Introduction
As
a health and wellness professional it is important for me to be constantly
developing psychologically, spiritually, and physically which will keep me on
the path to integral health in my life.
By developing these areas of my own life I have more to give to
others. When I know peace I can share
peace, when I have loving kindness I can show loving kindness, when I know the
benefits of meditation I can share that knowledge with others etc. I cannot adequately share with others what I
do not all ready have within myself.
According to Dacher (2006), “We want to live with purpose, passion,
intimacy, and joy (p.1).” And when we
have those things within ourselves we naturally want to share them with everyone
around us.In order to achieve my goals I need to continue working on my time management skills. This will help me throughout the next year as I work at finishing up my classes and getting my degree. It is also an essential skill for every area of my life. Taking my natural tendency for flexibility and being loosely structured and incorporating a bit more structure and time management will help to bring a balance in that area of my life. The goal is not to lose who I already am, just to become a better, stronger, healthier version of myself.
Assessment
To
assess myself psychologically, spiritually, and physically I sat quietly praying
and meditating and used that time to make a personal assessment of my
life. I looked at how far I have come in
the past ten years and tried to take a realistic snapshot of where I am now in
order to help me set goals for the future.
My physical score would be about an 8. Since that number was only about a 2 ten years ago I am thankful for that number. Last year I had a bone scan and was told that I had severe osteoporosis. Having researched the data on bisphosphonates I told the doctor no thank you and that I would focus on reversing the osteoporosis with diet. He laughed and said there was no way that would happen. Last week I had another bone scan and I no longer have osteoporosis, or that doctor. Diet and lifestyle changes as well as my daily prayer and meditation have worked together to bring back my health in many ways.
My mental score is a 9. I try to stay positive and focused on the wonderful blessings that God has given me in this life. Sure, unpleasant things happen and life is not always easy or kind, but even in the midst of those tough times there are always little blessings every day to brighten the way, it’s just a matter of looking for them. I like to think of them as kisses from God. Life is a marvelous journey and well worth it.
My spiritual score is about 9 ¾ because I know that I am not perfect nor will I be this side of heaven. As an evangelical Christian, my score isn’t based on the fact that I am actively involved in my church and its ministries, but rather on my deep abiding love for, and relationship with Jesus. My daily walk with Him helps me to grow and develop spiritually which in turn helps give me the tools to share with and minister to others. It also gives me that calm assurance that I do not travel through this life alone, God is with me 24/7.
Goal Development
Dacher
says “To become the agents of a more expansive health, we must begin with our
own life (Dacher, 2006).” To do this I
need to continually assess where I am physically, psychologically, and
spiritually. Therefore, to help me grow, I need to look at old
goals to see if I have met them and to determine if I need to set new goals. Goals help me focus on changes that need to
be made, give me direction as to where I need to go, and act as an
encouragement when they are met.My physical goals are to continue juicing and exercising every day, slowly increasing the exercising as I get stronger and have more endurance. The other physical goal I have is to get to bed by 9:00 every night instead of 10 or 11. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night is important to my physical well being.
My psychological goal is to add a few more minutes every day meditating. This will help me develop strategies for reaching all of my goals, help me focus on the things that are truly important, and help me continue to find peace in a very chaotic, busy world. I also need to be better about sending weekly notes to my mother as well as notes of encouragement when I know of someone who is sick or simply going through a rough time.
My spiritual goals are to pray daily for God’s guidance in my life, and to find ways of ministering to, and serving others. Last week I signed up at the local senior center with the “Meals on Wheels” program to deliver meals to the elderly. Next week I will start delivering meals which will give me an opportunity to deliver not only food, but also love and encouragement to seniors who are homebound. In developing my own spiritual life through prayer I have the capacity to share loving kindness to others, which allows my spirit to minister to theirs. This is important for connecting to the world around me in a positive way.
Practices for
Personal Health
In
order to reach my goals I need to incorporate practices in each area of my
life. As Dacher (2006) puts it, “An
Integral Practice Program is a fully integrated and coordinated series of
practices. We create an integral program
by combining a series of practices that broaden the reach of any one practice
and then anchor and fuel them with contemplative practice (p.122).” For my physical practices I want to add a mile onto my walk aerobics routine and incorporate light weights into it at least three times a week for resistance. I will start setting my cell phone alarm in the evenings to help me get to bed between 9 and 9:30. Also, I will be mindful to get at least 3 fresh vegetable juices a day.
For my psychological practices I plan to incorporate at least two of the meditation practices we have learned this quarter into my current meditation time. Another practice that I will do is to put a weekly reminder in my day planner to send my mother a note. She doesn’t have a computer and loves getting letters. Along with this I will make it a point to call or write a note of encouragement as soon as I hear of someone who is need of it. We all need a ray of sunshine from time to time.
For my spiritual practices I will keep a prayer list of people that I want to pray for every day, rather than relying on my memory. This list will include family, friends, immediate concerns, and world situations. Another practice will be to continue to go to church regularly and to serve in ministries as needed. Most of all I will daily give thanks to God for the many blessings He has given me. I am so grateful to have such a faithful friend helping me through life.
Commitment
To
assess my progress in the next six months I will continue to do a weekly self
assessment. This will help me to see
where I am having success as well as the areas that still need work. It will help me to see the areas that I need
to focus on the most. To help me
maintain my long-term practices for health and wellness I will continue to pray
and meditate daily. This is where I get
my strength, my focus, and my purpose to get through every day. We all have the essence of human flourishing
within us; it’s merely hidden from view.
We just need to tap into it (Dacher, 2006).
Conclusion
As
humans, we are made up of our physical body, our mind, and the spiritual body. These three aspects of our being are not separate
entities working independently of each other; rather they are meshed together and
need to be nurtured as a whole. “All of
us want a life of authentic health, happiness, and wholeness. We want to go beyond our usual sense of
health and life. We want to live with
purpose, passion, intimacy, and joy (Dacher, 2006, p.1).” In order to achieve integral health and get
to a place where we are truly flourishing we need to incorporate practices into
our life that help to develop our physical, mental, and spiritual body. Practices such as meditation, prayer,
exercise, healthy diet, yoga, Tai Chi etc. help to bring balance to our life and put us on
the path to true health, wellness, and wholeness.
Dacher, E.S. (2006). Integral health the path
to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA.: Basic Health Publications, Inc.
Well Cynthia, here we are finally, at the end of this course, and this quarter. I'm beginning to see the end of the tunnel. I have truly enjoyed reading your blogs, and find relief, when I was at times very doubtful of some of the feelings I had to struggle through. Amid, my doubts and confusion, and not being certain on how exactly to approach a certain subject or exercise, you help to reinforce my belief and my stance.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what to expect when I signed up for this course, but because I believed very strongly in natural healing, I was willing to take a leap of faith. I have learned so very much from each unit, and from everyone's comments. I appreciate Prof Cindy's guidance and encouragement throughout the process, and especially allowing us to be who we are. The meditation exercises were just great for the most part, and the sounds of the ocean taking me back to a happier time in my life...my childhood in my tropical island home of St Lucia and St Croix, were especially rewarding in and of itself.
I believe I will be able to take a little of each person's experiences into my practice or career, to help give me the balance I need as I encounter the different individuals that I may have to assist or help. I was very glad to be able to apply the term "charity begins at home", especially when Dacher kept reminding us how important it is to first get ourselves well and in a place we're comfortable with, before we can begin to help others.
And finally, it is always so refreshing to be reminded of our human frailties, and that although we are all different, and that's a good thing, we all still have more in common that what makes us different. Thanks so much for your blogs, and God's blessings in your future endeavors. Maybe we may see each other at graduation:)