Sunday, June 23, 2013
The End... but not really!
Here I am trying to get my thoughts together and wraap up these great ten weeks! I have to say I am very regretfull...These last two classes- stress and this one, had a common bunch of us that really connected, and then met all kinds of new friends. I learned so much from all of you.
But, down to business....
In Unit 3, I have myself a score of 5 physically/biologically, and now I gave myself a 4. Honestly I think I was about a 3 originally, but didn't know it at the time. I have had a week of teaching myself to eat and I have to admit it went pretty well. It is costing me a lot more in groceries, but I am eating lots of fruit and veggies, and my new passion for breakfast is sweet potato and a dish of organic yogurt with fruit on it, and lunch is organic cereal with yogurt instead of some kind of milk and a pilt of fruit. YUM!!.. so, i could be on the way back to a 5 soon. As far as exercise, I have to take one thing at a time. My goal was to eat, and so far so good.
In Unit3, my score for spiritual health was a 7 and I gave myself a 7 this time also. The only reason that I didn't go to an 8 is that I don't feel I am near enough at all to flourishing which is a 10 to do it yet. I went to a really good church service today, pray on the way to work every day, and as GOD's forgiveness when I think evil thoughts about irritating people at the store :) ! I feel a sense of inner peace most of the time, and am able to get it back. One day this week it took all day to do so, but I did it. Just had a really off day, and wasn't happy and couldn't summon it. I got there though, and felt all the better for it.
Psychologically I scored myself an 8 in Unit 3 and a 7 now. I don't believe the 8 was realistic after reading Dacher (and I just loved that book!!!). I think that as I continue on my journey towards health, that I will be able to honestly give myself an 8 after a bit more work.
I had given myself goals for each area, and as one of my well- respected classmates told me, I can't do everything at once, or I will become overwhelmed and get nowhere. I want to meditate more, I want to take more time out for me, but with a 52 hour a week work schedule at a very physical job and trying to complete school work, something had to give. I know it will end soon, and I have to be patient. The most important one for me to work on, is eating.... if I don;t eat, I am not going to be around to work on the others. My thyroid levels are finally where they should be and I lost the 15 pounds I put on, so I have to work on the healthy eating and regular eating. I have been sneaking my apple with me as I work, and that is going well so far.
I do believe that I have made progress.... one thing at a time. I have a workable plan and have started to implement it. If I can make it a couple more weeks, I will be okay. It takes a few weeks of doing something to become a part of my life.
For me, taking Stress, Critical Issues last term and Creating Wellness this term was the best thing I have done since starting at Kaplan almost 2 years ago. These classes have literally changed my life. Stress got me started and Creating Wellness was that push that I needed. I have found it totally amazing the way some people react to me now. Even people that have been around for years and knew me as very mercurial and pretty much avoided me, are talking to me, and not only talking to me, but speaking to me first. That is such a good feeling for me, and I know that it is something inside that is showing through to the outside. If that is the only thing that I have gotten in these courses (and it isn't) it was truly worth all the work and the late seminars. I feel that what I have gone through, opening myself up and looking and examining what is inside will help me reach out to my clients and not just see a health issue but another person, just like me, who needs help.
Thank you, all of you, for you support and assistance this term. I know I can do it now, I am NOT that little girl with " no looks and no personality" I am a strong woman and I will graduate and I will finally do what it is that I was meant to do. s
But, down to business....
In Unit 3, I have myself a score of 5 physically/biologically, and now I gave myself a 4. Honestly I think I was about a 3 originally, but didn't know it at the time. I have had a week of teaching myself to eat and I have to admit it went pretty well. It is costing me a lot more in groceries, but I am eating lots of fruit and veggies, and my new passion for breakfast is sweet potato and a dish of organic yogurt with fruit on it, and lunch is organic cereal with yogurt instead of some kind of milk and a pilt of fruit. YUM!!.. so, i could be on the way back to a 5 soon. As far as exercise, I have to take one thing at a time. My goal was to eat, and so far so good.
In Unit3, my score for spiritual health was a 7 and I gave myself a 7 this time also. The only reason that I didn't go to an 8 is that I don't feel I am near enough at all to flourishing which is a 10 to do it yet. I went to a really good church service today, pray on the way to work every day, and as GOD's forgiveness when I think evil thoughts about irritating people at the store :) ! I feel a sense of inner peace most of the time, and am able to get it back. One day this week it took all day to do so, but I did it. Just had a really off day, and wasn't happy and couldn't summon it. I got there though, and felt all the better for it.
Psychologically I scored myself an 8 in Unit 3 and a 7 now. I don't believe the 8 was realistic after reading Dacher (and I just loved that book!!!). I think that as I continue on my journey towards health, that I will be able to honestly give myself an 8 after a bit more work.
I had given myself goals for each area, and as one of my well- respected classmates told me, I can't do everything at once, or I will become overwhelmed and get nowhere. I want to meditate more, I want to take more time out for me, but with a 52 hour a week work schedule at a very physical job and trying to complete school work, something had to give. I know it will end soon, and I have to be patient. The most important one for me to work on, is eating.... if I don;t eat, I am not going to be around to work on the others. My thyroid levels are finally where they should be and I lost the 15 pounds I put on, so I have to work on the healthy eating and regular eating. I have been sneaking my apple with me as I work, and that is going well so far.
I do believe that I have made progress.... one thing at a time. I have a workable plan and have started to implement it. If I can make it a couple more weeks, I will be okay. It takes a few weeks of doing something to become a part of my life.
For me, taking Stress, Critical Issues last term and Creating Wellness this term was the best thing I have done since starting at Kaplan almost 2 years ago. These classes have literally changed my life. Stress got me started and Creating Wellness was that push that I needed. I have found it totally amazing the way some people react to me now. Even people that have been around for years and knew me as very mercurial and pretty much avoided me, are talking to me, and not only talking to me, but speaking to me first. That is such a good feeling for me, and I know that it is something inside that is showing through to the outside. If that is the only thing that I have gotten in these courses (and it isn't) it was truly worth all the work and the late seminars. I feel that what I have gone through, opening myself up and looking and examining what is inside will help me reach out to my clients and not just see a health issue but another person, just like me, who needs help.
Thank you, all of you, for you support and assistance this term. I know I can do it now, I am NOT that little girl with " no looks and no personality" I am a strong woman and I will graduate and I will finally do what it is that I was meant to do. s
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Everson,
S. HW420-02 Unit 9 Final Project
I.Introduction
I
believe that it is important for the Health and Wellness professional to
develop psychologically, mentally and spiritually for a number of reasons, both
in the personal and professional life. While any of these beliefs are subject
to debate, this is how I personally feel, and this paper is from my point of
view. On a personal level, by looking inward, we can become a more whole (while
progressing step by step towards integral health and flourishing) complete
person as we look into ourselves and find that which is truly important to us,
unburden ourselves of that which is not, and move forward on our journey. To
develop any of these aspects will cause a chain reaction in the rest of them as
no aspect is complete unto itself. To be able to everyday do the job of a
Health and Wellness professional, there needs to be a strong base to draw from
so as not to deplete ourselves and have nothing left to offer. We need to be
able to go from having life revolve around me
to looking outside of ourselves and bringing into our lives our family,
friends, and those we know, and don’t know because as H and W professionals we
will be knowing more people each and every day. For me, this means to find the
real me, reach a state of peace and
calmness, achieve the ability to center myself in stressful situations, commune
with my Creator and use the practices of mediation, calm abiding and peaceful
mind to foster a greater calmness yet awareness to be able to not only help
myself, but help the client to find that which he/she is searching for.
It
means that I have the confidence in my beliefs to listen, really listen to what
my client is saying so that I can help them ascertain what it is that they want
and need to relieve the pain they are going through and to help them on their
way towards health in whatever capacity they are able to accept.
To
Be Able to Achieve My Goals
At
this point in time, I feel so new to this practice, that I cannot yet know what
and where I want to be in my quest for integral health. This tiny light has
been ignited, and I know there is more to who I am than I can see now. I want
to find out who is really inside of me, and
Everson
S. HW420-02 Unit 9 Final Project
why
I feel compelled to start over again in my sixties. What is the driving force,
and why now, when most of my high school classmates have retired or are
contemplating doing so shortly, have I decided that it is somehow my mission to
help others and give-back some of what I have been given in my life? To do so,
I need to maintain and strengthen my spiritual convictions, with GOD my
creator, and also with Mother Earth. To have healthy families, communities and
environment, it is necessary to become responsible for one’s actions. It is
only through a cumulative effort that true health and flourishing of the
world’s population can be achieved. For me to help even one person, would make
me feel like I have accomplished something great. I also need to stay mentally
and emotionally fit, to have the reserves to do what I need to do, and to keep
going in my advancing age. No matter whether I feel sixty two or not, I am, and it will take an effort to maintain
and keep the aging process moving as slowly as possible. The biggest area for
me, aside from obvious physical needs, is to keep myself balanced, to think
outside of me and focus on the larger
picture. In doing so, I will have the courage to take the huge and scary step
out of my comfort zone, leave behind my job of 23 years, and take on a new
position and career of service. To stay balanced psychologically and mentally
the practices I have learned in this class, calm-abiding, loving-kindness and
the subtle mind will need to stay a part of my life. Asclepius has taught me
much, and I can return to him as needed. It is a non-ending journey that is not
stagnant, never boring, and always enlightening if I can keep an open mind to
allow it to show me the way.
II.Assessment
While
working on my own personal assessment, I have tried to take into account not
only relieving stress and pain right now, but to work toward the release of it
totally and permanently from my life. To do that, I need to continue following
the steps toward integral healing and human flourishing. I need to identify not
only my weaknesses but my strengths where I am in life right now, at this time
with a clear and open mind. I have found my assessment to show that I am very
uneven at this time in the areas of body, mind and spirit. As far as physical
health, I am not exercising at all at this time, we don’t know what is wrong
with my foot and I don’t eat right. This puts me at a distinct disadvantage in
this area
Everson,
S. HW420-02 Unit 9 Final Project
compared
to where I really want to be. I still have a tendency to want sweets when I am
stressed, but have started to really work on my eating despite the difficulty
of having no “hunger urges”. I know my body needs to thrive in order to have
the best in other aspects.
At
work, I am noticing that since I have become more aware and taken ownership of
my actions that most people are responding to me in a much more positive way. I
am trying to engage a “filter” that allows me to think things but not
necessarily allow them to come out of my mouth. While this is a positive
change, I still am not able to maintain a rewarding relationship with a man. I
am not positive that I even want to, but I want to be able to.
My
spiritual life has taken on a new path thanks mainly to what I have learned in
this class. I have become much more open to what SPIRIT wants and is telling me
to do, and stopped “arguing” or resisting. I know that I have been guided from
being a florist to the Lead Natural and Organic to a full time college student
in Health and Wellness… I know that there is a purpose I have been led here. I
pray more, and am more at peace with who and what I am. I have tried to open
myself to not only my needs but those of others around me and even those I
don’t know (knitting scarves for Operation Gratitude and filling shoe boxes for
Samaritans’ Purse for Christmas, for example) to relieve their sadness, grief
and pain.
Psychologically
I believe I have been working in the right direction. I have tried to become
more open to thinking about action and not re-acting as much, letting stresses
go and not taking things so personally. Even my “shrink” has noticed a positive
difference in even the way I carry myself. The guided lessons have helped me to
turn the world off for a time and renew and revitalize so that I have the
energy and resources to do what it is I feel I need to do. I know that as time
goes on; my needs will change as will those of my clients. this is good, this
is okay. Life is not stagnant and is ever evolving.
Out
of a score of 1-10, 1 being the lowest 5 about
so-so and 10 being somewhere that I may reach some day, but it’s okay if
I don’t, I rate my spiritual health as about a 7 today, my psychological health
about a 7 today also and my physical health about a 4.
IIIrson,
S. HW420-02 Unit 9 Final Project
Goals
that I can set, that are attainable are listed here. I am focusing on goals
right now that I know I can reach, and will also keep me on the path that I am
now trying to follow.
Spiritual-
continue to develop my “filter” and practice it with all that I meet. Reach out
to people with an open heart as all are children of the SPIRIT and as such as
unique and precious creatures
Psychological
(Mental Health)- take the time each day (usually after I come home from work)
to practice one of the lessons I am starting to learn- subtle mind,
loving-kindness, meeting Asclepius, witnessing mind or a Buddhist lesson I have
discovered.
Physical-
for one week, I will eat. That’s it. I will enjoy the fruits of the season on
top of my cereal with yogurt, I will eat protein (tuna) and veggies and all the
foods I like.
IVPractices
for Personal Health
Two
or more examples of ways that I can improve in each of those areas follow:
Psychological-
1. Start with practicing my lessons three days a week in the beginning.
2. Have the lessons I
want to use readily available so that I can get into
a positive habit
and create an area that is conducive to my practicing-
calm, uncluttered,
add fresh flowers and quiet as possible with no
phones.
Spiritual-
1. Go to church on Sundays that I get out of work on time to get there.
It may not be a need for a
lot of people, but the connection I feel there is
important to me. While
there, I knit the scarves or prayer shawls I make.
2. Look at people as children
of the SPIRIT. Remember that every one of them
is just as important as I
am- see that when I smile and say hello, instead of
Everson,
S. HW420-02 Unit 9 Final Project
seeing a rude obnoxious
person, see someone who has the same stresses
and suffering as we do. Become
certified in Healing Touch to further be able
to alleviate distress and
suffering.
Physical-
1. Have good healthy foods readily available to grab and snack on. I love the
Blueberries and
strawberries that are so abundant right now- I will enjoy them.
2. Prepare snacks the night
before, and a cold water thermos. Make sure I TAKE
THEM.
V.Assess
My Progress
The
best way to assess my progress or lack of it in the next six months is to
compare where I am then with my goals of today. How am I doing? Have I
travelled further on the path to human flourishing or have I stagnated or even
worse slipped back down the path? How do I feel? Am I peaceful and calm? Do I
put myself out there to serve others? In six months I will have graduated- am I
on the road to the me that I have
always wanted to be? Sincerely, I hope so.
One
of the ways that I am using to remind myself to maintain and move forward is to
make copies of quotes and small things that inspire me and hang them where I
can see them. I am in the process of re-furbishing my den from the walls out to
create a space where I can be and
breathe and grow. I am envisioning a peaceful place that is earthy and serene
where I can go to work on the lessons that I am learning. I want to hang some
of the most inspiring words on the walls in frames the way I create.
Simply
taking the time out to breathe and recognizing this need is a way to maintain
the practices that we are learning in this course to progress towards Health
and Wellness. Previously I could not identify this need to take a step back and
re-group. Now, I notice it readily. To me, this tells me that I am already
changing. Physically I feel so much better, and I don’t want to lose this
feeling- instead I want to progress further along.
]
Monday, June 10, 2013
Part 2 of Where's the Bone
Ok, so I am a bit nervous about my impending visit to the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to find out (I hope) where the bone is the is supposed to be in my foot. I can't help but remember that the doctor that I saw at the Urgent Care center kept asking me if I had had any cancerous tumors removed. NO, am I about to? It doesn't help that my friend Anna from work just found out the cancer in her leg is not a large tumor on her spine despinte chemo (she never stopped smoking because she said she didn't have lung cancer-duh!) and Keith found out his colon cancer that he fought 5 years ago is back. Kind of puts in right in there. I will be happy to have an answer, so that I know what I have to do next.
My daughter told me the other night, that she knows I would fight as hard as I could to have more time to spend with my children and grandchildren and only give up if the battle turns in to one I can't win. She is so very right. My family dies at 63 and I plan to break the trend.
Work announced today that no full timer will be getting over 40 hours (I had been getting minimum 48) and could be cut to 32. I can't live on that, and with school right now, can't do two jobs either. GOD will guide me.
If any of you are not graduating this term, I hope to meet you in class next term, if I ever get in classes for next term that is.
Blessings to you all
susan
My daughter told me the other night, that she knows I would fight as hard as I could to have more time to spend with my children and grandchildren and only give up if the battle turns in to one I can't win. She is so very right. My family dies at 63 and I plan to break the trend.
Work announced today that no full timer will be getting over 40 hours (I had been getting minimum 48) and could be cut to 32. I can't live on that, and with school right now, can't do two jobs either. GOD will guide me.
If any of you are not graduating this term, I hope to meet you in class next term, if I ever get in classes for next term that is.
Blessings to you all
susan
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Unit 8- My Mental Fitness Practices
This week, we are talking about the practices that mean that most to us, in our personal lives. But first, I have to tell you about a discovery I made just today- I am laughing a lot more!! For a while, it seemed like laughter had pretty much left my life, and that is a sad thing. I don' t know what happened, but it is coming back. I have to admit that I have a unique and unfortunately loud laugh, and people that I am close to, tell me that when they hear it, it makes them smile. I used to have a friend who I loved very much who told me that if he entered the building and heard me laughing, he knew it would be a good day. Sadly, he died of kidney cancer about 18 years ago at the very young age of 36.
But.... what this is telling me is that the mind exercises are working!! If they were not, I would not have come to this point where I feel the lightness and happiness in life. I find myself smiling more, and hugging more. Yes, the stressors are still there, and they will be there if I am happy and smiling or if I am miserable. How much easier they are to deal with when that feeling of peace and guidance are there in the background. Has anyone else noticed this?
I believe that the one that will stick with me the most is what I learned when I met Aesclepius. Here, I met my inner essence and guide that will be with me always. I learned to "step away" and find myself again, to re-claim my sense of peace and joy. I tried that one today after work before I started on anything else and found that it was a good thing to do. Rather than start running around cleaning before I did my studying, coming in and changing my clothes from work and taking that time to center myself worked wonders. With a clear and uncluttered mind, I am ready to tackle what come next. I believe that by listening to the flutes of Carlos Nakai I will be able to recall the instructions given and be able to recapture the feeling I had.
Another practice that I think will work for me is the Loving Kindness. Even though that one had some particularly difficuly parts, it helped me to take in the negativity and pain, and exhale it away. I have practiced it in a minor way at work, and it works. It helps me to feel towards others in a more positive way, knowing that we all have our pains and trials to work through, and we all deserve the chance to be treated and respected as the unique beings that we are.
There is really no practice that we have covered that would not be a good one to add to my life. Certain circumstances need certain practices, and I would love to be able to have them all there ready for me when I needed them.
I hope you all have a peace filled week, and that events are positive ones.
Blesssings
susan
But.... what this is telling me is that the mind exercises are working!! If they were not, I would not have come to this point where I feel the lightness and happiness in life. I find myself smiling more, and hugging more. Yes, the stressors are still there, and they will be there if I am happy and smiling or if I am miserable. How much easier they are to deal with when that feeling of peace and guidance are there in the background. Has anyone else noticed this?
I believe that the one that will stick with me the most is what I learned when I met Aesclepius. Here, I met my inner essence and guide that will be with me always. I learned to "step away" and find myself again, to re-claim my sense of peace and joy. I tried that one today after work before I started on anything else and found that it was a good thing to do. Rather than start running around cleaning before I did my studying, coming in and changing my clothes from work and taking that time to center myself worked wonders. With a clear and uncluttered mind, I am ready to tackle what come next. I believe that by listening to the flutes of Carlos Nakai I will be able to recall the instructions given and be able to recapture the feeling I had.
Another practice that I think will work for me is the Loving Kindness. Even though that one had some particularly difficuly parts, it helped me to take in the negativity and pain, and exhale it away. I have practiced it in a minor way at work, and it works. It helps me to feel towards others in a more positive way, knowing that we all have our pains and trials to work through, and we all deserve the chance to be treated and respected as the unique beings that we are.
There is really no practice that we have covered that would not be a good one to add to my life. Certain circumstances need certain practices, and I would love to be able to have them all there ready for me when I needed them.
I hope you all have a peace filled week, and that events are positive ones.
Blesssings
susan
Monday, June 3, 2013
Unit 7- On meeting Aesclepius
First off, I have to say, that my inspiration and "hero" is my grandmother. She is the wisest and most peaceful person that I know. I talk as if she is still here with me, because she is, guiding me every step of the way towards getting my life back together even though she left this earth in Jan 1974. I could see her so clearly, a tiny woman with long white hair that she braided and wrapped into a bun.
I was able to focus the white light bringing her energy and guidance to me wiht no problem. She is my mentor. After that, I started to have a bit of a problem. I have tried this more than once, but have a bit of trouble with the lights from one thing to another. I plan to keep at this one until I get it. It was most relaxing though with the sounds of the ocean. How she loved the NJ shore in the 50s when it was still so beautiful- Asbury Park/Ocean Grove, and of course the flutes are always so calming to me- think Carlos Nakai!
While I am not going to put down here that I am practicing my meditation skills every day- because I am not yet- I am really doing so much better. Even if it just means that I am taking out 5-10 minutes to breathe and center myself. This is so much more than I was doing before. It is helping to help me find that "place" where I can put on my grace and serenity and face the world again. I still hope to someday look inward and find the real me that we have read about. I can't even imagine doing that at this point! How will we know when we have "found" us? I hope that if and when I do, "I" am someone that I like and respect. I guess somewhere down deep- I have not totally exorcised that demon that made my mother constantly tell me that I had no looks and no peronality! What if that is what I find?
What does "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" mean to me? This is telling me that as a health and wellness professional, I need to "walk the walk and talk the talk". I don' t have to experience alcoholism, critical illness, cancer or HIV to work with a patient who has, but on the other hand, it is in my best interests to develop my optimum health to the best of my ability. How can I expect others to listen to me otherwise? I have to be giving it my best also. At this point, I am not. I am not exercising as I should, and my diet is not always the best, but I am moving in the right direction, and that is what I would be asking of my clients. One-step-at-a-time, just keep moving forward, and if you slip, get back up and dust yourself off, and start moving forward again.
I hope you all are having an uneventful (unless it's a GOOD event) week, and peace and blessings to you all.
susan
I was able to focus the white light bringing her energy and guidance to me wiht no problem. She is my mentor. After that, I started to have a bit of a problem. I have tried this more than once, but have a bit of trouble with the lights from one thing to another. I plan to keep at this one until I get it. It was most relaxing though with the sounds of the ocean. How she loved the NJ shore in the 50s when it was still so beautiful- Asbury Park/Ocean Grove, and of course the flutes are always so calming to me- think Carlos Nakai!
While I am not going to put down here that I am practicing my meditation skills every day- because I am not yet- I am really doing so much better. Even if it just means that I am taking out 5-10 minutes to breathe and center myself. This is so much more than I was doing before. It is helping to help me find that "place" where I can put on my grace and serenity and face the world again. I still hope to someday look inward and find the real me that we have read about. I can't even imagine doing that at this point! How will we know when we have "found" us? I hope that if and when I do, "I" am someone that I like and respect. I guess somewhere down deep- I have not totally exorcised that demon that made my mother constantly tell me that I had no looks and no peronality! What if that is what I find?
What does "one cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" mean to me? This is telling me that as a health and wellness professional, I need to "walk the walk and talk the talk". I don' t have to experience alcoholism, critical illness, cancer or HIV to work with a patient who has, but on the other hand, it is in my best interests to develop my optimum health to the best of my ability. How can I expect others to listen to me otherwise? I have to be giving it my best also. At this point, I am not. I am not exercising as I should, and my diet is not always the best, but I am moving in the right direction, and that is what I would be asking of my clients. One-step-at-a-time, just keep moving forward, and if you slip, get back up and dust yourself off, and start moving forward again.
I hope you all are having an uneventful (unless it's a GOOD event) week, and peace and blessings to you all.
susan
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