Then and Now

In week three, I rated myself as a 5 physically.  I really have made no progress physically in nutrition, but I am a work in progress.  I am in the planning phase, and this week, I plan on grocery shopping according to my family’s nutritional needs rather than based on the snacks and fatty foods that we crave.  We have been paleo (meat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts) before, and it really worked for us.  When I go grocery shopping this week, the only foods that will be brought into my home will have a positive nutritional value.  I guess I will be skipping out on the Oreos!

Psychologically, I rated myself as a 3-4 in week three.  Today, I would rate myself a 4-5.  There has been improvement because this class forced me to do some research.  When I have answers as to why I think a particular way, it raises my self-esteem, and the psychological aspect of me vastly improves.  It helps to know what I am talking about or at least think that I know.    

Spiritually is where I have seen the most improvement during these past 10 weeks.  In week three, I rated myself as a 1.  I would now rate myself as a 4.  I was able to research the many different sides of contemplative practices, and form my own opinion based on that research.  This helped to strengthen me spiritually.  While I never felt one way or the other about contemplative practices before this class, I now feel that I have developed an informed opinion.   While I have not read my Bible and prayed each day as I had planned, I feel that I have learned a lot that helps me spiritually.

I have not implemented all of the activities that I planned on in my daily life, but I will continue to work at it.  It is really a matter of time management for me.  I need to get up out of bed early to accomplish the practices that I need to make improvements.

Throughout this course, I really made an effort to participate in the contemplative practices.  They were mostly awkward for me.  I tried really hard to enjoy the benefits of these exercises.  Sometimes our own individual beliefs can interfere with our ability to succeed at certain things.  These practices just seemed strange to me.  I accidentally came upon some lectures on YouTube about Christian Contemplative Practices, and I looked at both angles.  Some people say that it can be incorporated into our Christian faith, and some said that it is impossible to incorporate it.  While I am certain many people find it to be helpful, I was unable to find any Biblical guidance that would encourage me to use these practices.  I know many people may not agree with me, and that is okay.  I understand that.  However, my own personal convictions are that contemplative practices are not meant for Christians to use.  That was a remarkable finding for me.  I was excited to research it and form my own opinion, and I have grown as a person from this class. 

I am happy to help anyone, and direct them toward more help based on his/her own beliefs.  If an individual is interested in contemplative practices, then I have some knowledge about it, and will be able to give him/her guidance towards success to integral health and human flourishing!  Thank you and God bless!

Amy L. Davis           

To Sum It All Up...

Introduction:

It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically so that we are able to be a reflection of what our clients can become or at least a reflection of the path toward the end result; human flourishing.  Primarily, I need to develop some physical and spiritual aspects of my life.  I need to develop physically through making better choices of how I choose to nourish my body.  I need to develop spiritually by understanding the reasons why I believe what I believe, and not just following others.  I need to take the path in which I believe is necessary to develop spiritually.  While contemplative practice has proven to be beneficial for many, after some research of my own, I do not believe that it is the path to human flourishing, but rather a type of religion with roots in mysticism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.  I do not believe that I can incorporate these practices because they do not keep in line with my own spirituality and religion.  I felt incredibly uncomfortable during these exercises, and my only regret is that I did not do research prior to this week on the origin of contemplative practices.  

Assessment:

For the first time in a very long time, I can say that my psychological health is quite good.  Sure I go through days when I am down, but it does not last for weeks and months like it used to.  My physical health is definitely an area that needs work.  I know what I need to do.  It is a matter of doing it.  I just have to muster up the motivation, and push forward.  Nutrition is a big part of physical health.  Everything that I eat can have a positive or negative affect on my physical health.  I can have all of the vitamins and minerals that I need in order to thrive through nutrition, or I can deny my body the proper nutrients that are necessary in order to operate efficiently.  I really need to improve the choices that I make in that area.  Spirituality is a deeply personal area, and it is often influenced by religion.  The Bible and prayer are my direct link to God, and I need to study the Bible, God’s word, every day in order to develop my spiritual life.  I also need to spend time in prayer daily. 

Goal Development:

My goal to improve physical health is to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to try to get all necessary nutrients through a well-balanced diet.  Psychologically, my greatest goal centers on stress reduction.  As a military spouse, stress comes primarily from the unknown.  I know we will be moving within the next year, but I do not know when exactly or where we will be moving.  Of course, we have to sell our house, so financial stress becomes a factor as well.  Stress management is an integral aspect in promoting psychological health.  So taking steps to manage stress is my main goal in the next year or so.  Spiritually, I need to study the Bible every single day, and pray every day several times.  Prayer also helps in stress reduction.  The serenity prayer can be said, but also it serves as a gently reminder that I do not need to stress out over things that I can do nothing about.  I only need to act on things that are within my own control.

Practices for Personal Health:

At this point, I have a definite inner struggle.  Do I say that I am going to implement the strategies outlined by Dacher in his book Integral Health:  The Path to Human Flourishing or do I implement my own practices that I have been taught that are in line with my own beliefs and morals?  I could use the subtle mind practice because as Dacher describes “this subtle and still mind is essential for integral health and life (Dacher, 2006).”  How essential is this subtle and still mind?  Have those who used other practices never attained integral health?  Are the subtle mind practice, loving kindness practice, and all of these other practices and exercises the only way to achieve health in every aspect of life?  I certainly hope not, and I will press on with the belief system that I can achieve integral health through the reliance on God and the Bible, not by reliance upon myself.  So physically, I believe that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says in I Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”  While this is speaking in reference to sexual immorality, I believe that it also pertains to how we treat our bodies in general, and that I am to treat my body as a temple that the Holy Spirit dwells in.  That would require me to take care of my body by eating healthy, and staying in shape. 

Psychologically speaking, the Bible says in Philippians 4:8-9, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”  Emptying my mind of distracting thoughts is not how I plan to achieve psychological health, but through redirection of my mind with pure thoughts.  I also must recognize when faced with stressful situations that the Bible says in I Peter 5:7 to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  So when I feel anxious or worried, I can pray, and tell God.  Talking to someone is always helpful when difficult situations arise.  That is probably why we see psychologists and talk about our problems.  Just as psychologists are able to give us direction in how to handle problems, God is able to speak through the Bible to direct our paths.

My beliefs are mainly spiritual in nature.  While I agree that loving kindness is an important attribute to have, I believe in a different way of receiving it.  I do not think that I am able to find it within myself, but through prayer, I can ask for help from God.  For instance, the Bible tells us in Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you:  Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  Loving kindness can be achieved through prayer to the One who is love.  Another way that I can achieve loving-kindness is through action.  James 1:27 states “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  By caring about others through service and sacrifice, we are able to develop loving-kindness as well as understanding.  So I plan to volunteer to help a community project aimed at helping those in need.  

Commitment: 

I will assess my progress on a daily basis over the next six months.  I am going to establish a daily checklist.  The checklist will include nutrition, diet, and exercise.  It will also include daily prayer and Bible study.  I will include prayer for those that I do not like as well as for those that I love.  I will look for an opportunity to serve others who are in need.  In fact, there are many volunteer opportunities in the coming months during the holidays such as the Angel Tree or giving to Toys for Tots. 

In order to maintain long-term practices for health and wellness, I must make a commitment to myself and to God to spend daily time studying the Bible and praying.  I need to bring only healthy foods into my home.  I will have to establish a schedule to exercise that best fits in with the life of a mother of four busy children.  Another great strategy is to constantly make new goals whether I have already achieved the old goals, or have found some obstacles in the goals that I have already established.  What I do know is that I am weak without God, so I will need to pay special attention to my prayer life.  I am optimistic in my plan towards human flourishing.  I believe that Dacher has developed ways for people with different beliefs than mine.  I have support from my Creator, the One who designed me, and wants to see me flourish.  It is reassuring that I do not have to rely on myself to flourish because the Bible states in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”  It is comforting to know that I am not alone in my search for physical, psychological, and spiritual health! 

References

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health the Path to Human Flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:

Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Subtle Mind/Loving Kindness

The subtle mind exercise was by far my favorite exercise.  It has helped me to fall asleep at night.  For a long time, I laid in bed each night with thoughts racing through my mind.  I could never calm it down enough to go to sleep.  It took me forever to enter into a sweet slumber.  The subtle mind not only helped me to let go of these thoughts, but also helped me to be a spectator of these thoughts (witnessing mind).  I am no longer under the control of my thoughts.  Granted, I have not mastered unity consciousness, but I have taken great strides since the start of the class.

The second exercise that I enjoyed is the loving kindness exercise.  It is easy to show love toward my family and friends, but quite difficult to show love toward my enemies.  The loving kindness exercise enabled me to focus not on what I do not like about individuals, but on their suffering.  This helped me to take a look at my enemies as humans, and enabled me to empathize with them rather feeling contempt towards them.  That is not to say that I love all of my enemies, and we talk and are friends now, but I am not able to look past the dislike, and see a human being who suffers and has feelings.

Thank you,
Amy L. Davis

Meeting Aesclepius

This meditative practice was extremely weird to me.  To begin with, I chose my grandfather who passed away over ten years ago.  He was a very wise, loving, and caring man, but I felt sad more than anything.  It has been a while since I have really thought about him, and it made me sad since I just lost my grandmother (his wife of 58 years) in July.  I wish that I would have thought of Jesus from the onset of this practice because it would have been a better fit for me.  When I was directed to be in communion with this person, I felt more like I was performing a séance than a mindful practice.  I was completely distracted.  My mind never was able to achieve even witnessing consciousness during this exercise.  The next time that I do this exercise, I will try using the Jesus as the wise one because that is keeping with my spiritual beliefs, and I would benefit more from this practice.

The saying, "One cannot lead another where has not gone himself ((Schlitz, Micozzi, & Amorok, 2005, p. 477)" simply says that if an individual has not gone through the struggle, then he/she is unable to help others through that struggle.  This applies to the health and wellness professional in that he/she needs to be able to understand and empathize with individuals in order to be able to help them.  An individual who has never struggled with depression or anxiety will have no idea how it feels to deal with mental illness.  A client who struggles with mental illness needs to feel like they are understood, and that they are not the only person to have ever felt that way.  This is not to say that a person who has never been depressed can't help one who is, but the individual who understands the struggle will share a common bond with the client, and perhaps be able to develop a more trusting relationship.

We do have an obligation to ourselves and our clients to develop our health psychologically, physically, and spiritually.  If we are not constantly striving toward health, we will not be taken seriously, and the patient may lose hope in improving his/her own health if a professional is not able to maintain it himself/herself.  Psychological and spiritual growth is not something that we implement in our lives so much as it is something that is apparent in our lives as it grows.

Tomorrow I will try the Meeting Aesclepius practice again focusing on Jesus, and I think that it will go much better.  I believe that it is important that these practices line up with our beliefs in order to reap the benefits of the exercises.

Thanks,
Amy 

References

Schlitz, M., Micozzi, M. S., & Amorok, T. (2005). Consciousness & Healing Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

Another crack at the Loving-Kindness exercise/My Integral Assessment

The loving-kindness exercise went over much better this time.  I did not use the mp3 in docsharing.  I simply followed the instructions in the book this time.  It was much less distracting this time without the music and the waves.  I focused on my husband to begin with, and it was just a lot easier this time.  I felt love and kindness toward him, myself, and even people that I do not particularly care for typically.  I discovered that the waves crashing and soft music was more distracting to me than anything, and without them, I had much more success!  I also discovered that I am a lot more selfish of a person that I ever thought, and I need to continue to think about others and how I can help them rather than constantly feeling bad for myself.

The integral assessment revealed several things.  The aspects of my life that are the most significant sources of distress is the impending move that will occur within the next year and the uncertainty, my weight and lack of motivation to do anything about it, and the never-ending housework. 

The area that I need to develop at this point is psycho-spiritual.  I need to learn to witness my thoughts rather than to be controlled by them.  In regards to our move, we do not even know where we will be moving.  Half of the time, things change and never actually happen, and let's face it; military families should expect moves without losing their minds.  I have been worried about selling our house, changing the kids schools, where we will live, and there is nothing that I can even do about it at this point.  I have to learn to breath in, relax, and not constantly grasp onto these thoughts that send me on a roller coaster ride!

The subtle mind is probably the best exercise that I can do.  It helps me to let go of those thoughts that I generally get carried away with, and brings me back to a quiet, calm, and relaxing focus.  After some time, I think that I can calm my mind and anxieties.  When I am not dwelling on the what-ifs, I have time to be still.  I no longer will be controlled by my thoughts. 

The loving-kindness exercise would also be helpful in this new realization that I have had on how selfish that I am.  I thought about those that I do not like (my enemies), and I thought about the suffering that they have gone through, and I was able to see the human side of them.  Too often, we see our enemies as villains.  We see them as people that are out to ruin our days, weeks, or lives.  However, they are people just like me and you who have experienced pain and suffering, and need love just as much as anyone.  I say this with a particular person in mind who has intentionally caused my family and I grief over the past ten years or so.  I thought about the pain and suffering that she has endured.  She lost both of her parents within a year, her grandmother, and all of her children are in someone else's custody.  That has to be painful.  I never thought of her in that regard.  I have always thought of her as an awful person, but never once stopped to consider her suffering.  It is still hard even as I write this to care about her, but with the loving-kindness exercise, I think it will definitely lead me in the right direction. 

Well, that's about it for this week!

Thanks,
Amy   

My Not-So-Subtle Mind

The difference between the subtle mind exercise and the loving-kindness exercise is success and failure.  I had an extremely difficult time with the loving-kindness exercise, but I found the subtle mind exercise to be therapeutic and transforming!  The subtle mind helped me to focus.  This morning, I really looked forward to doing this exercise.  I feel so stressed, and my mind is just everywhere.  I am worrying about everything going on in my life, and I was completely frazzled. 

I said a little prayer before engaging in the subtle mind exercise.  I prayed that I would experience the benefits of a subtle mind because it seems like the cure for many of my anxiety problems.  Of course, my mind wandered in a million different directions, but each and every time, I brought it back to the focus of breathing which forced me to let go of the thoughts that often consume me!  I really did not feel frustrated at all during this exercise. 

I like to add my own little spin on these exercises, so that they are in line with my beliefs and values.  It is very easy to do because the goal of these exercises are very much in line with my beliefs.  I am not supposed to be anxious or worry (Philippians 4:6).  I am supposed to be still (Psalms 46:10).  By focusing on my breathing, I take my mind away from these worries, and focus on the rise and fall of my stomach (diaphragmatic breathing would focus more on the stomach moving up and down rather than the chest).

The connection between spiritual, mental, and physical wellness cannot be distinguished from one another.  They are all interconnected and affect each other.  When one is not in balance, the others will not be either.  This can be seen in me through many different aspects.  For instance, I was eating paleo, losing weight, and feeling great.  Mentally, I was in a great place.  I felt more optimistic, had an overall sense of well-being.  Physically, I felt great, wasn't suffering from joint pain, and was not suffering from acid reflux.  I have not been eating well for a few months, and now my body is back to the old problems of joint pain and acid reflux.  I have also gained a lot of weight back.  Mentally, I have been feeling depressed and defeated.  Spiritually, all I feel is empty and unfulfilled because I lack the motivation and energy to change it.  The thing is that I know all of the right things to do, but I am having the most difficult time doing any of it.  I cannot change this unless I begin with a mental change because changing the way that I think is the only way that I can change my behaviors.  It is extremely difficult.  There is a driving force much deeper than knowledge that forces us to make changes.  It is deeper than how we feel physically.  I believe that driving force is spiritual.

Thank you,

Amy

Loving-Kindness

Before participating in the loving-kindness exercise, I read what I was going to do, and I thought that it sounded pretty strange.  Plus, I had to think of people that I do not care for or might even consider enemies.  Of course, I thought my husband of nearly ten years when it was suggested to think about an individual that I love.  My faucet of loving-kindness did not flow as if it were fully turned on so much as a slight trickle.  It is not to say that I do not love my husband dearly, but it is not about feelings, and I just had a difficult time focusing. 

So I began to think of all that he does for me.  The faucet began to flow a little more freely.  Then suddenly, I am told to turn these thoughts toward myself.  What?  I do not feel for myself what I feel for my husband, but I tried to let go of the negative thoughts when I was directed to turn these loving feelings inward.  I continued with deep breaths, and took notice of the warm sensation in my body.  It was relaxing and calming. 

When I directed to look at the background, I heard the waves, and I envisioned myself as a beach, and the waves come rushing into me which represented all of these people and thoughts in my life.  They kept coming, but it was not unsettling so much as a representation of the waves and myself existing together without chaos.  In fact, it was peaceful.  It was just the quiet, calm sound of the waves. 

When I reached the part that instructed me to breath in the suffering of my enemies, and breath out peace and comfort, it was more difficult.  My first few breaths felt warm and fiery.  I began to think of the suffering that my enemies have endured, and I felt empathy towards them, and was able to breath out a little easier and more freely. 

I really felt odd doing this exercise.  I had to force myself to feel a specific way, and it was not comfortable.  I will continue doing this exercise in order to think more outwardly rather than self-centeredly.  I benefitted from this exercise by thinking of those whom I do not care for, and identifying with the fact that they suffer, too.  I would recommend this exercise to others because it might work well for some people.  There are few people out there that do not need to learn to be less selfish.  This world would be a much better place if we stopped thinking so much about ourselves and our own needs, and consider others and their needs.

The concept of a mental workout is to develop our psychospiritual lives.  In order to do this, we need to practice on a daily basis.  As we continue to practice, we see results.  Mental workouts result in health, happiness, and wholeness.  Through implementing mental workouts, my psychological health can increase through discovering unhealthy patterns or behaviors and changing them. 

Thank you!

Amy


     

My Own Wellness

Here is where it gets personal.  I would love to say that I am a 10 physically, spiritually, and psychologically, but that is just not the case at this point in life.  To be brutally honest (brutally towards myself), physically I would rate myself at a 5, but definitely working my way down if I don't make some changes in the near future.  Spiritually, I would rate myself a 1, not really getting worse, but definitely not getting better.  Psychologically, I would give myself a 3-4 although I have made vast improvements in this are throughout the past two years.

Physically, my greatest goal is to nourish my body properly.  It is so easy to shove any and all food in my mouth.  My body feels the difference between nourishment and gluttony.  When I am well-nourished, I feel energetic, happy, and hopeful.  When I eat to satisfy cravings, I feel lethargic, bloated, and miserable.  In order to accomplish this goal, it will be important to plan and prepare grocery lists and meals in advance.

Spiritually, I gave myself a 1 because I still have certain and specific beliefs, but I spend no time in prayer or even reading the Bible.  How can I maintain my spiritual life without an spiritual ingredients?  My spiritual goal is to take at least 15 minutes each morning to read my Bible and pray.
I can wake up just 15 minutes early to get that time alone.

Psychologically, I have made great strides.  I have struggled with depression/anxiety my entire adult life.  I am no longer on medication, and when I feel a panic attack rearing it's ugly head, I recite 2 Timothy 1:7 over and over.  It goes as follows:  "God has not given to us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and a sound mind."  This helps to distract my mind and calm me down.  However, my self-esteem has been lacking lately.  My goal psychologically is to remind myself of Psalms 139:10 each time I have thoughts of self-doubt.  "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works, and my soul well knows it."  This can replace my thoughts of inadequacy and inferiority.

This relaxation exercise seemed a bit strange to me.  However, the calm, quiet voice directing my thoughts was successful at relaxing.  At the end, I did feel tired, though.  Once I opened my eyes and stretched, I did feel more energy and rejuvenated, but prior to that, I was ready for a nap!  I had a bit of a difficult time focusing on the colors because they were symbolic.  When he got to the part where I was supposed to say that I feel loved, it bothered me.  It is not that my husband and children do not love me, but I feel unappreciated most of the time.  It distracted me, and I felt a little upset at that moment.  Once I moved past that, I was able to benefit from the remaining exercises.  This exercise probably will not go on my personal relaxation exercise list.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone!  This is my first blog that I have ever done.  I have always talked about starting one because I always have a ton to say, but no one to listen!  Well because this blog is beginning because of a course that I am currently taking called Creating Wellness:  Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing, I will begin by a wellness focus on psychological and spiritual aspects of healing, and then I will continue the blog beyond this class.  What a great way to begin a blog, though.  Perhaps I will be able to help another person see something in a way that they never have thought.  I am excited to begin this journey here and now.  There is some irony when a class that I am taking to earn my degree forces me to do something that I have been putting off, but I think it will benefit me greatly.  I hope that everyone is able to enjoy my thoughts and views, and I look forward to writing!

Warm Regards,

Amy

Relaxation:not my strength.

At this point in my life, relaxation seems like an idea located somewhere near Shrek and Fiona in Far Far Away.  My four children are involved in football and cheerleading, I am in school full time and  volunteered to be the team parent of my oldest son's team (which translates into I do everything except coach), and my husband is in the military (and he's been away for the past week on what I swear is a vacation), I have been running frantically from practice to practice, sending and receiving text messages to and from parents, driving kids to and from school, dealing with my kids missing their dad, making dinners, and all of the other fun stuff that comes with being a stay at home mom.  I am exhausted to say the least, yet here I am sitting down writing a blog for a homework assignment that seems to revolve around relaxation.  It does not even seem possible to relax.

So I began "Journey On," and within two minutes my two youngest boys were in the house tattling on the their older brother and sister for not playing with them.  I told them to play with each other, and that I needed some quiet time to accomplish this assignment.  They were compliant, so I began again.

I will admit that I heard them fighting over who was going to play XBOX while I was in the middle of the exercise, but I have become excellent at this selective hearing thing, and I completely tuned them out.  The exercise itself probably helped with that as well. 

I laid there breathing deeply forcing the blood from my core to circulate throughout my shoulders, arms, and hands.  My arms and hands became warm and heavy.  Then I begin to think, is my blood really going the way that my mind has told it to go?  Do I really have this much control over my blood flow?  And I'll be darned, I was barely able to lift my arms.  Could I really be this relaxed?  For those moments that I spent doing this exercise, I felt completely calm and relaxed.  My kids were in the background.  My thoughts of things that I must do were no where in sight, and I had very few thoughts outside of relaxation.  Amazing!

So, perhaps relaxation is not that far-fetched of an idea for this stay-at-home mother of four.  It is basically knowing when and where and how to do it, and then setting some time aside to enjoy the benefits.

Just a side note: today I had an epiphany.  I do not have to be available to everyone all of the time.  It is okay to have a few moments of quiet time to myself throughout the day, and it is okay to refuse to allow others to interrupt that time.  This will not only benefit me, but also my children can learn to respect my time.

Heavily and warmly relaxed (lol),
Amy