Reassessing

Looking back to unit 3 my life is definitely different and I am able to focus on other areas of my integral health. I was hyper focused on family due to necessity back in unit 3. Now I am able to focus more on myself and bring some balance back to my life. One way I am doing this is by going into work a bit early so that I can sit and do a body cleanse for a half hour at least once a week. During the body cleanse I bring a book, sit in silence and read. It is a very healing time for me. Spiritually not much has changed because I feel very balanced in this area. I suppose the one thing that I have started doing which could be considered spiritual is keeping a journal. I don't write in it everyday but at least I have spent time writing in my journal. My intention is to write in it more frequently. Physically I have reassessed myself and I am doing much better. I am taking the time to stretch and rebound in the morning before I go to work. Weather and time permitting I also go to the track next door and walk 1 or 2 miles. It feels so good to be exercising again. Nothing has been difficult for me during this class in terms of my experience. Since I am not hard on myself and realize that I can only do that which I am capable of I find that I don't focus on the negative but only the positive. This has been very healing because when you focus on the positive you get positive results. This class has been my favorite of all classes in my Kaplan experience. I feel that this class has helped me the most to figure out my career path. Integral health is such an important part of our life. In fact it is our life. I have enjoyed this class and the interactions with all my classmates and Professor Maule. I only want the best for all of you and myself :)

Personal Integral Health Plan

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically because they are in the business of health. In order to be an effective practitioner you must practice what you preach. If you lose the desire to advance your wellness then maybe it is time to find another profession. But more than anything, if you lose the desire to have integral health as the mainstay of your life than you have lost the meaning of life. The goals for my life are to continually assess, develop and grow in each area of integral health; psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal and worldly (Dacher, 2006). All of these areas are important to me and all need to be developed to achieve my goal of integral health. Currently the areas I feel need attention are biological, interpersonal and worldly. Through assessing each of these areas I am focusing on fitness for my biological aspect of healing. I have neglected to maintain my exercise routine these past few months due to extenuating circumstances. Interpersonally I am focusing on self. I have neglected myself for many years. I have set the intention to have fun this year and to do things that I enjoy. I have only two classes left until I graduate Kaplan. Kaplan has taken up the majority of my “free time” for the past 4-5 years. Worldly I am focusing on work. Since my daughter was in the hospital for three weeks, work suffered. Now that my daughter is on the road to recovery I have more energy to focus on work. This class has helped my focus remain centered psychospiritually. This class has helped me through a very difficult time in my life and I am thankful for the timing. Although the other three areas of my integral health have not been nurtured these past couple of months, I do not feel a sense of discouragement or loss. Instead of feel hopefully because I was able to remain intact psychospiritually which was what I needed at this time. My physical goal that I have set is to recreate a physical fitness plan. I am on a healthy eating regimen because that is a part of my life. However, I am exploring “Eat right for your blood type” (Dr. Lam, 2014) which I may implement fully into my life. My fitness plan will include yoga, I will be taking a yoga class twice a month, since it will be held where I work it will be easy and convenient to attend. Also, I will do a ten minute yoga stretch each morning before work and include a ten minute weight bearing exercise routine. I live next door to a track so I will also walk a mile 3-5 times a week. I really enjoy playing tennis and as the weather warms up I will play tennis at least once a week. I have also set the intention on hiking at least once a month. I love outdoor activities and since I live in East Tennessee right next to the Smokey Mountains the possibilities are endless. My psychological goal is to keep a thankful/grateful journal. I have had the habit of starting and stopping journals in the past but I have set the intention on writing in my journal 3-4 times a week. I realize if I set the goal for every day then I am setting myself up to not write at all. I feel that when I focus on things that I am grateful and thankful for then I do not focus on the negative. There is always something to be grateful for in my life. Spiritually I am setting the intention to meditate 3 times a week. Also, I like to listen to Tibetan healing sounds that I found on youtube.com. This music really relaxes me and I like to play it in the background especially when I am studying. I’m not sure if “grounding/earthing” (Sinatra, 2010) fits into the spiritual or psychological aspect of integral health. Regardless of where it fits, probably both arenas, I will be integrating this technique into my daily regimen. I have been “grounding/earthing” for years but never knew it had a name and didn’t realize the health and psychological benefits of grounding, I just knew it felt good. Grounding/earthing raises my vibration which is such a healing feeling. When I think about it, I want to raise my vibration in every aspect of my life. A healthy/vibrant vibration is energizing which appeals to me. I intend on evaluating or assessing my integral health at the beginning of each month. I have also set the intention on finding a like minded friend that can hold me accountable for my progress. I think the intention that I set several months ago has manifested. I recently met this woman and we instantly connected. We are meeting next week and I plan on asking her if she would like to create a “loose” accountability team with me. I realize she may not be interested but intuitively I think she will be! Since most of my children are integral health minded we tend to hold each other accountable. Even though I don’t always want my children to pay attention to what I’m doing (I think this may be pride) and to call me on it, I am willing to listen and consider their input. This is also why I wanted to find someone outside of my house to help hold me accountable. I am excited for my present life and my future. I feel like this year is going to be a year of self discovery and enjoyment. References: Dacher, E. (2006). Integral health the path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Lam, M. (2014). Blood type diet. Drlam.com. Retrieved January 12, 2014 from http://www.drlam.com/blood_type_diet/index.asp?blog=1 Sinatra, S. (2010). Grounding/earthing. Youtube.com. Retrieved January 12, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XumPQLTzPWI Tibetan Healing Sounds, (2013). Youtube.com. Retrieved January 12, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5dU6serXkg