Unit 10 Final Blog, and Personal Assessment

Unit 10

In the Unit 3 assessment, I rated myself as:

Physical well-being: 4

Spiritual well-being: 6

Psychological well-being: 4

At this time, I would say that physically, I am at a 6.  I have been exercising almost every day (6 out of 7).  My endurance is good, and I have gotten stronger (increased my weights in strength training).  I have managed to control my portions and eat better, and have lost 5 pounds.  I think my initial goal of losing 10 pounds in a month was maybe too much for me, at this time.  If I never gain back the 5 pounds I’ve lost, then I’m happy.  I still plan to reach my goal weight in March, which gives me a little over 6 months to get there (was a 40 lb loss, initially).  I did follow my goals of exercising 30-45 minutes each day, keeping a log of food and exercise, minimizing eating out and sleeping 8 hrs each night.

Spiritually, I would say that I’m at a 7, which is a small improvement.  The reason that I feel this way, is that I am spending quiet time every day, and working on controlling my reactions to things.  In my relationship, we have gotten through a rough patch (about a month ago), and managed to get back to where we have been at our most happiest.  For once, I don’t feel like I had to compromise anything about how I feel, to be able to coexist in harmony with my husband.   I am getting better at focusing on other people, and being a good listener, genuinely caring about others.  My goal for meditation was 15-20 minutes each day, but I haven’t gotten to that point, yet.  I am spending quiet time, but maybe 10 minutes a day. 

Psychologically, I feel that I’m at a 7, which is a big change.   When I said, in the unit 3 assessment, that I was at a 4, things were very difficult for me.   I was running thin on coping skills, and having a hard time keeping up with responsibilities.   Since then, I have reached out for help, made some changes, and just kept going in spite of myself.   I am far from perfect, but I have learned how to set aside fears (however temporarily) so I can do what is important in the moment.   I did follow my plan to talk with others more, go to counseling, and take time for myself.   I have also been using a journal, which I had planned to do.

This class has been very beneficial to me, in many ways.  In some areas, I felt that I already had the common knowledge about the mind/body connection, etc.  I had not, however, read about studies that have brought the scientific community into the realm of integral health.  I am grateful, because I now have new resources to use, in my own journey.   My overall wellness has improved, in all areas, because of my new awareness.  I can help others, by being a better partner, mother, employee, daughter, and sister.  I don’t feel that this is an overstatement, because I can now handle all of these roles, better than I was.  It has been rewarding to see this kind of change in just a few short weeks.  The difficult part has been making time for new routines and activities.  As I am entering the field of accounting, this course will not be for my skills as a practitioner.  It has, however, assisted me in my own path of development (psychospiritual, physical, and emotional), and opened new doors for me.  I will continue to work with contemplative practices, as part of my ongoing program of self-care.