UNIT 10 BLOG

When I scored myself on my personal assessment, my psychological and spiritual health were good but I felt I needed work. My physical health not so good. I feel as though I am making progress with my goals of achieving optimal psychological health with implementing some oft te stress managment techniques. My scores for physical and spiritual health have not changed because I have not actually implemented any of the activities into my life to do so. With that being said I do feel hopeful about it, I just haven't actually had time to do much.

The only area I have improved in so far is psychological health. I have been trying to change my perception of stressful situations. I have also been using some of the relaxation exercises from the course. As I mentioned, I still have to actually put the goals I seet into practice.
Over all, I feel that I have learned a great deal from this course and have some useful information to take with me into my career. I feel that if I stick to my plans to achieve my goals and maintain my health once I reach them, it will imporve my life.
I look forward to what my career will bring and what I can do with the knowledge taken from this course.

 

UNIT 9 PROJECT

Tiffany Miller

HW 420-01

Unit 9 Project

I.                   Health and Wellness professionals have a responsibility to patients to provide care and advice to the best of their knowledge. As many people rely on feedback from professionals, it is important that these professionals live up to expectations and meet demands. Health and Wellness professionals are expected to be educated thoroughly on any treatment suggested for their patients. They are also responsible for continuing their education. Health care standards and procedures are always changing; it is the responsibility of the professional to be aware of changes related to their profession. The best way for health and Wellness professionals to keep educated and offer sound advice to patients is to “practice what they preach”. Education is more than just knowledge of materials and teaching is more than just telling others what to do. As a professional in the health and wellness field, it is important to develop in all aspects of health, physical, psychological, and spiritual. First-hand experience in what one teaches allows the professional to flourish in health and wellness.

II.                I anticipate becoming a health and wellness professional when I graduate from Kaplan University. Although my career choice is not definite yet, I do know that assessment of my own mental, physical, and spiritual health will be crucial to it. Until recently my primary focus was on physical and mental health. Spiritual health was not much of a concern to me. I know now, especially after my recent courses, that all three areas of health are imperative to optimal health. Beginning with physical health, I have assessed myself by how much I have to seek medical attention (excluding routine visits). How often I need to seek medical attention coincides with how I feel for the most part, another way that I assess myself physically. In my opinion physical health is easier to assess because changes that are visually evident may take place when physical health is impaired. For example; hair and nails can become brittle due to protein deficiency or irregular thyroid function. I assess my mental health based on how I cope with stressors without the assistance of mental health professionals and/or medication. One aspect of health that I did not really consider much in the past is spiritual health. Spiritual health affects perception immensely. Although impaired spiritual health indirectly affects mental and physical health, it can still have a significant impact on them. Spiritual health addresses perception of stress as well as religious views. I assess my own spiritual health by my ability to trust in a force outside myself and whether I can let go of an issue that is out of my control. I have a very difficult time of “going with the flow”. I find myself trying to fix problems that are clearly not mine to fix. I feel that optimal spiritual health would give me the ability to trust more in the order of things and reduce my stress significantly.

III.             Based on my assessment of my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, I have identified strengths and some weaknesses within myself. There are some areas in which I would like to develop to achieve desired integral health. Physically, I am both satisfied and dissatisfied with my health. I am completely satisfied with my physique; my goal is simply to maintain it. I am dissatisfied with how I feel physically due to issues with chronic pain.  My goal physically is to find a natural treatment for my chronic pain and to feel better in general. My goal psychologically is to change my perception of stress and avoid my habitual tendency to negatively react to it. My goal spiritually is to implement what has been and is being taught to me religiously as a way of coping with stress.         

IV.             To achieve the goals I have set for myself physically, mentally, and spiritually, there are certain practices I need to incorporate into my life. My goal physically is to alleviate chronic pain, naturally. As recommended by my doctor, I will use physical therapy and exercise to achieve my goal. Water aerobics has worked in the past with minimizing joint pain and stiffness. I also jog to help strengthen my muscles and take some of the work load off of my joints. My goal psychologically is to change the way that I perceive stress. I feel that I can achieve this goal by practicing some of the exercises learned in this course. For example; work is one of my top sources of stress, especially because I do not particularly like my job. By viewing this stressor as a stepping stone toward my career rather than something I am being forced to do, I can reduce the stress of work. My goal spiritually is to implement what I believe religiously into my life to cope with stress. To me, the purpose of prayer is to gain a sense of understanding and find some level of contentment. I want to use prayer more often in my life to help me cope with stressors beyond my control.

V.                I can assess my progress with these goals by keeping a journal to record my feelings and a log to record exercises. Journaling can serve as a record of progress and lack thereof, by supplying the user with a source of comparison. The best way to keep track of progress is by making periodic comparisons. Every two months for the next six months, I can assess my health in all three areas and compare it to this initial assessment. I do not have concerns about motivation; my only concern is allotting myself enough time to incorporate these activities into my everyday life. To prevent issues with time management, I need to time each activity and assign them to different days and times that work best with my schedule. The most important thing would be sticking to those times so that these exercises become habit. Changing my perception to reduce stress is a very difficult task if constant effort is not put into it. It is imperative for me to consciously redirect my thoughts to achieve my goals.                                                                                                   

UNIT 8 BLOG

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

The two exercises that I found to be most useful from this course were the subtle mind exercise and the loving-kindness exrcise. As many others have noted, many aspects of these exercises are much like prayer. Personally, I feel that prayer is a great way to implement these practices. Another way that I can implement these practices is by using the tips provided in training the mind to alter perception of stressors. For example; rather than viewing a task as yet another responsiblity, I can view it as a step toward achieving a goal (i.e. obtaining my career, paying off my car, etc). Many of the issues that cause stress in my life are things that are out of my control anyway. I need to look at these issues as what they are, out of my control, and focus more on things that I can actually change.

UNIT 7 BLOG

My meditation practice for the week consisted of focusing on positive thoughts. I also incorporated some of the techniques from the loving kindness meditation exercise as some of my stress was related to what my close friend was going through. Meditation is a great way to analyze the root of a stressor which was very helpful for my psychological wellness.  I found that acknowledging the stressor and focusing on a more positive outcome helped me to face the stressors and move on. I will continue to meditate long after this class, it is actually my only form of mental relaxation.

In regards to the saying "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself", it means that it is difficult to effectively teach someone without being knowledgeable on the topic yourself. We cannot preach the importance of wellness as a whole, if we have nothing to compare it to. It is also easier to empathize with someone that is unsuccessful if we have tried and failed in the past as well. I know that I can implement psychological and spiritual growth into my own life by practicing these relaxation exercises and also taking what I believe in most deeply and implementing it into how I go about solving a problem or managing stress. 

UNIT 6 BLOG

I will admit that I did not expect the Loving Kindness meditation to have the impact that it did on me! First, I began the exercise completely focused on myself and how it would make me feel more relaxed and at ease with my struggles. I realized that the transition from focusing on my own problems to focusing on the problems faced by others, really allowed me to empathize. When I repeated the phrase in my mind for 10 minutes, I truly began to realize that my problems are minimal compared to the collective faced by the general population.

 

The integral assessment was really helpful in identifying areas of my life which need focus and attention. This assessment directs all attention toward personal concerns and stressors, then gradually peels them back until your are left to focus on the problem you do not want to face. The good thing about this assessment is it makes you feel as though addressing the issue (s) gives you a sense of control over them. It helped me to understand what my goals are in diminshing the stressor and what I can do to reach those goals. One of the exercises that I will continue to implement, long after I am through with this class is meditation. I honestly had no idea of the sense of awareness to be gained from it. After these exercises and meditation, I do not feel trapped under my problems, I realize that if there is a way to resolve them, a clear mind is the first step in doing so.

UNIT 5 BLOG

Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc.

While I found both exercises particularly relaxing, I enjoyed the loving kindness exercise a little more. Both exercises seemed to have the same goal ultimately, which was to obtain a "peace of mind". The loving kindness exercise seemed to focus more on actually adressing the issue while the subtle mind exercise seemed to focus more on clearing the mind. Aside from these similarities and differences between the two, I found them equally useful. They both helped me to achieve a relaxed state by the end.

Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

Spiritual, mental, and physical wellness are completely different types of wellness but are interconnected. These types of wellness are intertwined so that health or illness in either can have an effect on the others. The connection between mental and physical health are impacting my life at this moment. I do not want to get too much into detail but I am going through a great deal of stress. I have noticed a rapid decline in my physical health since the onset of this particular stressor. I notice that on days where I do not feel as stressed, my body is not as sore and I am also not as exhausted. I have been trying all of the exercises that we have covered so far to alleviate mental stress. I have to say that it has been working, although I know I have a long way to go and need to eliminate the stressor.

Unit 4 -Loving Kindness

Describe your experience. Did you find it beneficial? Difficult? Why or why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or why not?

I found the "Loving Kindness" experience very beneficial. It not only helped me to feel a sense of control over my emotions for my loved ones; it also gave me a sense of hope and peace about uncontrolled factors such as the struggles faced by my loved ones. The only difficult part of the exercise was having to face my own suffering and my loved one's suffering head on. I usually try to avoid dwelling on and thinking about situations that are out of my control or that make me sad. This exercise kind of forces you to take on things that you normally try not to think about. The beneficial part of it was that it allowed me to realize that I can still feel happy and hopeful after addressing these issues and that small gestures and contributions can help. I would recommend the exercise to others but not to everyone. I think that people who are faced with the grief of uncertainty or a lost loved one could find this exercise rather difficult. Personally, I think I might find it more difficult depending on the circumstances. Over all, it was a useful and helpful exercise though.

 

What is the concept of "mental workout"? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a mental workout? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health?

 

Mental workout can range from testing memory and recollection to meditation, focusing, and comprehension. The benefits of a mental workout are better memory, increased ability to notice detail, and a better understanding of stress managment and problem solving. With my workload and responsibilites, I can certainly use the benefits of a mental workout. For example, at a group meeting for my job, we were told that our jobs are actually the worse on mental health. It is very fast paced, noisy, requires a lot of multitasking, meticulous detail, and quick thinking. Sometimes my job is so overwhelming, I can forget what I had for breakfast that morning. I can use mental workouts to counteract the detrimental effects of such a highly demanding job.

 

Unit 3 Blog :)

 

 

My physical well-being at the current time is not very good. I would rate it at about a 5 because although I exercise and try to eat healthy, I still have some health problems. I have some joint and spine pain that my health care providers are still figuring out. Other than that, I think that my physical well-being would be pretty good. My spiritual well-being is a 10. I do not feel that I have any issues at the current time in that area. My psychological well-being is a tricky one. Although I am able to say that I have a healthy mind, circumstances and stressors can affect my psychological well-being. Over all I would say it is at about an 8; I cannot say that it is perfect because I currently work at a very highly stressful job. This wipes me out so much at times, I have a lack of emotion toward other things that I should for a short period of time. I do worry about the long-term effects of stress on psychological and physical well-being; however, I do not plan on working at the job I have forever. It is a step toward doing what I know I would really enjoy.

Below are a list of my goals in each area of health and some ways to achieve those goals:

 

Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).

 Physical Goal- resolve issue with joint pain through physical therapy and maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Spiritual-Keep sight of beliefs and values

Psychological-reduce over all stress through relaxation techniques such as meditation and physical exercise.

 

I found the relaxation exercise beneficial, I did it right before working on my blog and it actually helped me to clear my mind of everything else to focus on my blog. I would not say that there was anything frustrating about the exercise itself. I get frustrated with myself sometimes because I lose focus during these exercises and have to remind myself to stay focused. When you actually follow through with the exercises, they do help to achieve relaxation!

Hello Everyone

My name is Tiffany Miller,
I am a 26 year old resident of Pennsylvania. I enrolled in the health care field because not only does it offer a broad range of careers and experiences but it opens doors to many fulfilling relationships. I am also a cosmetologist, I model, and am very much into fashion and design. I have been married for almost 2 years. Some of my favorite things to do are: read, see new movies, sing, dance, and just laugh or try to make others laugh. I am excited about beginning a class which promotes over all wellness (a very important factor in a very stressful economy).  I cannot wait to share experiences with others via blogger! This is exciting!

A time to reflect

The past experience that I have had with relaxation exercise was a stress management class that I had last term. We learned how to identify stressors and triggers of said stressor; we then learned techniques to help reduce and prevent stress. Personally, my goal is to find an outlet for frustration that promotes maximum relaxation (such as yoga or meditation). For now, I have my own little hobbies to help me relax such as reading and shopping! I am really looking forward to beginning this class and am also very excited to have blogging as a relaxation exercise!