Creating Wellness - Unit 10 - Final Week

Hello and welcome to the last week of Creating Wellness.... this week we are comparing our Personal Integral Assessment from Unit 3 with how we assess ourselves at the end of the course, in Unit 10. My results are below:

1.       Scores from Unit 3 Personal Integral Assessment:

Based on my own personal reflections, and on a scale of 1-10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), how do I rate my:

A.      Physical wellbeing is rated an 8 because I feel there is always room for improvement, but I also feel I have, at this point in time, achieved optimal physical wellbeing to the best of my abilities.

B.      Spiritual wellbeing is rated a 9 on this scale of optimal health. Again, there is always room for improvement and growth so I continue to have an open mind and grow more spiritually each day, while maintaining my current level of spiritual wellbeing.

C.      Psychological wellbeing is rated a 9, as well. At the risk of being redundant, again, there is always room for improvement and growth. These processes are ongoing throughout life and with continued practice I will one day achieve a score of 10 on this scale of optimal psychological wellbeing.

Scores from Unit 10 Personal Integral Assessment

Based on my own personal reflections, and on a scale of 1-10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), how do I rate my:

A.      Physical wellbeing is rated a 6 this unit. I have been under extreme amounts of stress for the past several months with family commitments, school commitments, and a new baby arriving just as finals were due. Accomplishing my goals and being present in mind, body, and spirit for my family has been a great challenge. It has taken its toll, but with some time off with a break coming, the baby has arrived, all are healthy and well; some well-deserved uninterrupted sleep is soon coming my way. This will help to boost my physical assessment score, along with continuing to eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and continue my exercise and physical activity routines.

B.      Spiritual wellbeing is rated a 7 on this scale of optimal health. I continue to have an open mind and grow more spiritually each day, while attempting to improve my current level of spiritual wellbeing. I am working on improving my spiritual wellbeing by taking more time to meditate, focus more intently on the lessons I have learned from this class and practice the wonderful skills provided to help me foster an increase in my level of human flourishing.

C.      Psychological wellbeing is rated a 7 at this time. This, too, has decreased since Unit 3 and I believe it has to do with the fact I have learned so much more that I now need to take time to practice, absorb, and utilize the skills taught to calm the mind and using contemplative practice to make skillful and intentional choices for my life. As I truly use my newly-learned skills and make them a part of my everyday routine I will increase this level, too.

These processes are ongoing throughout life and with continued practice I hope to one day achieve a score of 10 on this scale of optimal physical, spiritual, and psychological wellbeing.

2.       I have reviewed the goals and activities I set in place for myself in Unit 3 of this class:

Goals I could develop for each of these areas; and exercises/activities to assist in achieving these goals would be:

A.      A goal for improved physical wellbeing is to continue my daily exercise program, eating right, and finding activities that are engaging and provide opportunity for increased physical wellness.

B.      Spiritual growth can be improved with continued practice of self-love, love for others, and a love for all mankind; being non-judgmental, forgiving of all including myself, and practicing loving-kindness will serve as a goal for improvement and growth spiritually.

C.      Psychological development can best be served with a goal of continued mindfulness and awareness of my thoughts, words, and actions; and this can be accomplished with daily meditations and constant awareness of the reactions my body is having to any particular situation, knowing I have the ability to choose my reactions and that intention will help me to make the right choices.

I have made progress towards these goals; and in being honest I will say some days were two steps forward and some were one step back. I try not to become discouraged, using my forgiveness skills and self-love practice to know set-backs happen. The real action is being intentional and taking those two steps forward as often as possible, without giving up. Commitment and desire to optimally flourish as a blessed and privileged human being on planet Earth are my goal, so that one day I may share this wisdom and joy with others.

3.       Implementation of the activities I chose for fostering my wellbeing has been minimal. I try on a daily basis to find a quiet place and take the time to meditate. Mostly, that takes place in the shower of late. I look forward to the break between terms to spend more time on the web sites I found for my Creating Wellness Plan posted in last week’s blog. Some of the sites actually offer guides and mentors, which is where my next step is taking me. I feel a guide and/or mentor to help me find my subtle mind will prove beneficial in promoting my own personal flourishing without feeling like a total fish out of water, so to speak.

4.       To summarize my personal experience throughout this course I would have to say I have developed an improved well-being; but, along with that I have also come to the realization of how much work is still yet to be done just on myself alone, before I can be of help to others. Every bit of the information gleaned from this course has been rewarding. I have been provided an even greater foundation of what it takes to truly flourish as a human is meant to flourish, as God planned for each individual. Needless suffering has always tugged at my heart strings and I am so happy to have found a way to one day help others put an end to the very thing keeping the majority of people from being the happy, healthy, joyous human beings they deserve to be. The difficult part has been opening up old doors in my mind and heart, dealing with the issues while trying to remain balanced for my family, work, and school commitments. No time for breakdowns! Get into my contemplative state and be mindful of what I am feeling and thinking and make choices which will prove successful, not cause harm or setbacks on my goals. This experience will improve my ability to assist others to achieve and maintain optimal human flourishing as soon as I have accomplished this for myself. The course has been an eye-opener for me in that I just love the fact that body, mind, and spirit are recognized as one whole being and finally health care can take a turn toward the same direction, truly helping people heal.

Thanks to all who followed my blog this term; and I wish each and every one the very best in your endeavors to achieve and maintain your own personal wellbeing on the pathway to helping others learn about integral health.

Yours in health,

Marcella Gracer