Unit 10

I feel my scores from Unit 3 have changed. My spiritual score has not though. I feel I am still at a 9 with that even though I know that it is not just religion but a complete spiritual score. Here I do believe there is a higher being and it is up to me to be as close to it as possible especially to my fellow man. My other scores, I feel, have gotten better. I do eat better and I am trying to do yoga with meditation at least 3 times a week with a better feeling toward it. I think this has put me on a better path towards a healthier lifestyle and a calmer mind. Psychologically, I do feel so much better knowing how and why to clear my thought pattern and rid myself of the pains I have clung to. Forgiveness has no doubt been the best thing to learn of.
Now I just need to do as I say I would. Practice at least 3 times a week faithfully. It is always so easy to say you will do it until it comes down to it. Because it makes me feel better physically and about myself, I think I am going to be able to keep this up. My mood is definitely better according to my coworkers and people don't seem to be afraid of me. Letting go of the anger and learning to forgive has made such a difference. This to me has not been easy. Change is never easy and probably not really understanding this course slowed my progress down. I am glad I understand the benefits better.
Craig Touchette

Unit 9 Final Project

INTRODUCTION:

It is very important to practice what we preach. This is the basis for not only integrity, but for believability. Psychologically, we need to be in balance and calm along with the understanding of letting the bad or passing ideas just pass. I like the way of letting them come into my head now and just being aware then letting them go without pondering over them. Spiritually, we must believe there is a higher being. Not being religious, but just to believe I or we are just here and there is a higher being or level. We must believe to help others believe. Then there is the physical. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body. If a person is morbidly obese, it is hard to tell someone who is overweight to lose weight or if someone smokes, then who are they to tell someone else to quit. There has to be believability to what one says or teaches.

ASSESSMENT:

My assessment of myself has changed. I feel I have a better understanding psychologically and can deal with stress much better. Here I feel I may be an 8/10. There is more to improve, but I feel I am in a better place than I was at the beginning of this course. Physically I am the same. I eat as I please and when I please. I am not in the best of shape but I see myself as happy as I am so I don’t feel as though I should change. My rating of spiritually is also the same. I am not religious and do not push my beliefs onto anyone but I do believe in a higher being and I feel like heaven may be a real destination. As far as I know, it could just be when I get to the inner peace I am striving for.

 

GOAL DEVELOPMENT:                                                                                                                                3

My personal goal physically is to maintain a happy weight and continue to do things in the great outdoors. I love to camp, fish, and to mingle with the wildlife in the forests. If I am able to do that, then I can maintain my goal. Spiritually, I would like to enjoy my faith and believe I can be better than I think I am. I also would like to help others understand they can be better people and help one another. Psychologically, I want to gain more peace and loving-kindness towards my fellow human being. I still get frustrated and angry at the trivial things and even if I know that it is wrong, it still happens.

PRACTICES FOR PERSONAL HEALTH:

Growth in these domains remains a mystery to me. Physically, I want to maintain what I do. I plan on attempting yoga to stretch and focus. I really like meditation to relax and understand what has happened and this helps me refocus on what is important. This will help me psychologically as well as physically, I think.

COMMITMENT:

How I am doing in the next 6 months will determine how well I feel. I am planning a hiking trip to the state park which is one of my favorite places. Here I will believe whether physically I am better and psychologically I am planning on practicing meditation so I believe that my moods will be better and more relaxed. This I am looking forward to. Maintaining this will be easy I feel. The better I feel, the more I will want. This is just as addicting as anything else.      

 

Unit 8

I have found this course to be very useful. Not really believing in this prior to the class, I find myself wondering why I didn't believe and just try it.  Maybe it's just the way I was taught, western medicine was right and all others are wrong. Maybe it's just because I am stubborn and didn't want to believe because it would mean that I was wrong. The two practice sessions that I find most useful would be meditation because of the concentration and relaxing it brings out. The other would be the subtle mind exercise where I can learn to just view my thoughts and let them go. I haven't learned it that well yet but I am trying. My mind is still cluttered and I find myself thinking of things that seem relevant at the time, but proves in the long term to be just another distraction. From here I can continue to practice and practice with hopes that my mind will eventually clear and the quiet will be observed. I find the breathing is relaxing and my heart rate can drop while controlling my breathing.
This still boils down to the same thing though: practice, practice, practice.
Craig Touchette

Unit 7

This practice was very relaxing. I never really had a mentor so my imagination could wander and the image I pictured was more of an animal, a bear to be exact. The meditation or relaxing helps soothe the pains of the day and allows me to let go of the anger that builds. Picturing a bear watching me just puts me back into the forest where I am most comfortable. The relaxing can be done after I get home from work and carry on and off through the evening. I believe this will help me find that quiet that I have been looking for.
One cannot lead where one has not been. That, to me is very true since if you have never been in a situation then you cannot possibly understand what the emotions are that got them there. Everything that has led up to that point in time has had help in getting there. I feel that your ways of life have brought you to the health that you are in now and has had started the chain reactions of what will happen. I feel my obligation is to alter the course that has already been set to a better lifestyle but it is up to the patient to either follow the advise, wise or not, and make the best judgment for the individual. I can only explain what is happening physically. I am not qualified or even comfortable to judge them on how they live their lives. I can only better my own life and so I can help others do the same.
Craig