Last blog everyone.  So I was looking at how I scored myself back in unit 3, and I have to say that I probably stand right about the same level.  No gain, but no loss.  I rated myself a 7 physically, an 8 spiritually, and a 9 psychologically.  Physically, there has been no change.  As I stated in the unit 3 blog, I just have not had any extra time to workout until now.  But, since this is my very last class, I should have some free time coming up.  Of course my wife is going to be having our second child within the next two weeks.  Hopefully, I can find a little extra time.  So, I did not reach my goal physically. 

Sprirtually, I would say that I have not changed.  I am most disappointed in that.  I have not made any extra time for prayer and meditation.  I pray throughout the day, but it is not the same as taking a designated time to be alone with God.  I will definitely make time for that. 

I feel that I may have overrated myself just a bit.  I am probably more like a 7 in this area.  I don't believe that I have lost ground here.  I just think that I was a 7 to begin with and simply didn't realize it.  I still feel pretty great about where I am psychologically.  I just can see a little room for improvement.

I have mixed feelings about this course.  I definitely can see the benefits of integral health and human flourishing.  But I had a hard time with the course.  I did not enjoy many of the exercises.  I do think, though, that some of it has to do with this being my last course.  It was an open elective for me, and I am a little burned out at this point.  All I wanted to do was to finish this class and graduate.  I do feel that there are some aspects that I will be able to take with me in my personal and professional life, though.  Hopefully, as a nurse practitioner, I will be able to address all of my patient's needs and promote integral health. 

Thanks to everone for all of your comments.  I wish you all the best of luck.

John

A Personal Plan for Integral Health

John Fowler

Kaplan University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Personal Plan for Integral Health

I.                   Introduction

            To be an effective health and wellness professional, it is a vital necessity to strive to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically.  As a professional, one of the main goals is to promote health and wellness.  What better way than to exemplify what one teaches?  One cannot, and should not, attempt to lead someone down the path to integral health unless he is least walking down that path already.  Only a professional that is striving for integral health can lead another person into a life of flourishing.  Furthermore, the professional that is striving for integral health is the only practitioner that is capable of providing healing in all aspects of health because “without integral practice, we experience only apportion of the health that is available to us” (Dacher, 2006, p. 117). 

            To be a more effective healthcare provider, this author knows that he needs to develop more in two separate areas.  As far as spiritual health, he feels that he is already flourishing.  What he needs to work on is both psychological and physical health. 

II.                Assessment

            As stated above, spiritual health is the area where the author feels he needs the least amount of development.  As a Christian, he is very active in his local church where he serves as the children’s pastor.  He has been a Christian for many years, and he is very much grounded in the doctrine of his faith.  That being said, he knows that there is always room for improvement.  In regards to integral health, however, he believes this to be the area that needs the least amount of focus.

            Psychologically, the author can see some room for improvement.  This took a while to realize.  At first, the author believed that his physical health (which will be discussed later) was the only area that needed improvement.  But what he has found out is that psychological health and physical health can go hand in hand.  To fully flourish physically, one has to flourish psychologically as well.  One has to be in the proper frame of mind to achieve physical flourishing.  He has learned that he needs to be able to quiet the mind so that he can remain focused in order to develop physically.  Maintaining discipline has always been the author’s major flaw.  Thus, psychological health is definitely an area where he needs improvement.

            Lastly, he also needs to improve his physical health.  Actually, for the most part, the author is a fairly healthy guy.  He does not drink or smoke.  His blood pressure is normal.  He had lab work recently that all came back normal as well.  The only area of his physical health that needs improved upon is his weight.  He was always an athlete, but as he has gotten a little older, he has packed on the pounds.  Over the past several years, he has yo-yoed up and down on the scales.  Getting the weight off has never been the problem.  Keeping it off is another story.  That is where the psychological aspect comes into play as mentioned before.  Again, he believes that psychological health and physical health are synergistic. 

III.             Goal Development

            To develop more in each of the three areas of health, one must set reachable goals.  The author has done just that.  As stated above, there is always room for improvement in any area.  So, his goal for the development of spiritual health is pray and read the Bible every morning before going to work.  Psychologically, his goal is to spend fifteen minutes each day meditating.  This will help to maintain focus in all aspects of life.  Lastly, the author plans to lose fifty pounds over the next six months. 

IV.             Practices for Personal Health

            The spiritual goal seems simple enough to meet.  However, this will require the author to make time for it.  The first thing he will need to do is to wake up each morning at least thirty minutes earlier to allot time for prayer and Bible study.  This may also require him to get to bed earlier at night to make up for the less amount of sleep.  Again, this takes discipline which up to this point has not been his strong suit.  It will also help to develop a strategy for the devotion time.  In other words, instead of just waking up each morning and reading whatever page opens up, it would be more beneficial if there were some structure to it.  He can use various Bible study guides to focus on certain areas of interest or need.  This will also help to focus prayer time.  Keeping a prayer journal would also be helpful.

            His goal for psychological development is very similar.  Finding time is an issue with this goal as well.  Since the mornings will be devoted to spiritual health, the evenings will be devoted to meditation.  The perfect time will be when the kids go to sleep and the author’s spouse is showering.  The house will be quiet, offering the perfect time and atmosphere for meditation.  Like the exercises for spiritual health, the mediation needs to be structured.  So, obtaining some audible meditation exercises is essential. 

             Finally, diet and exercise are the essential practices for physical health.  The author has had success in the past with the Weight Watchers program.  This point system fits into his lifestyle very nicely.  To be more successful, he will call on the help of his wife to join him in this program.  Since the author lives in a beautiful mountain range, he and his family love to go walking and enjoy the scenery.  But, this must be done daily.  The author can go for a walk each day after dinner with his family before bedtime which will also promote wellness for the family as a whole. 

           

V.                Commitment

            A system of evaluation is essential to ensure success and proper commitment to developing integral health.  The prayer journal that was mentioned before would be a great tool for assessment of spiritual health.  Not only could one check to make sure that time has been spent each morning but one could also read through each entry to assess the spiritual development with each passing day.  Likewise, a diary or blog would be beneficial in assessing the psychological development over a period of time.  With a blog, one could also incorporate other people’s views into the assessment.  Lastly, having weekly weigh-ins would be the most effective assessment tool for physical growth.  Another tool to help achieve the most success is to have an accountability partner in each of these areas.  The author plans to utilize his spouse for accountability. 

 

Reference

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

Okay, if you have read any of my blogs, then you know that I have not been the biggest fan of these exercises.  But, if I had to choose two, it would be the Loving-kindness and Subtle Mind exercises.  I am a very compassionate person, so the Loving-kindness exercise would somewhat appeal to me.  I am a registered nurse, so I see people that are hurting every day.  It could help to visualize their pain and then send out positive, healing thoughts.  The subtle mind exercise could be helpful when I just need to stop and take a breath.

After this class ends in a couple of weeks, I am planning on hitting the gym each morning before work.  I have found it hard to do this while in school because of late night study sessions.  But since this is my last class of my Bachelor's, I will have enough energy to get up a little early to exercise.  I can use this time to incorporate these exercises.  I usually just put some music on my MP3 player and go to my own little world.  But instead of thinking about the game that night or whatever hits my mind, I could think with a little more purpose.  Who knows, maybe all of this stuff will catch on.

John

The frustration continues.  I still cannot get much out of these practices.  I do spend time meditating and praying, but these exercises just seem to be more of the same.  I know that some of it is the time of day that I have to do them.  Late at night is the only time I have.  I am usually having a hard time staying awake.  Even still, I don't think it would matter what time of day it was.  No disrespect, but I just wonder if a different type of exercise would be better for me.  I don't know.  Does anyone else feel the same way.  It would be great to know that I am not alone in this.  I mean I get the concepts.  I just don't like these particular exercises.

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself".  I can relate to this as a nurse.  A few years back, I decided to start getting the flu vaccine.  I did this because I started to feel like how could I try to promote wellness if I wasn't willing to participate in wellness programs for myself.  I think that is what this statement is about.  Where I work, we take care of patients sometimes with severe respiratory disorders due to smoking.  Some of the nurses I work with are chain smokers.  It seems a little hypocritical to me.  I do feel that medical professionals do have an obligation to be actively working on developing their health.  You don't have to be all the way there, but you have to be trying.

John

As I repeated the Loving Kindness exercise, I thought of two things.  First, I kept thinking of my wife's suffering.  She is almost 33 weeks pregnant with our second daughter and she is miserable.  As I write this, she is lying beside me with a heating pad to her jaw.  On top of all the pregnancy stuff, we found out today that she may need a root canal.  I feel completely helpless in relieving her suffering.  I try massaging her feet and back, but that only temporarily makes her feel better.  Every day I want to help make her feel better, but it is hopeless.  At least she only has a few more weeks before Malin arrives.  Hopefully, then she will have some relief.

Then, I began to think about all of my patients in the operating room.  Some of them are really suffering.  I began to think of how honored I am to play a part in relieving their suffering.  Many of the surgeries we perform make the patient's lives better.  I find comfort in knowing that. 

With the Integral Assessment exercise, the area that I found to be the greatest area in need of growth is the biological.  I really need to get back into shape.  I am satisfied with every other aspect of my life expept my physical fitness.  My overall general health is pretty good, but need to lose some weight.  The problem is that I find it hard to find time to exercise.  The only exercise I get right now is playing and dancing with my 21 month old daughter, Maddison.  My life is so hectic now with work, school, and church.  This is my last class of the Bachelors program, and I don't start my Master's until next fall.  So, I can hopefully find the time to work out soon.  I am going to try to start walking at least 30 minutes a day.  After a few weeks of that I may try to step it up a notch.  I used to do P90X, but I am not sure that I am ready for that again.  But, I can find a workout that will suit my lifestyle.  Wish me luck!!!

John

Well, I have a feeling that this week's blog is going to sound redundant.  I was not very thrilled with the exercise this week.  I didn't care for last weeks exercise, and this week it was more of the same.  The woman's voice was a little annoying to me.  The funny thing is that about the time I got really focused she would say something, and it would startle me.  Then I just got to thinking about how I wished she would just stay quiet.  I have to admit that I feel like maybe I don't have an open mind to all of this because I don't like the exercises.  Actually, I really agree with most of the concepts surrounding human flourishing.  I am a fairly emotional guy, but this all seems a little too "touchy/feely" for me.  I know that makes me sound redneck or uneducated even.  But I gotta call 'em like I see 'em. 

I do think that spiritual wellness directly affects mental and physical wellness.  Actually, I feel that spiritual wellness has a greater influence than the other two.  For example, I am a pretty spiritual person.  However, there are times when I am not where I should be spiritually.  I don't read the Bible like I should.  I don't pray like I should.  During these times, I find my physical wellness, especially, faltering.  I quit eating right, I quit exercising, and I gain weight.  I think I do these things because if I am not spiritually healthy then I am not happy.  It also affects me mentally.  For me, my spiritual life is the foundation for all of my health and happiness. 

Hello everyone,
This weeks blog is about working out the mind.  I did the loving kindness practice, but I have to admit that it really didn't do much for me.  I actually enjoyed listening to the waves crash on the beach.  That was relaxing.  The problem was that the lady had to keep interrupting.  The computer generated voice was somewhat irritating.  I feel that I would have benefited more from just the silence and the ocean sounds.  Some of the imagery of loved ones suffering was a little weird as well.  This may be for some people, but I probably would not recommend this to someone.  If I did not find it beneficial, then I would not recommend it to someone else.

A mental workout is much like a physical workout.  The difference being that the body has its limits, but the mind is limitless.  One can never push the mind too far.  Research indicates that working out the mind can lead to a greater inner life.  I could probably benefit from taking time each day to workout my mind.  I could take 20 to 30 minutes to meditate and pray.  The problem is that there is not enough time in the day.  I usually have to find smaller increments of time throughout the day.  That is all I have time for right now.

John