Week 10 Reflections

1. Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal well being), where do you rate your A-physical well being, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?

a.       On a scale of 1-10 I rate my physical well-being at a 6 right now. I say this because I feel as if I have fallen into a rut lately with eating unhealthy and not taking the time to get back in shape. I have a 2 year old and a beautiful 3.5 month old and I have been feeling so run down lately that I haven’t had time to focus on me and get back in shape and shed those few extra baby pounds.

a.       Now I would rate my physical well-being at an 8. I have started to excersize and have started to juice fruits and veggies on a daily basis. I have felt my energy level increase and I just feel better in general. I have also lost about 6 pounds, so that is a great start to getting back in shape!

b. When it comes to my spiritual well-being I would rate it at a 4. This is something I would like to change and really get back to practicing my religious beliefs. I would like for my children to grow up knowing their religion and having their faith to help guide them through life. I have strayed away from my church since my teen years and I think that it is time to find my way back.

        b. Now I would rate my spiritual well-being at a 5. This is not a big jump, but I feel that I have started to integrate religion back into my life. I have started to read to my son about the bible and have really enjoyed teaching him the valuable life lessons within it. I hope to get back to church in the future.

c. I would rate my psychological well-being at a 8. I have an amazing support system around me and I have so much help that when I feel overwhelmed that I have someone to ease my mind. It is not easy being a full time mother and student, but I feel so excited to think about our future once I am finished with school.

                c. I would now rate my psychological well-being at a 9. I have really enjoyed learning the meditation techniques and have practiced them each night before I go to bed. They really help me to unwind from the day and to clear my mind. The also allow me some “me” time where I focus soley on myself.

2. Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).

a. Physical: I would like to shed my extra baby weight within the next 3 months. This means cutting out fast food as well as junk food and to start a reasonable work-out program.

                a. I think that I have been working toward this goal. I have started to excersize each day and I have began to juice and eat healthier overall. This has helped me to loose 6 pounds, so I feel as if I am going in a positive direction!

b. Spiritual: I would like to go to church at least once a month to start out and then join a church group to meet other parents within the Catholic community.

                b. I did not reach this goal, but I have however started to read children’s bible stories to my son, which he loves! I hope to in the future be more involved in church and some of the groups they offer.

c. Psychological: I would like to take more time to talk with my husband about our days. Sometimes I feel as if we get so caught up in our evenings with the kids that we do not spend time just talking about how our day was. It seems silly, but sometimes it is good to share the good and bad points of your day with someone.

                c. I feelt that I have accomplished this goal. My husband and I take time once the kids are down for the night to talk more about how our days have gone and about our hopes for the future. It has been an amazing experience to just slow down and help one another out when one of us has had a stressful day. This is something that we both enjoy doing and will continue to do!

3. What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?

a. I think that what it really comes down to is to make time for each goal. If you do not stop and just give yourself that little bit of extra time you will never move forward with each goal.

                a. I have slowed down in general to make time for each goal. I feel that this has really helped me to see what is important in life and has made me see things from a different perspective!

4. Summarize your personal experience throughout this course. Have you developed improved well-being? What has been rewarding? What has been difficult? How will this experience improve your ability to assist others?

        a. I feel as if I have grown tremendously throughout this course. I have learned to take more time for myself, which has helped me to relieve a great amount of stress through meditation. I have also found that I am more perseptive towards others. I think that the one thing that was the most difficult was to open my mind up to these new ideas, but once I did I found that I will always incorporate them in my life from now on! I feel that through my experiences I can help others to do the same. It is always so important to have experienced the things you teach others!