I strive to be more like her I am. "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" this is a great quote and I completely believe it to be true. How can one preach/ suggest/ teach something they themselves don’t practice or believe in? In becoming part of the nutrition field I need to be able to say to my clients this is how you should eat and also know that I can back up my suggestions because I also follow the same guidelines. I have been trying very hard recently to incorporate psychological and spiritual growth into my life. I feel more at peace with myself and definitely less reactive when something upsets me, of course we all have minor setbacks at times. This is when I realize I need to refocus my energy into what is positive for my own personal growth.

Unit 6

There’s a funny little thing that happens when I do the universal Loving Kindness exercise, I feel myself wanting to help more and I feel the energy. When I did the first loving kindness exercise a few weeks ago, I feel my happiness or love inside of me and as the exercise went on I could feel it radiating. Now with this exercise I do feel the energy radiating, and as we have learned that the power of prayer is real so is the Loving Kindness energy. I needed this exercise this week, my son lost a friend, and even though I have not seen him in quite some time his death affected me as a mother and also from knowing this boy since he was 4. His death also affected the whole community; the church today was standing room only. This exercise allowed me to envision my community and send energy out to everyone who is suffering in some way from his passing. So in a way it also helped me with the grief I feel for his mother and everyone affected. “Integral assessment helps us get from one level of development to another, progressively moving us toward our precious goal of human flourishing (Dacher, 2006, p116)”. This quote made the integral assessment all the more clearer to me and I realized that I have been doing some sort of integral assessing for some time now and not realizing it. I’d say for the past 9 months or so I have been taking inventory of my life looking back and looking forward, making decisions on how I want my life to go and where I need improvement physically and spiritually. When I look back I look back with happiness and sadness, I realize there are certain areas or actions of my life that I am not proud of, so I hold myself accountable for these and make decisions to make sure I don’t repeat actions I am not proud of. I look forward with grace and also realize that materialistic items that were so important years ago are no longer issues. I don’t need, I have enough and I am grateful for all that I have emotionally, spiritually, and physically. When I ask what aspect of my life now is a source of difficulty and suffering I have to think long and hard, and I come up with little issues that can be improved and focused on more. My health is good and much better than it was but it also needs a bit more focus and I think I am working to excel, I am more energetic, more aware of what foods I put into my body, and more active, but I need to continue my focus and not lose it. My interpersonal life with my family needs more time, I get caught up in school and sometimes work that I forget to take some time slow down and enjoy quality time with my family. I always work in tidbits here and there but I need to focus much more on family time and husband time and not think oh I should be studying or writing. I am going to continue to work out and go to my class as this gives me the stamina to get through the day and also helps me focus on improving my health, the subtle mind practice also helps me focus and gives me a recharge so that I am in a better frame of mind for my husband, myself, and my kids. Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health.

Unit 5

Wow! I really enjoyed this exercise much more than the loving kindness practice. Don’t get me wrong I am all for loving kindness but this subtle mind exercise really hit home and for once I can honestly say my mind was at peace. I have always said that it is hard for me to meditate because of the fact that my mind is too busy and constantly throwing thoughts at me, this time was so different. I don’t know if it was because I really needed some peace and quiet or that I am just learning tools to help my mind. At the beginning of the exercise I was very focused on the rising of my chest as I was told but throughout the exercise I realized that my breath was so low and I could barely hear or feel it. Because of the ocean waves I was visualizing myself on the beach , I know the voice tells you when a thought comes into play just focus on your breath again to bring your mind to silence, I did not do this but just seemed to bring my mind to the beach ( one of my favorite places). I am really excited for myself because this was really the first time I ever experienced true and utter mind silence!!!! I believe when we have wellness in all three aspects ( spiritual, mental, and physical) we can perform at our highest level in life. It is not an easy task to be ‘well’ in everything but with training we can succeed. I also believe that people are generally happier when they can have the mind- body connection complete.

Unit 4 Loving Kindeness

Two quotes from the exercise that I can relate with are “ the mind is calmer when we give back loving kindness” and “ loving yourself is essential before you love others”. I can relate and whole heartedly agree with these statements. This exercise as interesting to me, I could get calm and visualize most of what was asked, such as visualizing a loved one and their pan or suffering at the times, and I was even able to visualize a bit when asked to send loving kindness to a group of strangers. When asked to visualize all individuals this where it got difficult for me, maybe with more practice this will come easier, but I also felt that the time in between the visualization was a little long. I would visualize sending energies but after a while my mind would begin to wander off. When she (the voice) came back to suggest something new I was able to bring my wandering mind back also. This exercise is a great example of a mental workout as it makes you think of ways to train your mind to excel in loving kindness. It has been proven that you can train your mind to be more compassionate and also train your mind to handle stress better. I believe with mental workouts that you can be a happier, calmer, more giving person. After this exercise I am calmer and more focused, if this is something I am to do everyday I can see how this feeling of love, clam, and focus would stay with you all the time.