Unit 10 - The Final Week

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 Unit 3, I score my physical well-being a 4 and I believe that I remain a 4.  My physical health has not improved or declined since the initial assessment.   I have not started a routine exercise program yet but I am trying to become more active on a daily basis.  As for my psychological well-being, in Unit 3 I graded myself as an 8 and now my current grade would be a 3.  I feel that this has decreased because I am developing some anxiety and possibly some other issues.  Full time school and full time work is taking its toll on me.  To help with this, I have cut back to 4 days a week in hopes that this will allow for some de-stress time; however, the real reason I cut back is because I have two Master’s classes starting in two weeks followed by my Capstone in Nursing program which will be extremely time consuming.  Spiritually, I rated myself a 5 in Unit 3 and keep that same grade now.  I am far from where I want and need to be; however, I serve a God who never leaves my side and through this ‘knowing’ I find comfort. 

2.        Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.  After reviewing the goals and activities that I set for myself in Unit 3, I honestly have not met or even started moving toward any of them.  I honestly cannot see me starting or adding anything new to my life until school is finished.

3.        Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.  I have not implemented any of the activities yet because of time.  Again, I honestly cannot see me starting or adding anything new to my life until school is finished.

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 have enjoyed certain aspects of this class while other aspects were difficult for me.  This course has forced me to look at my entire self and really see who I am and the areas that need remodeling.  This has been both difficult and rewarding.  I know I have a lot of work to do but I am reminded of the following quote: “A bucket is not filled with water by the first or last drop.  It is filled by the collection of a very large number of drops” (Dacher, 2006, p. 58).  Before I can assist others with integral health, I feel that it is important that I improve my own integral health… only then can I truly be of assistance to others.

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

UNIT 9 - FINAL PROJECT

Integral Health

            Health can be defined as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being; not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1948)” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 46).  Integral health can be defined as a health which is “self generated and self cultivated, that leads to a comprehensive, holistic, and far-reaching healing of body, mind, and spirit and that is immune to life’s adversities, including disease, aging, and death” (Dacher, 2006, p. 3).  Integral medicine is the practice of treating the patient more successfully and proficiently (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005, p. xix). 

            This paper will discuss the importance of developing integral health in the health professional.  It will also include an assessment of my health along with a goal for my physical, psychosocial and spiritual health.  I will discuss strategies for development of my personal health.  Lastly, I will explain my commitment tracking plan which will allow me to assess my progress or lack thereof for attaining health and wellness.

Introduction

            The psychological, spiritual, and physical health and wellness of professionals are essential.  Affective care comes from individuals who are able to effectively care for themselves.  I believe that it is important for the health professional to be aware of his/her integral health along with the accomplishments, current state, and areas that are in need of improvement.

            I feel that I could stand to improve on all levels (spiritually, psychologically, and physically) of health.  Since starting school full time and working a full time job, I have become a different person.  This person that I have become is less spiritual and definitely less physically active.  I feel that I need to change all of these areas to achieve my integral health goals.

Assessment

            I have assessed my healthiness in each domain of integral health by examining myself and enlisting the observations of my family.  My family will attest that I am not the same person that I used to be.  The following are observations from my family: “easily angered”, “nervous”, and “consumed by school work all the time”.  I agree with their observations and add the following of my own: anxious, obsessive compulsive to a certain degree, and unsettled. 

            From physical health standpoint, I would score myself a 4 on a 0-10 scale.  Since starting school in February of 2012, I have gained a good bit of weight and have developed some other medical issues.  I cannot seem to find the time or the energy to exercise.  When I do get a few spare minutes, the last thing I want to do is exercise.  To be honest, I am tired and extremely ready for school to be finished so that I can focus on my family and my health.

I would score myself a 3 on a 0-10 scale for psychological health as well.  Again, I do not like the person that I have become.  I just told my husband this morning that my insides feel like they are constantly quivering.  I have forgotten how to relax and enjoy quite moments.  My mind is constantly racing and swirling with thoughts of school and uneasiness.  I am unable to concentrate on the meditation exercises and find that I can only seem to complete a few minutes of deep breathing exercises before I am thinking about something else. 

On a spiritual level, I would score myself a 5 on a 0-10 scale.  At one point in my life, I would have given myself an 8 or a 9.  I used to have a music ministry, lead praise and worship at my church, teach children’s church, and directed of the youth praise band.  I have let all of this dwindle away and only seem to be able to manage short breath prayers before my mind wonders again. 

Goal Development

My physical development goal is as follows: Through diet and exercise, I will lose 30 pounds and decrease my blood cholesterol level by 15 milligrams per deciliter within one year of graduating.  For my spiritual development goal, I have decided that I will rejoin the praise and worship team once by BSN is completed.  I will also begin daily devotions, dedicated prayer time and daily bible reading.  Lastly, my psychological goal is to begin a daily meditative practice such as the Loving Kindness Exercise but not until school is finished. 

Practices for Personal Health

I will implement walking and calorie counting in order to foster growth in my physical health.  For my spiritual health, I will implement daily devotions and bible reading, allotted daily prayer time, and I will re-join the praise and worship team at church.  Lastly, I will implement yoga and meditation into my daily routine.  (I have to add here that I will not be able to effectively start any of these until I am finished with school.  I simply do not have the extra time or the mental capabilities at this time.)

Commitment

To hold me accountable, I am going to enlist the help of my family, friends, and church family.  My daughter has agreed to monitor my progress on a monthly basis, encourage me, and walk/count calories with me.  She has also volunteered to join me in morning devotions, prayer time and bible reading.  My church is holding me accountable to return to the praise and worship band.  The congregation knows that October 8^th is my last day of school and they are expecting me to be up in the pulpit with the praise and worship band on October 13^th.   I believe that my family and friends holding me accountable is the most effective way for me to maintain my short term and long term practices for health and wellness.

In conclusion, Dr. Pert said, “The mind is the body, the body is the mind” (Dacher, 2006, p. 18).  This class has opened my eyes and made me realize that my integral health is a wreck at this point in my life.  I have a lot of areas that need improvements.  I feel that I have set goals that I can use to change my lifestyle and work towards a better life of integral health.  I also believe that my support system of family, friends, and church family will hold me accountable towards achieving all of my short and long term goals. 

References

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

Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., and Micozzi, M.S. (2005). Consciousness and healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St Louis, MO: Churchill Livingstone.

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2012). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (8th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier.

Unit 8 - Review of Exercises

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.

I have reviewed all of the above mentioned exercises and practice sessions and honestly...the only meditation practice that even partially works for me is meditative breathing. I think that my mind is just too busy at this time in my life. I cannot stay focused on anything (other than school work) for very long before I start thinking about the school work that needs done.

If I were able to utilize any of these exercises, I would definitely utilize the Loving Kindness practice. I loved the concept of this exercise and believe that it does induce mental health and fitness. With practice, my goal is to one day be able to “Take in the suffering of [a] loved one on the in-breath, and on [my] out-breath send out health and joy” (Dacher, 2006, p. 69). I feel that I could incorporate this into my daily practices through intercessory prayer. After prayer time, my mind is clearer and maybe even a little more mentally fit. I know that “With God, all things are possible” and I will accomplish improved mental fitness with His help.

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

Week 7 - Meeting Aesclepius

This week’s meditative practice, Meeting Aesclepius, started out great and for a while I was able to focus completely and do exactly as the exercise instructed. For whatever reason though, when the white light was to shine down on the person, my concentration broke and my mind became full of all kinds of thoughts, feelings, and I actually started to become anxious. Try as I might, I was not able to return to the calm and focused state that I experienced just moments earlier. I do feel that meditation fosters spiritual and psychological wellness by clearing our minds of clutter that only causes confusion and animosity. I am going to have to take the meditative exercises in small doses and work my way up because it just seems that my attention span is extremely short for these types of practices these days. I am going to make an honest effort to practice and utilize contemplative exercises in the future because I do believe that it fosters greater health and wellness. I used to work with a cardiologist who was about 75 pounds overweight, smoked like a freight train, and became short of breath just walking from one exam room to the next. He would always preach to his patients the importance of diet, exercise, and proper health which included cessation of smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol intake. Needless to say, the cardiologist did not last here in town for very long because the patients simply did not care for someone who did not take care of himself telling them what changes they needed to make to improve their health. I believe this story could be represented by the following saying: “One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself” (Schlitz, Amorok, & Micozzi, 2005, p. 477). I do not think that I am obligated to my patients to develop my health psychologically, physically, or spiritually. I choose to want to better my integral health which will enable me to respond to a patient’s needs better. My personal psychological and spiritual growth is an ongoing process which will develop and mature throughout the rest of my life. Schlitz, M., Amorok, T., and Micozzi, M.S. (2005). Consciousness and healing: Integral approaches to mind-body medicine. St Louis, MO: Churchill Livingstone.

Week 6: Helping Others and Self

This week we were asked to practice a Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise that requested we repeat the following phrases for 10 minutes: “May all individuals gain freedom from suffering. May all individuals finds sustained health, happiness, and wholeness. May I assist all individuals in gaining freedom from suffering. May I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness, and wholeness” (Dacher, 2006, p. 93). This exercise made me think of my career as a nurse and how I try everyday to help my patients be free from suffering which leads to health, happiness wholeness. The Integral Assessment process turned the focus away from others and focused the spotlight on our own personal practices and progress towards integral health and healing. Dacher (2006) explains that “Where we place our effort depends on what is relevant to our life, what aligns with our abilities, and what is actually possible given our circumstances” (p. 114). Through the assessment, I really did not discover anything new about myself. I already knew that I am stressed out, out of shape, and farther away from God than I am comfortable with. I am also aware of culprits for my findings. Honestly, I would love to work on all of my areas of need; however, I cannot seem to find the time to change anything in my life at this time because of working full time and going to school full time. I know it is possible to lead a somewhat normal life while going to school but I just can’t seem to figure it out. At this point in my life (until school is over), the best exercise I can implement to foster greater wellness, especially mentally, would be a breathing meditation exercise. I think these would be the most helpful to induce calmness and facilitate de-stressing. Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Week 5 - The Subtle Mind

1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc. This week during the Subtle Mind practice, I was actually able to complete the entire practice without falling asleep! This is a big accomplishment from last week. I found that last week I was frustrated and not able to quite my mind enough to even concentrate on my breathing. Dacher (2006) simply explains that sometimes when the mind “just won’t settle, you will have to be satisfied with observing how agitated your mind, body, and life actually are” (p. 77). Instead of agitation, this week I found that my focus on breathing greatly improved; but, my mind continued to wonder about and I had to constantly let the thoughts, feelings, and images pass then revert back to my breathing focus. I did find myself thinking how much longer the exercise would be but was able to let the thought pass and return my concentration to my breathing. This wondering of the mind occurred every few seconds which tells me that I need a lot more practice. I must admit that I did feel more relaxed and able to concentrate after the exercise. 2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life. There is a definite connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. If we look back to Dr. Pert’s statement of “The mind is the body, the body is the mind”, we are reminded that the mind and body are definitely interconnected. Dacher (2006) explains that “A mental event can lead to a physical event” (p. 17). I know that when I am stressed to the max…which seems to be quite often lately, my body lets me know it by developing headaches, cold sores and colds. As I am writing, I have a terrible cold and a huge cold sore...do you think my body is trying to tell me something? Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Comtemplative Practice

Grrrr….not being able to do these exercises is very frustrating. I just do not seem to be able to quiet my mind enough to be able to enjoy these exercises. I really admire people who are able to shut out the rest of the world and concentrate on what the voice is prompting them to do. I LOVED the sounds of the ocean waves and the flute music but just was not able to focus enough for the exercises. I think maybe I am too busy and I just can’t seem to let everything go. I found myself wondering how long this exercise would last, thinking about the things I needed to get done around the house, and the homework I needed to get done. A mental workout is also called contemplative practice. The “aim of contemplative practice is not rest and relaxation but rather the progressive development of an expanded consciousness and its healing capacities” (Dacher, 2006, p. 65). Contemplative practice has been used for centuries in the East and are proven to “tame and train the mind, open the heart, expand consciousness, and progress toward psychological flourishing” (Dacher, 2006, p. 66). Just like with any exercise program, it usually takes time before results are seen. The same is true with a mental workout. Training the mind requires effort, perseverance, and practice, and discipline. Hopefully someday I will be able to accomplish this expanded consciousness and the benefits of healing that go along with it. Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

My Wellness Reflection

“A bucket is not filled with water by the first or last drop. It is filled by the collection of a very large number of drops” (Dacher, 2006, p. 58). When I look in the mirror, sometimes I like what I see… and sometimes I do not. Sometimes I see a person who is content with herself and the person she has become…and sometimes I do not. Depending on the day, sometimes I am in awe of God’s creation and sing His praises for making me just the way that He did…and sometimes I do not. The following are the required questions (and hence – the required answers) for this week’s blog assignment: Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why? Physical wellbeing: 4. I give this rating because I am overweight, have hypertension, and borderline hypercholesterolemia. Spiritual wellbeing: 5. Scripture tells me that God will never leave me nor forsake me. I give praise to my redeemer but I do not spend as much time in prayer, study, or praise as I should. Psychological wellbeing: 8. I haven’t totally lost my mind…yet.  Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological). What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal? Physical: I will exercise (Just Dance or walk) with my daughter for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. Spiritual: I will do my daily devotions and daily Bible reading every morning before going to work. I will get up earlier if needed to allow for this time with God. Psychological: I will schedule one night per week to spend uninterrupted quality time with my family which will also facilitate in de-stressing. I will not do any homework or even look at the discussion board on this night. Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. To hear this exercise, click here. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.) Well…The Crime of the Century (still not sure why it is named that) must have been too relaxing because I kept falling asleep every time I tried to complete it. I even tried at different times of the day and the next thing I know, I am waking up and the exercise is over. Not quite sure what the difference is this week. Even though it is the same soothing voice and the same light background music, I was never able to feel grounded, complete, or totally relaxed without falling asleep. Anyone have any suggestions? So, after answering all of those required questions, I am left with these thoughts. I know without a doubt that I am nowhere near where I want to be on the wellness reflection scale. I am the only person who can change these issues. I will change…one drop in the bucket at a time. Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Journey On

"The mind is the body, the body is the mind." - Dr. Candace Pert After experiencing "Journey On", I really began to understand the above statement made by Dr. Pert. By simple thoughts, I was able to totally relax (without falling asleep!)and move the blood flow from my abdomen to my arms. I have to be honest and tell you that at first I thought...this is crazy! It will never work! Well, I am eating my words because as I sit here and type this blog, I am more relaxed than I have been in a long time and my arms are still warm and tingly. Dacher (2006) states that "The condition of our body is a reflection of the condition of our mind" (p. 18). I have a long journey ahead of me to reach my destination of optimal health but I think this is a great way to take the first step to "true flourishing of [the] mind, body, and soul" (Dacher, 2006, p. 19). Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.