Unit 10: revisiting ratings

I rated my physical condition as a 7, my spiritual health as a 6 and my psychological health as an 8. These are the same rating I gave myself in our final paper and for basically the same reasons.  I’ll be honest; I did not do that well in meeting the goals that I set out. I increased my spiritual practice a little…I have completed Tai chi maybe 3 or 4 times since unit 3 posting, and have meditated a few times as well as participated in our assigned contemplative practices, however I did not achieved the 15 minutes a day of spiritual practice I had set out to do. Physically I planned on exercises 1 hour a day. I think this was too ambitious. My new goals are more realistic and also more scheduled so I think I will be more successful in achieving the goals I set out in our paper.  Although I rated myself the same psychologically, I feel that I have improved in this area a little. I continue to be less stressed about all the things I’m trying to fit into life and less reactive to certain situation. This class has helped me immensely. Although I did not change my practices a great deal during the course, I have learned more about the importance of contemplative practices and have been inspired by my classmate, professor, and by Dacher’ book to strive for a higher and more holistic health.

Unit 9: Paper on Integral Health

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?

           For true health and healing to occur, health professionals need to address all aspects of one’s health; physical, psychological, and spiritual. In addition, a health professional should be integrating wellness practices into their own life. To begin with, a healthy and well balance practitioner has a greater capacity to provide care for a client and to have the intuition to help that client achieve greater well-being. To assist individuals in achieving flourishing health or to assist them in improving their condition, a provider must have gone through the process themselves and know firsthand the strategies, challenges, and rewards of holistic health. Lastly a provider must be able to act as a role model and demonstrate the benefits of following the path of integral health outlined in Dacher (2006).

           An article by Raingruber and Robinson (2007) reviewed a study that examined the effects of contemplative practices such as tai chi, yoga, meditation, and reiki on the health and wellness of registered nurses.  The hospital involved in the study offered registered nurses the opportunity to participate in reiki, yoga, tai chi, or guided meditation for one hour a week over a three month period.  The end result was that participants reported an increased feeling of relation throughout the day, improved problem solving abilities, and an increased ability to focus on the patients need.

           A provider does not necessarily need to have mastery.  In fact, someone who has struggled or is still struggling to an extent may be the best teacher. However the health and wellness professional should be further along in mastery than the person they are teaching.  As Dacher (2006) explains, a healer needs to have tasted the fruits of flourishing health and know firsthand the benefits in order to motivate others. I believe that is should be the goal of primary providers to open their clients’ awareness to the concept of integral health and human flourishing

           I would like to be in a position (as a PA, wellness coach, or corporate wellness director) to encourage healthy lifestyles.  My goal would be to perform an integral health assessment with my clients and find the areas of suffering and potential growth and then to create a plan that is tailored to them. Depending on the clients current condition they may need to focus more on one aspect of their being; physical, spiritual, or psychological. Without this integral approach and recognition that physical aliment can be caused by mental imbalances, it may be impossible to heal an individual.

           To accomplish this goal, I must be a good role model. In the past I have been very physically fit and much more spiritually fit than I am currently. During a challenging time in my life, when I needed these skills the most, I let them go. My physical, spiritual, and psychological health was not “unaffected by life’s circumstance”, which is the ultimate goal of human flourishing (Dacher, 2006).  My biggest challenge is therefore to return to a fitness and spiritual level I attained in the past and be able to maintain this when life is busy and challenging.   Once I accomplish this, I can share my knowledge with others.

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

           In general I have assessed my physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being by using books I have read during my health and wellness courses at Kaplan University as well as by comparing my current condition to what I have achieved in the past and what I hope to achieve in the future.

           I assessed my physical health by performing fitness test outlined in Fit to be Well: Essential Concepts by Thygerson and Thygerson (2009) and by comparing my current activity to CDC recommendations and those in Motivating People to Be Physically Active by Marcus and Forsyth (2009). In addition I compared my health statistics to recommended numbers. 

           Thygerson and Thygerson (2009) outline several fitness tests. I completed one endurance test and scored a level 4 of 5.  I scored in the highest category for each of the flexibility tests as well as each of the strength tests. I have a healthy blood pressure around 90/64 and a healthy resting heart rate of 64 bmp. My cholesterol is borderline, with a total of 181, but I have a good ratio of HDL to LDL (159/122). I am 5’5” and weigh 139 lb, which equates to a BMI of 23.

           The CDC: Physical Activity for Everyone recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity or a combination of the two with 1 minute of vigorous activity being equivalent to 2 minutes of moderate.  In addition, 2 days of strengths exercises are recommended.  I am currently getting about 180 minutes of moderate activity and 2 days of strength exercise, so I am meeting these goals.  Marcus and Forsyth (2009) specifically recommend 20 minutes or of vigorous exercise 3 or more days a week, which I am not getting. 

           Overall I rate my physical health as a 7.  I am strong and flexible, but could increase my endurance.  Although I have healthy blood pressure, BMI, and heart rate, I do not have the energy and strength to do all the things I love.  Although my cholesterol is not dangerously high, I would like to see it lower. My current routine may be good enough to meet state standards and stave off illness such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers; however I know I can achieve much more.

           Using the concepts outlined Emotional Intelligence by Goleman (2005) as well as those in Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being by Seaward (2009), I analyzed my psychological wellbeing. According to Goleman (2005), emotional intelligence, which I equate to psychological well-being, includes “self control, zeal and persistence, and the ability to motivate oneself.” He discusses the different parts of the brain and the role they play. I consider one’s ability to manage stress to demonstrate psychological well-being. According to Seaward (2009), self-esteem affects one’s ability to deal with stress. I thought I had good self-esteem until about five years ago. This was easy when I got every job I applied for, succeeded in school and sports, and had emotional support.  I then went through a period where all of that was challenged and my self-esteem plummeted. In the last year, however, I have done a lot of inner work that has resulted in a stronger, more stable self-esteem.       I consider my psychological health to be an 8. I am able to think very clearly in emergency situations such as medical or high risk outdoor recreation (my amygdala responds quickly while my neocortex forms a plan) and control my emotions in argumentative situation (my left frontal lobe turning down the amygdala). However I tend to suppress negative emotions (my left frontal lobe over doing it).  I am persistent in perusing my goals, even in light of some major challenges, however I sometimes have moments where I just throw in the towel and choose unhealthy activities. Finally, I feel that I am self motivated. My success in academics and in changing careers at age 38 in testimonial. I have, however, been struggling to motivate myself to exercise, eat healthier, and meditate to the degree I would like.  But I do have a good self-esteem that is generally “unaffected by life’s circumstances”

           To evaluate my spiritual health I used the concept of psychospiritual flourishing outlined in Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing by Dacher (2006).  In the category of psychospiritual, he discusses three levels of the conative aspect; motivated by survival, psychological needs, or spiritual importance. He also discusses three levels of cognitive abilities; reactive, seeking purpose and truth, and understanding ultimate reality. Lastly he discusses the three levels of the emotional aspect; anger and fear, oscillating between afflictive emotions and transient pleasure, and stable and expansive happiness.  In addition there are four overarching levels of psychospiritual flourishing, which are sensorimotor, witnessing mind, calm abiding mind, and unity consciousness.

           I rate my spiritual health as a 6. In the past I regularly meditated and did tai chi.  In addition, I communicated regularly with a trusted source and was working towards finding my “life purpose”.  At the moment I am not doing any of this. My mind is fairly cluttered. I tend to fall in the middle category of the levels of psychospiritual development mentioned by Dacher.  I am more evolves emotionally and have experiences stable and expansive happiness. I feel that I am usually at the level of witnessing mind, but have experienced calm abiding mind.

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

           My physical goal is to increase my aerobic endurance and to regain some of the stomach and arm muscles I once had. Although I am considered a healthy weight, I would like to lose 10 to 12 pounds.  Increasing my fitness level can also lead to reduced stress; improve mental clarity, and a better self-image, therefore improving my psychological and spiritual health.

           Dacher (2006) discusses having a “healing presence that is acknowledging, comforting, ….. and infused with loving kindness”. My psychological goal is to cultivate this presence. In addition I would like to improve my communication with my husband and other people in my life with strong personalities, by addressing issues in a non-violent way instead of repressing emotions to avoid conflict. Many studies have shown that repressing emotions causes harm to the immune system (Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi 2005). Lastly, I would like to improve my motivation and self-efficacy.  My spiritual goal is to reduce the clutter in my mind and achieve calm abiding mind. A very important spiritual goal is to return to the he process of knowing, refining, and living my purpose.

           Practices for personal health:
What strategies 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.

           To achieve weight loss I will accumulate at least 180 minutes of moderate exercise a week, meeting the basic guidelines provided by Marcus and Forsyth (2009) and the “additional benefits” guidelines of the CDC.  To be able to fit this into my busy schedule, I will read for classes or my news periodical while riding a stationary bike at the gym on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. I will use my new heart rate monitor to make sure I am reaching a heart rate considered moderate activity. In addition I will wear the heat rate monitor during certain activities at work and while going on walks or doing yard and house work, so that I can count those minutes. To increase muscle mass, I will lift arm weights and do sit-ups while reading for classes or the news. I will complete this in 30 minutes intervals during the weekdays before going to work.

           In order to increase my endurance, I will get 60 minutes of vigorous activity a week. Again with my busy life, I feel that I need to multi-task. Dacher (2006) suggest using your physical workout as an opportunity for a mental workout by placing your attention on your breath and work out and quieting the mind.  Three times a week (Mon, Tuesday, and Saturday),  I will get my heart rate up to a vigorous rate for 20 minutes while using this time for contemplative practice.

           To reduce mental chatter and achieve calm-abiding mind, I will meditate for 15 minutes a morning on Wednesdays, Thursday, and Friday, which are the days I won’t be engaged in contemplate practice while exercising. Meditation is a great way to achieve overall mental well being, including the expansive clarity and clear seeing described by Schlitz, Amorok, and Micozzi (2005) Meditation also leads to lower blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol , which in turn leads to lowers stress related diseases such as heart disease and cancers (Seaward, 2009). 

           To live life more  purposefully, I will review the purpose information I acquired over a year ago. I will begin to act on the parts of my purpose that I understand. In addition I will try to gain further information through active imagination with “parts” and trusted source. These concepts are outlined in True Purpose; 12 strategies doe discovering the Difference You are Meant to Make by Tim Kelly. I will complete a minimum of 15 minutes of active imagination on Monday and Tues morning, at the same time I will meditate on the other week days.

           In order to improve communication and stop avoiding conflict, I will incorporate non-violent communication skills.  Rosenberg (2005) provides a formulaic and practical way to resolve conflict. The main three parts of the formula are to make clear observations, express ones feeling without criticism, and make a clear request. My plan is to review and outline the steps on an index card to put in my purse. When I am feeling angry, hurt, or frustrated, but not feeling like expressing myself, I will pull out the card for guidance.

           To acquire the healing and comforting presence discussed by Dacher (2006), I will return to the practice of tai chi a minimum of two days a week. I will complete this on Monday and Saturday. I know from experience that tai chi increases my focus. Dacher (2006) discusses the opportunity that one’s occupation can have in spiritual development.  In his book Peace is Every Step,  Thich Nhat Hanh (1991) discusses the mindful practice of  being fully present with whatever activity you are doing, whether washing the dishes or eating an apple.  I will use daily activities as often as possible to practice mindfulness.

           To improve my motivation, I will reduce my alcohol consumption. Alcohol can decease my motivation by acting as an unhealthy stress outlet. Instead of engaging in exercise, contemplative practices, or even healthy outlets such as gardening, I can instead have a drink of wine. If my stress is high enough and my self control is low enough that I  have 2 or  3 glasses of wine, then I may choose to unwind further by searching the internet or watching a TV series on my computer instead of completing school work or choirs. I will allow myself a total of three drinks a week.

            

Commitment:
How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

Strategies I will incorporate to complete these activities include time management, record keeping, and positive affirmations. According to Howley and Franks (2007), people with poor time-management and goal setting skills are less likely to be successful.  Making goals also helps you to think about practical matters such as scheduling.  According to (Thygerson,& Thygerson, 2011) goals should be realistic, quantitative, broken down in steps, have a timeline, and be important to the individual. I  have carefully examined my schedule, including time needed to complete school work and household choirs. In addition I have accounted for some flexibility to “make up” goals that I did not reach on the exact time and day originally planned

            I will keep track of my physical and spiritual activities as well as alcohol intake and other statistics in a grid format, so that I have a visual reminder of when I am succeeding in my goals and when I am not. As I stated before I will keep track of minutes of physical exercise in the moderate and vigorous zones using my heart rate monitor. To keep track of less specific goals such as achieving calm abiding mind and a healing and comforting mind, I will  journal once a week.

            Tice (2004) explains that making positive affirmation activates self correcting behaviors within you.  For example if a picture is crooked, we straighten it because we know it should be straight and we do this without effort. If your positive affirmation is “Now that I am at my ideal weight I have much more energy”, but this is currently not true, motivation will well up to make the inside reality meet the outside expectation. The positive affirmation that I will say to myself daily are the following: “Now that I am a healthy weight and more aerobically fit I have energy to do the things I enjoy and I feel better about myself” “Now that I am speaking my mind in a healthy way, I feel less smothered and more free” “Now that I am practicing mindful exercises and reducing my alcohol intake, I have increased clarity, increased motivation, and increased capacity to live my purpose and help others.”

Week 8: Contemplative Practices

We have been introduced to several contemplative practices. The Journey on Relaxation had us envision blood moving though our body, providing nutrient and energy to needed part, the Crime of the Century had us envision different light emanating from different areas of the body, and Meeting Asclepius had us envision a mentor or guide with all their qualities and being able to connect with that being and incorporate their qualities. While I liked the concept of these visualizations, especially Meeting Asclepius, I struggled though the whole process to actually see or have any images in my head. I just saw black and would then be so focused on trying to have an image in my head that I gained very little from the experience.

There were also contemplative practices that had us tap into emotions and feeling as appose to visions. We had a guided meditation on loving kindness that have us connect with the feeling of love and expand this feeling out to others even our enemies. There was also a loving kindness exercise in our book, involving wishing health happiness and wholeness to all individuals. This week we had an exercise that had us tap into feelings of happiness, wholeness, and radiant health.  These exercises were much more affective for me. I could feel love welling up inside me and emanating out when I practices both the loving kindness exercises. I then left the exercise seeing everyone has precious beings deserving of all the world has to offer.  I feel that I could incorporate this into a daily morning meditation. In addition, whenever I am experiencing frustrations with coworkers, loved-ones, or even strangers, I could pause for a moment and do this exercise.  When completing this week’s exercise I instantly felt better about myself. I could also clearly see imagines. I found it interesting that when ask to envision something I saw nothing, but when ask to tap into a feeling I saw clear images. I could also incorporate this into a daily meditation, but in addition use it when I am feeling low on energy or having negative thoughts about myself.

We then had the subtle mind exercise. This required us to concentrate on our breathing as a means to taming our minds and quieting the chatter. In the past I would practice an exercise like this for 30 minutes every morning, but at this point in my life I am having a difficult time. I get antsy and start thinking about all the things I need to do. I realize however that it is more important than ever right now.  Instead of 30 minutes or even 15 minutes, I am committing to five minutes a morning, so that I can make a realistic and attainable goal. Like the loving kindness and Taste of Human Flourishing exercises I can practice this throughout the day. When a car is “driving too slow” instead of getting frustrated I can take the time to focus on my breathing or when there is a free moment at work instead of thinking “OK, what can I do now”, I can take a minute or even 30 seconds to focus on my breathing.

Unit 6: Loving Kindness and Integral Assessment Exercises

I really enjoyed the loving kindness exercise. I performed this during my lunch at work and I found that when I returned to work (medical assistant) I had an overwhelming desire to be extra kind to coworkers and show sincere compassion to patients. I even felt compelled to show loving kindness to a collogue who has been especially…..well…bitchy lately. Sorry could think of another description.

The Integral Assessment was also interesting. The areas I determined as sources of suffering were not the areas I determined were ready for growth and development. Although I am considered healthy by “regular” assessment s (healthy BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, ect) I chose fitness and nutrition as areas for growth at this point.  I feel that I am a very kinesthetic person, biological health is something I understand, and I feel that higher levels of fitness, nutrition, and self-regulation is my gateway into higher levels of integral  health.  My social activism is where I consider myself the lowest level.  Between working full time, full time school, and doctors visits to deal with infertility I do not have the time to be giving back to society in the way I would like. However, I feel that I can easily improve worldly flourishing, but making by work meaningful and by sharing the knowledge I am learning with colleagues and patients.  One of my sources of suffering may be in the interpersonal quadrant as is too personal to share and one of my sources of suffering may be in the psychospiritual quadrant  having to do with searching for meaning and life purpose. These are areas however that I am prepared to put the necessary work into at this time.

Unit 5: Reflections on Subtle Mind Exercise

I really enjoyed the subtle mind practice. Although I also enjoyed the loving kindness exercise, they felt very different. The loving kindness felt expansive; taking an emotion and expanding it to the universe. While the subtle mind exercise felt more narrow. I understand that once your “mind is tamed” you can relax your grip on the breath and that if you reach the unity consciousness phase the feeling of expansion may exist, but I am not at this stage.

I like the explanation about witnessing replacing gasping.  I was able to practice this later in the day after listening to the tape in the morning. I felt angry over a certain situation and I caught myself being invaded by that anger. As soon as I recognized this, I felt that I was able to observe the anger instead and then figure out why that situation provoked anger inside me.

One very clear connection between spirit, mind, and body for me centers around stress. When I am regularly practicing meditation and tai chi (spirit), I feel that my mind is more clear and I am less stressed (mental and emotional), which makes my body feel healthy and relaxed. On the other hand when I let my spiritual practiced go, I am less focused (mind) and then am actually more clumsy (body). I am also more stressed (emotional) and then have tension in my body and increased cholesterol.

Reflections on Loving Kindness Exercise

I enjoyed this exercise more than the previous two relaxation tapes we listened to. I think the reason is that I like less talk. With the previous two exercises my mind was thinking “ok, shut up so I can start relaxing”.  This time it was the perfect combination between guided imagery and relaxing white noise.

I found that when I pictured someone I cared about into order to expand my love, I choose family members….my Dad, Mom, brother, niece.  I tried to do this exercise thinking about my husband and I was challenged. This of course disturbed me. Why can I expand my love for family, but not my spouse? And my spouse is a good person, maybe a little controlling sometimes, but a very good person with a kind heart. And it is not just him; I tried to picture previous men I was in love with and the same thing happened.  It’s as if I have a blockage to truly open up in that kind of a way. It is definitely a more vulnerable kind of love than family.

Anyways, I found excepting someone’s pain actually easy. And not in a martyr kind of a way. I felt it was healthy. I know that I was capable of letting their pain into my heart without it lingering and doing damage. It felt good. I felt that I was able to use my feelings of loving kindness to heal someone else’s pain. This is definitely something to experiment with in patient care.

This exercise is an example of mental work-out.  Working out your brain, your mind, and your body all have similarities. Through effort and perseverance you are strengthening a part of you and making yourself more capable. More capable of lifting something or running fast, more capable of solving a mathematical problems, or more capable of practicing love and compassion.  There have been numerous studies showing that practicing mindfulness has physical  benefits such as increased clarity, reduces stress and stress-associated disease, and faster healing  (Carmody and Bear 2008). According to Dacher (2006),there  have also been studies showing structural changes in the brain with contemplative practice. 

Carmody, James; Baer, Ruth (2008) Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program.. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 31 Issue 1. DOI: 10.1007/s10865-007-9130-7

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

Reflections of Relaxation Exercise

Hmmm, this relaxation exercise didn’t work for me as well. Although I feel like I am a very open and warm person, sometimes the intensely gooey lovey stuff turns me off a little. This is probably an issue that I should explore. I do like the idea of examining the different body parts and using colors to represent emotions, but it just seemed too detailed and a little exhausting. The main benefit of this meditation is that is showed me the emotions and ideas I am comfortable with and those that made me felt awkward and weird or just were not developed.