Unit 10: Professional Application of the Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

     Looking back in my Unit 3 rating of my physical well-being, I scored myself at a 9. Since I don't believe I will be completely and utterly happy about my physical self, I will still rate myself at a 9. I have not been able to commit to running every single day, which was a goal of mine, but I hope to be able to accomplish that for the future. I do, however, still make a huge effort to get some sort of physical activity/exercise done each day. Still looking into completing the half marathon at the end of this year, so that is my constant goal I will continue to work towards.
     For my spiritual rating, I rated it a 5, and now I feel comfortable rating it a 7. I have been making it a point to attend church, although not making every Sunday, but doing better than I had been a couple months ago. I am really trying to prioritize my time and put Sunday service as very high on my priority list. I think it is very important to encourage and show my children they should be going to church also. I want them to have a sense of faith, however, as they get older I will not force them to do so, but I will still encourage.
     As far as my psychological well-being, I rated it at a 7 before and now I would rate it an 8. I have been able to do a lot more meditation practices since starting this class. I can really feel a difference in my mood, attitude, spirit, etc. I don't always feel so stressed and bogged down like I did before. I have made it a point to give myself the free time and alone time that I deserve and need through out the day. I never let myself take my own time, but now that I can see how much meditation practices really do make a difference and improve in reducing my stresses. So I will definitely continue to practice meditation even after this class is over.
     I think I have definitely improved in my overall well-being while taking this class. It has been rewarding for me to learn that I need to be able to set aside time for myself otherwise I get too stressed, then usually end up getting sick because I'm so worn out. I really enjoy being able to do meditation for myself because I have seen such an improvement in my everyday life. Although it was quite difficult in the beginning, being able to set time aside just for me, but I have figured out how to do so now, and I am happy to say it's gotten a lot easier for me to take my "me" time. Now that I am able to really reduce my stresses, through exercise and physical activity, meditation, eating right, and church I will be able to help and show others how to do the same thing. With my own personal experiences and positive life changes, I can give other people information and knowledge in how to do so in their own lives also, and that in itself is a great thing because I want to be able to make a difference in other peoples lives too.

Thanks for reading!
Kristin Croake

Unit 9: Personal Application of Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

Introduction:  It is important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically because for the professionals to be taken seriously from their clients, they need to be living the lifestyle they are trying to teach others to live. Professionals have to be able to give first-hand knowledge to their clients so the clients can have a sense of security; knowing their health and wellness professional is living what they are preaching. I need to work on my spiritual side to achieve my personal goals. I need to start going back to church again, so I can reconnect my spiritual aspect of life.

Assessment:  I have assessed my health regarding each domain. Like I mentioned before, I need to work on the spiritual part. I am definitely very comfortable with my health and wellness in my psychological and physical developments. There is always room for improvement, but most of my work needs to be put towards the spiritual development. I would score my psychological wellness as an eight, my physical wellness as a nine, and my spiritual wellness as a five.

Goal Development:  One goal for my physical wellness would be to implement a form of yoga or Pilates into my fitness regime. I am trying to do more meditation type exercises and I know yoga and Pilates are great exercises for both the mind and body.

A goal for my psychological wellness would be to implement meditation practices into my everyday routine. I am currently practicing meditation a couple times a week, but I would like to get it to where I am able to do some form of meditation every day of the week.

A spiritual goal of mine would be to get back into the routine of going to church every Sunday. I use to go every week, but have no made it a priority anymore. I want to change that.

Practices for Personal Health:  The strategy for my growth in physical wellness will be to continue with my current exercise regime, but to keep myself motivated and stimulated, I will need to implement different exercise routines. For example, change up my workout, one day do a long run, next day hit the gym for a little cardio, but more weight lifting, and then the third day some crossfit. I will have a little bit of everything in workout regime so I won’t get bored.

For growth in my psychological wellness, I will make it a point to get in at least a couple minutes of meditation each day, even if it’s only five minutes. Whatever time I can get, I will take. I need the meditation to help keep my mind focusing on what’s important in my life, instead of the unnecessary and unimportant stresses. Also, I will try to maintain a positive attitude, even when times get rough, especially since I have both kids home for the summer! Positivity is better for our health too.

            For growth in my spiritual wellness, I will make sure I plan accordingly, meaning I will implement Sunday service into my weekly routine. I will continue to practice meditation because that will also help fulfill my spiritual wellness, along with my psychological. I think that meditation is great for the mind, body, and spirit.

Commitment:  I will assess my progress by keeping a journal. I already have a journal for my exercise and workout routine, but I will also have a journal for my spiritual and psychological wellness. I will make sure to write down the weekly church services I am able to attend and also the number of and length of meditation practices I participate in my everyday schedule. I will make sure that I am using the strategy of positivity to help in my long-term goals. If I am able to keep a positive outlook, it will help me maintain the positive lifestyle changes. I will also make sure I am actually using my journals so I can keep track of my physical exercise and my meditation and spiritual wellness as well. Therefore, I will be able to visibly see what, if any, issues I am having with missing church again or not getting in the necessary meditation practices. Writing things down is a great way to keep track and it is also just a great reminder!

Thanks for reading!

Kristin Croake

Unit 8: Optimal Well-Being

The two exercises I thought were most beneficial to me were the loving kindness and the meditation exercises. I really enjoyed the loving kindness because it helped me to think positively, along with making me think about my husband, who is very important in my life. When I think about him, I just want to smile and be happy. The meditation exercise is also very much an important part of my life now too. I make sure to take time for myself to just sit, relax, and be alone. I think that I never made time just for myself, but now that I know I can, it has made such a positive impact in my life. After I meditate for a couple of minutes during the day, I feel so much better; I feel the stress the leaving my body. The effects of meditation are similar to the effects of working out, for me. I enjoy both very much now. And will definitely continue to implement meditation and loving kindness exercise into my life.

I think that I have been able to really reduce my stress by taking time away from everyone to meditate and practice the loving kindness exercise. My mind is clearer and not full of random, unimportant stresses like it use to be before this class. If I begin to feel myself getting super stressed, especially with both children home, since school is over, I make everyone do "quiet time" in their rooms. It has truly helped me feel less bogged down and less stressed. I need this time for myself to help me unwind, so I can be the happy, cheery mother that I want to be. So I will definitely continue to practice both exercises even after this class is completed.

Thanks for reading!
~ Kristin Croake

Unit 7: Current Trends and Research Supporting the Mind-Body-Spirit Paradigm

I thought the Meeting Aesclepius was quite relaxing, thoughtful, and calming. I loved how the speakers voice was soft and very easy to listen to. At times, I found myself completely thinking of my husband, who is the person I was concentrating on. And while I listened to the voice telling me to imagine beams coming from my body to his, it gave me a sense of love and happiness while I thought about him. I had an overwhelming feeling of compassion and kindness, with a smile on my face, I couldn't stop thinking of him. I think that the meditation practices have truly helped with my psychological and spiritual wellness. I never thought I had the time to meditate, but come to find out, that was only because I didn't "make" the time for myself. I definitely feel less stressed after completing these exercises because they help clear my mind of the unimportant, unnecessary stresses I may be dealing with at that time. I will definitely make it a point to continue these exercises and practices even after this class has finished because they have made positive changes in my personal life.

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself"- I think this simply means just that. For example, if I was not into health and exercise, but was trying to help a friend who wanted to make healthful and positive changes in their own life, I could not provide them with tips or ideas in how to make those changes because of the simple fact that I, myself, was not living that healthful life. I definitely think in order to be a personal trainer or nutritionist or something along those lines, you need to be practicing what you preach. I would want to be that example of how clients could change their lives for the better. They need to be able to come to me with any questions or concerns they have regarding this new lifestyle change. I will eat healthy and will exercise so I can teach clients how to do the same thing. Personally, I try to go to church every week to help me with my spiritual growth. I need to turn to someone, and for me that is God. Psychologically, I make sure to meditate or just take a couple minutes out of the day for myself. In order for me to help lessen my unimportant stresses, I have to consciously make the decision to not focus on those, and that means taking time out to be alone, so I can think and relax. And I hope to continue the meditation practices even after this class is over.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kristin Croake

Unit 6: Exercises for Mind-Body-Spirit Wellness and Healing

     After completing the first exercise of Loving Kindness, I felt a sense of relief, but also a sense of sadness. I came to the realization that I have a few underlying issues, one which is very upsetting, that I need to get to the bottom of and perhaps even try to fix. It made me think of my step-mother, who passed away last March of Ovarian cancer, and it made me miss her even more. Before she passed though, we had just mended our relationship and I am so grateful for that. But now, for very unfortunate reasons, my mother and I are at a fork in the road, where we see our relationship dissipating, which is completely saddening to me. This exercise made me think of her too because I want nothing but the best for her, but over the past couple of months, I have felt otherwise and I feel horrible for feeling that way. I am hoping that we can fix whatever is "broken" in our relationship, so we can go on living happy, healthy lives with each other in our lives.
     The Integral assessment showed me how I really need to work on my worldly flourishing. I am already quite physical and I make sure to eat right and am aware of my mind and my body. But it has come to my attention that I am lacking in the worldly section. I think with my daughter in school, I could participate or even volunteer some of my free time to helping her out at school or just helping her school out. I was also reminded how well I am doing with my part in helping out the environment. I am a firm believer about recycling and reusing, and I make sure to teach the same to my children. I just need to work on taking an active part of my community. Overall, I feel my integral assessment is up to par, besides the few things I need to work on.

Thanks for reading!
Kristin Croake

Unit 5: The Key Role of Thought in wellness and healing

     In comparing and contrasting the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise, they were similar in that they had almost the same kind of background noise, but that really seemed to be the only comparison I observed. The difference was that in Loving Kindness, it seemed it was asking you to "use your mind" and "focus" on different things. But with the subtle mind, it was just asking if you could see certain things she would mention. I think I preferred the Subtle mind exercise more because there didn't seem to be as much talking going on. For me, the talking and telling me to focus on all these different things, gets my mind wandering and then I loose my focus and attention because I'm thinking of too many things. So the subtle mind seemed to mention things, then would be a longer "quiet".

     I think in order for us to reach our full potential, we have to be spiritually, physically, and mentally well. At some point in time, we all look to a "higher power" (whatever or whomever it may be) for help and guidance. I definitely do my praying because it helps me to believe. I also make sure to stay physically well by exercising because that is what keeps me sane, especially when I am very stressed or upset. So in being physically active also helps in my mentality because then I am able to keep my stressors down (or at least for part of the day, I am not stressing) because I end up becoming happier and in a better mood after I work out. When we are overall spiritually, physically, and mentally content then that is when we are able to reach our own human flourishing.

Thanks for reading!
Kristin Croake

Unit 4: The Mind-Body-Spirit Connection

     After practicing the Loving Kindness exercise over the past couple of days, I have come to enjoy it. I must admit, the first few days of practicing this exercise was a bit difficult and didn't really seem to be too helpful, however, after continuing it over this past week, the last few days I felt like I definitely got more out of it. I think it's because I never really tried to do this type of practice before, so in the beginning it's quite hard for me to really focus and concentrate, especially since I have a three year old who is home with me all day, so I don't get a lot of time to myself. So I also had to adjust the time down to 5 minutes the first couple of days because I was constantly interrupted and I just couldn't focus. I did get up to 10 minutes the last few days which is a great feat for me. I think it really is a beneficial and helpful exercise because being able to think and concentrate on a particular loved one (I chose my husband), made me feel very happy. I want only the best for my husband, and I want to be able to think of everyone in a loving, kind manner, even people I don't know. I think that being able to reduce our self-centeredness, so we can think about others is a great thing to be able to do. I think this really benefits everyone and I would recommend it to others.

     I think the concept of "mental workout" is being able to practice and train our minds, which help us to open our hearts to others, getting rid of the self-centeredness, and also open our minds so we can delve deeper into them. The benefits include we grow compassion for other people's well-being and we gain wisdom by training our minds. We can reduce our meaningless thoughts, feelings, and images if we practice on a regular basis.

     I think mental workouts help in our psychological health because it gives us a stronger sense of others. It also helps us to address and tame our busy mind. It will help us to progress to ending up with a calm and stable frame of mind. 

Thanks for reading!
Kristin Croake

Unit 3: Mind-Body Connection

     Well I am very much into physical fitness and exercise. So I can proudly say, I rate my physical well-being at a 9. I make sure to get out for a run, just about everyday, unless something crazy happens and makes it so I am unable to run that day. I try my very best to get some sort of physical activity each and everyday. A goal I am pursuing for my physical well-being is I am hoping to be able to run a half marathon by the end of the year. To do this, I am getting my running in as much as possible and making sure I am eating healthier foods. 
     My spiritual well-being is not where I'd like it to be. I would rate it at a 5 and the reason for this is because I have a hard time getting myself and my family to church every Sunday and I also don't take time for myself to just sit, relax, and/or pray. A goal for me, spiritually, is to get at least, myself attending church service every Sunday. I will need to make sure I am prioritizing my time with my husband during the rest of the weekend, so I don't feel as bad leaving for a couple hours on Sunday. 
     I would rate my psychological well-being a 7. Most of the time, I have a ton of things on my plate, therefore, bringing a lot of stress into my life. I have a three year old and a seven year old; I sometimes feel like my "job" as a stay-at-home mom is completely stressful and, at times, worse than a regular 9-5 job, I sometimes wish I had instead. Unfortunately, I don't always handle stressors in my life in a healthy manner; I have a tendency to bottle some feelings up inside, instead of letting them out and talking about them. A goal of mine for my psychological well-being will be to make sure I take time out just for myself; even if it is just 10-15 minutes each day. I need to make sure that I set aside quiet time, so I can de-stress or think to myself. In order to do this, I should set mark a time on my calendar for each day, of when I will take my own time to sit and relax; where I can not be disturbed and I can clear my mind for a few minutes. 
     The relaxation exercise, The Crime of the Century, did not seem too beneficial for me. I found myself going in and out of actually listening to what he was saying. I thought there was just too much thinking about the many different colors and the different meanings they may have in our lives. I did not find this relaxation session to be helpful to me because in my mind, I was not interested; I was not interested in the reds, blues, yellows, etc. and what they were suppose to symbolize in my life. Overall, I would not try to do this exercise again. 


Thanks for reading!
Kristin Croake

~~Relaxation~~

I really enjoyed listening to Journey to Relaxation. Actually, when I sat down to do this exercise, it was very much needed. It's been a busy and hectic weekend, so listening to this relaxation technique was very helpful in getting me relaxed and rejuvenated. I am not one to sit and do meditation usually, but after I finished listening to the relaxation video, I may just have to implement this into my everyday schedule. Having two young children, I think these relaxation moments are quite important and necessary for me to be able to stay sane. I think just taking 15 minutes out of my day to relax and not have to think about anything, is not too much to ask for. I felt wonderful after finishing this exercise and am glad I had the chance to do it. Thanks for reading!
Kristin Croake

I Love to Run...

Hello Everyone!!

I would like to start out first by saying, this is the first time I have ever blogged about anything. I am still a little unsure as to exactly how this works, but hopefully it won't take me too long to catch on. 

As you can see by the name of the blog, I really enjoy running! I love exercising and being physically active whenever possible and as much as possible. My husband is active duty in the USMC, so he is also very much into physical fitness, and that also helps to get our children on board too. I try to run everyday, but things do happen sometimes that don't allow me to go. I will say, it is one of the best stress-relievers there is. When I feel upset or stressed, after running, it just seems to all fade away!

Well that's it for today, I look forward to more blogging!