Unit 9: Project/Blog Whew!

   

 MY REALITY   

      MY DREAM 

  Our society is too complex in my opinion to have a set of standards where everyone fits neatly into what is considered having the ultimate in physical, mental and spiritual health.   Suggesting that as a professional one is not capable of providing their clients with the necessary tools for achieving health and wellness until they have personally reached it themselves.

It is more important that we recognize in our personal lives where we need to develop psychologically and physically, however, depending on the point we are starting from the process could take longer given the daily responsibilities of many individuals.

Spirituality is important in the goal to achieve wholeness, but for many of us, we need to spend more time exploring and evaluating what particular practice of spirituality we will choose to provide us with the balance of having faith and coping effectively with the world around us.

With the 3 dimensions that are mentioned, I am a believer that through the commitment to physical exercise, the level of energy and mental focus that will be gained should allow me as a professional to manage assisting my clients or another type of career in the field of Public Health with more clarity and self assuredness.

     I actually will give myself a low score as it applies to physical fitness, the problem being that I fail to organize my day to include a solid exercise program, and to admit that purchasing equipment has not made a difference in the lack of management.

I have promised myself to not purchase any type of exercise equipment or videos, as I recognize the financial waste.

Mentally, I will admit to feeling ok and allow myself and high sore based in having an understanding of what it is I need to do personally and what will be expected of me in my career.  I have fortunately not fallen, victim to any activity that will cloud my thinking, therefore I am able to live in the reality of my life as needed, and hopefully make the best possible decisions.

My spirituality is definitely an area that I am not in total agreement with the authors of our reading material.  It may have a lot to do with my travels and interest in learning about other cultures and their religious practices. Therefore, I will give myself a medium score since I believe spirituality is a lifelong learning process that will help me maintain an open heart and mind to the beliefs of others.

     The psychological goal I would like to achieve needs to involve a method of meditative practice that works well for me as an individual.  I am of the belief now that it is necessary to quiet my thoughts which will no doubt be achieved through the visualization techniques as described through our readings.

For me I found myself more successful with this method, than with others suggested throughout the course.

Spiritually, I remain unchanged as an agnostic and with an interest in learning more of the teachings of Buddhism.  It is a personal goal that I become successful spiritually as well, but as a professional I can't allow that to prevent me from at least evaluating how spirituality plays an important part in the lives of others.

     In order to commit myself to a physical exercise program I know that taking a hard look at my daily routine will be the first task, since this is where I fall short in

commitment to a designated time, and view it as an essential part of my day such as I do for grooming.

I agree with the first of the "Eight Principles of Integral Practice", (Dacher, pp 118), that each small step I take to achieve an exercise program supports the next step or evolve into a more solid program. 

Even though I am focusing on physical exercise, this step will apply to my mental fitness, and like many who believe that both physical and mental health go hand in hand.

It is one of those areas where I can't deny the enormous amount of research material available that supports this theory.

In addition to this strategy, it will be necessary to include healthier eating habits and above all a sufficient amount of sleep.

Whew!

As stated before, achieving my personal goal in spirituality is not as simple to put into words as it is to be aware of what I believe at this point in my life and why I believe it.

I would just rather not be judged right now by anyone who is determined that I follow a certain path as part of my goal to achieve integral health, since it is such a personal and gradual journey for me, I believe I will know when I have achieved it.

     I truly hope for a line or barrier that I can cross, (I wish it were a true visible line), that lets me know that I have gotten to the other side of the areas I would like to achieve in my mental and physical well being.

It's almost as if I would do well with having a finish line to cross like I am running a marathon. 

After 6 months or so of working towards a solid health and wellness program, just having accomplished that amount of time with minimal failure will be an exciting accomplishment for me.

However, like most of us who have the responsibility of caring for others, I believe the constant acknowledgement of why we need to continue and or modify our programs should be evident in how we feel, and how we are performing in our careers.  We are confronted with the added emotional pressure of why it is important to take better care of ourselves, therefore, incorporating a physical exercise program, a meditation practice and yes a sound spiritual practice should sustain us for some time to come.

 I PLAN TO CONTINUE BLOGGING,   I ENJOYED THE COURSE,

EVERYONE TAKE CARE!

Dacher, Elliott S. M.D.  "The Eight Principles of Integral Practice".  Integral Practice.

     Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing.  Basich Health, 2006. Chap.12, p 118.