Unit 10....Final Blog

Wow...I can't believe we are at the end. I enjoyed this class soooo much. I would highly recommend it to everyone. It was life altering for me. I know for a fact that the lessons and the experience I got out of this class will remain with me forever. This class has definitely been one of my favorites.

1. Review your unit 3 personal assessment of your psychological, physical, and spiritual well-being. Reflect on these areas. How did you score yourself on a scale from 1 to 10 in unit 3? How do you score yourself now? Has the score changed? Why or why not?

 Based on a scale of 1 to 10 (“10” being the highest and “1” being the lowest), I would rate my wellness physically, spiritually and psychologically as follows:

Physical well-being:

I would still rate myself a 5. This is due to the auto immune deficiency disorder I’ve been struggling with for the past 4 years. Although I am still physically struggling, I am feeling more positive and more hopeful about my situation. I am “willing” myself to recovery. My goals in this area are to get physically healthy inside and outside and finally overcome this disorder. This class has reiterated the importance of positive thinking, daily exercise, meditation and prayer in order to attain integral health.

Spiritual well-being:

I would still rate my spiritual well-being as an 8. I feel much stronger in my beliefs, in my faith, and with my connection with God. I believe that God exists and the reason I have survived and have accomplished/achieved so much, especially throughout these past 4 years, is due to his presence everyday in my life.

Psychological well-being:

I would rate my psychological well-being as an 8. I feel very positive in this aspect. My classes are really helping me understand myself and are helping me overcome my own issues. I have grown in this area of my life in the past 4 years and I am continuing to grow.

Although the number scores have not changed since Unit 3, I know that I have progressed in my awareness and conciseness since Unit 3. There is always room for improvement and growth.

2. Review the goals and activities you set for yourself in each area. Have you made progress toward the goals? Explain.

My goals remain the same, except that I have more passionate to accomplish my goals. They were and still are to get healthy, both inside and outside, physically, spiritually and psychologically. I want to achieve a balance within all these areas. I want to alleviate myself of stress, anxiety, tension and especially of negative actions and thinking.

Activities and/or exercises that I can implement in my life to assist in moving toward my goals are to breathe, mediate, pray, relax and let go. Integrate Yoga, Pilates and walking into my daily routine to help release my stress, tension and anxiety.

3. Have you implemented the activities you chose for your well-being in each of the three areas? Explain.

I have taken “baby steps” to implement meditation, Yoga, Pilates and walking into my daily routine.

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?

I have learned a great deal and have grown mentally and spiritually within the past 9 weeks. One of the most important things I learned was how our mind is such a powerful source. The mind is capable of unlimited growth and development and is capable of permanent, positive change if trained appropriately. This has made me more aware and conscientious of my thoughts. It’s difficult but I am trying to alleviate and keep negative thoughts and emotions out of my mind. I realize how these negative thoughts can be extremely detrimental to our mind, body and spiritual health. My well-being is improving because I am integrating mental, spiritual and physical exercises/practices.

My future profession is in the psychology field. My goal is to become a counselor/therapist. As a part of my method of counseling, I would like to incorporate integral healing to promote healing to the mind, body and spirit. I feel the practices of integral healing are beneficial, especially in the psychology field because integral healing helps to not only understand and work with the mind but assist with the inter-development of the mind, body and spirit.

The Prayer of Loving Kindness....

May you be happy, as I wish to be happy
May you know peace, as I wish to know peace
May you be safe from inner and outer harm, as I wish to be safe
May you be free from suffering as I wish to be free.

Thanks for reading!

Final Project: Personal Application of the Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing

I. Introduction:

Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically? What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

             “To become the agents of a more expansive health, we must begin with our own life” (Dacher, 2006, p. 167).

 

            I think it is important to lead by example. It is essential for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically, this allows them to promote, educate and guide their clients onto the path they have already traveled on.

            I am a work in progress as I try to achieve my goals. My main goal is to continue to develop my mind, body and spiritual connection. By continuing to meditate, I will calm my mind and eliminate the chatter and clutter that fills my mind. I also need to concentrate on my physical well-being by integrating exercise into my daily routine. I also need to strength my spiritual well-being. God is a very important part of my life, I just need to trust and have more faith in him and in myself. I am going to start a “gratitude” blog to express and share daily what I am  grateful for in my life. This will help further my spiritual and psychological connection as well.

II. Assessment:

How have you assessed your health in each domain? How do you score your wellness spiritually, physically, and psychologically?  

            Based on a scale of 1 to 10 (“10” being the highest and “1” being the lowest), I would rate my wellness physically, spiritually and psychologically as follows:

            Physical well-being: I would rate myself a 5. For the past 4 years, I have been suffering with an auto immune deficiency disorder. I was so interested in taking this class; I want to heal from the inside out, mind, body and spirit. Although I am still physically struggling, I am feeling better about my situation and fell a lot happier and healthier inside. I believe I am on the road to recovery. My goals in this area are to get physically healthy inside and outside and finally overcome this disorder. This class has reiterated the importance of daily exercise, meditation and prayer in order to attain integral health.

            Spiritual well-being: I would rate my spiritual well-being as an 8; however, it increases on a daily basis. I feel much stronger in my beliefs, in my faith, and with my connection with God. I know that God exists and I have made it this far and I’m continuing to make it through every day because of his presence in my life.

            Psychological well-being: I would rate my psychological well-being as an 8, also increasing on a daily basis. I feel very positive in this aspect. As I continue to grown, learn and study, my classes are really helping me deal, cope and overcome my own issues. I know I have grown in this area of my life in the past 4 years. I am not the person I was 4 years ago, I can proudly say I am a stronger woman.

III. Goal Development:

List at least one goal you have for yourself in each area, Physical, Psychological (mental health) and Spiritual. 

            My goal is to get physically, spiritually and psychologically healthy. I want to achieve a balance within all these areas. I want to alleviate my inner being of stress, anxiety and negative thoughts, emotions and feelings.

            Physical: My goal is to continue to eat healthy by cutting down on carbohydrates (my weakness). I want to lose a minimum of twenty pounds by May, 2013 (graduation in Chicago!). I am going to exercise a minimum of 30 minutes per day. I will alternate stretching exercises, strength training, yoga, pilates and walking into my schedule. I know that losing this weight will also help in my psychological and spiritual areas as well.

            Psychological: My goal is to continue practicing meditation in order to de-stress and calm my mind. Therefore, I will continue with the exercises we practiced in class such as Loving-Kindness, Subtle Mind, and Meeting Aesclepius. I am also very interested in meeting with a guide to assist me with my meditation practice. I am going to continue to research additional meditation practices to integrate into my daily routine.

            Spiritual: My goal is to continue to focus and develop my connection with my beliefs, my faith and with God. I will continue to pray, meditate and reflect. I was raised in the Catholic religion; however, I do not currently attend church services. I do believe in the Angels, Saints, the Holy Spirit and Baby Jesus and I will continue to light my candles and pray to them daily. This class has opened my mind and made me aware of other spiritual healing traditions that I am interested in exploring such as Buddhist, Chinese and the Navajo principles.

IV. Practices for Personal Health:

What strategies can you implement to foster growth in each of the following domains; Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual. Provide at least two examples of exercises or practices in each domain. Explain how you will implement each example. 

            Physical:  I will continue to eat healthy and monitor my daily caloric intake. I have given up sodas and caffeine and have increased my water consumption to approximately sixty-four plus ounces per day. I will integrate at least thirty minutes of stretching, yoga, pilates and/or walking into my daily routine as well.

            Psychological: I will continue to mediate on a daily basis. For now, I will continue with the exercises we practiced in class such as Loving-Kindness, Subtle Mind, and Meeting Aesclepius. I will read more books, articles, publications, etc. regarding psychological health and wellness to better further my development in this area.

            Spiritual: I will, on a daily basis, continue to pray, meditate and reflect to help improve my spirituality. I also am going to start to read the bible each day in order to further my beliefs, faith and connection with God.

V. Commitment:

How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months? What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness? 

            I am going to get more organized and create a daily schedule so that I have time to exercise and practice meditation on a daily basis. If I write a list of my “things to do” down on paper, I will do them. I will start with “baby steps” and create a daily goals list, gradually adding goals to it. This will help me track my daily accomplishments. I have enjoyed blogging; therefore, I will continue to blog and journal my thoughts, feelings, emotions and accomplishments. At the end of the six months, I will have my sister, niece, and co-workers, (people I interact with on a daily basis) assess me to see if they have noticed a change in me. At the end of the six months I will also assess myself. It will be close to graduation so it will be a perfect time to start another self-assessment program.

Thanks for reading!

Unit 8....Review

This week’s assignment was to review the exercises and practice sessions we have completed throughout the past 7 weeks (Loving Kindness, Subtle mind, Visualization, meditation etc.). We are supposed to choose two practices that we have determined to be most beneficial. I chose Loving-Kindness and Meeting Aesclepius (visualization).

I really enjoy the guided mediations. I find them very beneficial because it makes me really concentrate and focus on what the guide is saying. This technique allows my mind to really focus on the exercise and limits my mind from wandering. I also feel very relaxed during the exercises and re-energized at the conclusion.

The Loving-Kindness exercise is intended to assist us in opening our hearts to others and help us gradually reduce our own self-centeredness and preparing our minds for further development. As we reduce focus on ourselves and our own needs, an enhanced concern and compassion for the welfare of others will begin to grow. I enjoyed this exercise. I was completely calm and relaxed. I could visualize myself at the ocean experiencing loving-kindness feelings. I also felt the release of the unpleasant, disturbing feelings and emotions I have bottled up inside. At a certain point, I felt a little emotionally overwhelmed. However, I believe the exercise was beneficial because I was able to release some negative feelings and emotions.

The visualization meditation exercise (Meeting Aesclepius) helped me access my inner healer. The inner healer which exists within each of us and helps guide us toward the integral process. I found this exercise very rewarding. It was a guided meditation, very soothing, with the sound of the ocean waves in the background. We were told to close our eyes and visualize the image of a very wise and loving man or woman. We were supposed to concentrate on the image to help relax and move us toward our subtle mind. With eyes closed, I could visualize a light coming from my image towards me. Throughout the exercise I felt a great sense of calmness, happiness, inner healing and peace. I felt my heart really open up. It was very uplifting and inspirational. I felt a sense of inner freedom. The meditation practice was definitely more than just a relaxation exercise.

These exercises can be implemented into my personal life to promote mental fitness at anytime I feel the need. I can shut the world out by taking time to meditate and rejuvenate. There is no time limit or time frame to meditate. I’ve mentioned this before “meditation is like having small doses of health and wellness injected into my body, mind and spirit.” I truly believe it!

My definitin of meditate:

M = Mind
E = Emotional well-being
D = De-stress
I = Integral Health
T = Therapeutic
A = Anew
T = Tranquility
E = Energy

Thanks for reading!

Notes from the Universe...

“Enjoy your thoughts, take time to visualize, and meditate to soothe your spirit and your soul."

Thanks for reading!

Meeting Aesclepius…..

1. Complete the Meeting Aesclepius practice. Describe your meditative practices for the week and discuss the experience. Explain how mindfulness or meditation has fostered an increase in your psychological or spiritual wellness. How can you continue to apply these practices in your life to foster greater health and wellness?

The ancient Greeks called the inner healer Aesclepius. Aesclepius is the Greek god of medicine, healing, rejuvenation and physicians. This week’s meditation practice was entitled “Meeting Aesclepius.” This exercise, through the use of visualization, helped me access my inner healer that is found at the source of my being. The wise healer resides within each of us to will help guide us toward the integral process.

I found this exercise very rewarding. It was a guided meditation, with the sound of the ocean waves in the background, very soothing. We were told to close our eyes and visualize the image of a very wise and loving man or woman whom we knew. My image instantly came up of my father. My dad passed away in October, 2011. When I think of my dad I am so happy and relieved that he is no longer suffering and is in a better place with my mom. Concentrating on his image helped me relax and move toward my subtle mind. With my eyes closed, I could visualize a light coming from him towards me. Throughout the exercise I felt a great sense of calmness, happiness, inner healing and peace. I felt my heart really open up. It was very uplifting and inspiring. I did feel a sense of inner freedom more so than just relaxation.

I look forward to meditating; I find this to be my time for clearing my mind, feeling refreshed, calm, relaxed and healthy. Meditation to me is like having small doses of health and wellness injected into my body, mind and spirit. Through these exercises, I am feeling that I am healing from within and growing mentally and spiritually. I find meditating a very emotional experience yet it's very liberating as well.

2. Describe the saying: "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" (p.477). How does this apply to the health and wellness professional? Do you have an obligation to your clients to be developing your health psychologically, physically, and spiritually? Why or why not? How can you implement psychological and spiritual growth in your personal life?

I believe this means that we must lead by example. I think health and wellness professionals, in order to really be able to assist, advise and/or help their clients/patients, have an obligation to be educated and experienced in integral health and well-being. They also have a responsibility to continue developing their health psychologically, physically, and spiritually. It would be an asset and beneficial to the clients/patients. This will provide and instill more confidence to the clients/patients that the health and wellness professional believes in the services he/she is providing.

I can implement psychological and spiritual growth in my personal life by meditating and practicing loving-kindness, calm-abiding and the subtle mind. And by focusing daily on the body, mind and spirit connection.

Thanks for reading!

Approaching work today....

This is how I will approach my job today...

"We are taking what may seem mundane, owning it as our own, and transforming it into an act of service, artistry, and sacredness" (Dacher, 2006).

Thanks for reading...enjoy your day :-)

Universal Loving-Kindness and Integral Assessment

The first part was to practice the Universal Loving-Kindness mediation. We were to close our eyes for a minute or two, rest into the natural ease of our mind and body and repeat the following phrases for 10 minutes:

May all individuals gain freedom from suffering.
May all individuals find sustained health, happiness, and wholeness.
May I assist all individuals in gaining freedom from suffering.
May I assist all individuals in finding health, happiness, and wholeness.

By repeating this phrase and concentrating on the meaning of each word in each sentence I did gain a sense of calm, healing and love within myself and I had the desire to share this feeling with others.

In the second part, I am supposed to take inventory of the four aspects of my life and determine which area needs attention. The four aspects are psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal and worldly.

I feel I need to concentrate and develop the psychospiritual aspect of my life. If this part of my life is in disarray I know the other aspects are suffering as well. This is one of the main reasons I decided to take this class. I have become more aware and mindful, mediating, reading the assignments and just thinking is helping me tremendously to grow and cope with things I have been struggling with.

I am taking baby steps toward integral wellness. I am constantly thinking about everything that I am learning in this class and trying to apply it. Today has been a great day!

Thanks for reading!

Reference:

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health: Laguna Beach, CA.

 

 

Subtle Mind Practice....Mental Fitness

The mental fitness practice this week incorporates the concept of the subtle mind.

“We begin by taming our busy mind. We learn how to diminish the ceaseless mental movements

of thoughts, feelings and images” (Dacher, 2006 p. 65).

1. Compare and contrast the Loving-Kindness exercise and the Subtle Mind exercise.

The loving-kindness exercise was to help us open our hearts to others and slowly release us from our own self-centeredness. It was intended to help prepare our minds for further growth and development. I enjoyed this exercise. I felt very calm and relaxed. I could visualize myself at the ocean as I experienced the loving-kindness feelings. I felt the release of unpleasant, disturbing feelings, thoughts and emotions. The exercise was beneficial to me because I did release some feelings and emotions that I was harboring.

The subtle mind exercise….hmmm…I can sense that this exercise is going to be a little bit more difficult to get a handle on. Although I did feel very relaxed it was hard for me to “tame” my mind and keep it from wandering; perhaps because it was not a complete guided meditation exercise. I found it challenging to maintain concentration and keep my mind still. This exercise will definitely require more practice.

2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life.

This exercise was very different from the previous ones. I really do hope to grow with, and expand my awareness with this practice because it will be very beneficial for my mental, spiritual and physical well-being.

Spiritual wellness explores the deeper layers of the mind to discover natural wisdom and understanding, inner peace and loving-kindness which are essential reasons for continual well-being of body, mind and spirit. Spiritual wellness will help develop my calm-abiding consciousness. This connection will allow my inner being to become clear, focused, unbiased and confident. In order to have a fulfilling, healthy life it requires the inner development/growth of the mind, body and spirit. Simply, when the mind, body and spirit are in harmony, there is integral health.

Thanks for reading!

Reference:

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral Health: The Path to Human Flourishing. Basic Health: Laguna Beach, CA.

Loving-Kindness Meditation Prayer.....

I enjoyed reading and meditating on these prayers and wanted to share.....It really does make you think and feel good.

Say this blessing for yourself anytime you feel alone, afraid or out of touch with the Light within.

May I be at peace.
May my heart remain open.
May I awaken to the light
of my own true nature.
May I be healed.
May I be a source of healing
for all beings.

Say this blessing for as many people as you wish. If worried thoughts about loved ones occur during the day, take a moment to send them a loving kindness blessing rather than a fearful thought.

May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the Light
of your own true nature.
May you be healed.
May you be a source of healing
for all beings.

Thanks for reading!

Reference:

http://www.fairview.org/SpiritualHealth/S_013948

Loving-Kindness and Mental Workouts...

“Contemplative practice is the method and tool we use to explore the inner world and evolve our psychospiritual life” (Dacher, 2006).

This week’s assignment was to listen to an audio entitled: Loving-Kindness. This exercise was to assist us to open our hearts to others and help us gradually diminish our own self-centeredness, preparing our minds for further development. As we diminish focus on ourselves and our own needs, an enhanced concern and compassion for the welfare of others will begin to develop.

I enjoy guided mediations because with this technique it allows my mind to really focus on the exercise and limits my mind from wondering.

I enjoyed this exercise. For fifteen minutes I was out of my element/comfort zone/room. I was completely calm and relaxed. I could visualize myself at the ocean and I experienced the loving-kindness feelings and also the release of the unpleasant, disturbing feelings and emotions I was feeling. It was, at a certain point, a little emotionally overwhelming. However, I believe the exercise helped me to release some feelings and emotions that perhaps I am still holding back. I would recommend this exercise and I am committed to try it again for the next week to see how I will react each time.

 “Research studies have demonstrated that mental training can transform the mind by reducing disturbing emotions that cause anger, hatred, fear, worry, confusion and doubt while enhancing positive emotions such as patience, loving-kindness, openness, acceptance and happiness” (Dacher, 2006).

Implementing mental workouts to foster psychological health can help identify, understand and manage thoughts and emotions. It can alleviate stress and bring a sense of calmness to an individual mentally, physically and spiritually. However, I believe this takes time, dedication and open-mindness to master.

Loving-kindness is a step that I will need to work on everyday due to the trials and tribulations I endure on a daily basis. However, implementing mental workouts can help guide me through.

Thanks for reading!

 

Journey to silence and stillness...

“Letting go of what no longer serves you and taking on what supports inner growth may not please everyone you know. But adjusting our life over time to allow for more inner stillness and silence will, along with the other preparations, cultivate the ground of our life so that the seed of integral health can fully bloom” (Dacher, 2006).

Silence and stillness focuses on awareness and integral health. The goal is to eliminate needless activities throughout our day and within our physical environment that can affect our mind in negative ways. The objective is to find inner peace, calmness and silence.

Thanks for reading!

The journey to skillful-action….

Skillful action helps to open our mind “…learning to restrain unskillful behavior and encourage skillful behavior” (Dacher, 2006).

Skillful-action focuses on learning to restrain unskillful behavior, In other words, behavior that generates an obstacle to inner development and instead promote skillful behavior that supports integral health. In this step, the goal is to calm the mind and remove negative reactions and negative thoughts that impact the mind (Dacher, 2006).

Learn to make a conscience effort to really think before speaking in order to avoid any backlash or inner turmoil that could affect integral health.

Thanks for reading!

The Journey to loving-kindness....

“Loving-kindness opens the heart and ensures the help and cooperation of others” (Dacher, 2006).

An individual needs to have faith that will inspire them to transfer their energies from outer physical health and healing to the holistic and evolutionary integral healing (Dacher, 2006).

The specific skills an individual can develop to prepare to include integral health are:

 loving-kindness; skillful-action and silence and stillness (Dacher, 2006).

Loving-kindness focuses on learning to be less self-centered and be more conscientious of others.
This can be conveyed through prayers, positive thoughts and/or physical support. By incorporating this process, individuals begin to alleviate emotions from within such as anger, jealousy, pride, greed, prejudice, impatience, etc (Dacher, 2006).

On my journey, I will continuously remind myself of the importance of displaying loving-kindness to myself and the people around me. I know that one day, without thinking, this will develop and come naturally.

Thanks for reading!

Reflecting on my level of wellness….the psychospiritual

I realize this is so true.... 

“Consciousness is the driving force that takes us toward integral health and life. It motivates, orients, and controls the entire process of human flourishing” (Dacher, 2006).

Thanks for reading!

Reflect on my level of wellness; physically, psychologically, and spiritually...

Unit 3 assignment:

Based on my reflections, on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing) I would rate my physical, spiritual and psychological well-being as follows:

A. Physical well-being I would rate myself as a 4. Unfortunately, for the past 4 years, I have been suffering with an auto immune deficiency disorder. I’ve been on quite a bit of medications but nothing has worked. This is one of the reasons why I was so interested in taking this class. I think this class is making a great difference in my psyche. Although I am still physically struggling, I am feeling better about my situation and a lot happier inside. I believe I am on the road to recovery. My goals in this area are to get healthy inside and outside and kick this disorder to the curb!

B. Spiritual well-being I would rate myself as an 8 and increasing on a daily basis, just from the beginning of this class as a matter of fact. I feel stronger in my beliefs, faith, with my connection with God and my inner spirit. I know that God exists and I make it through every day because of his presence in my life.

C. Psychological well-being I would rate myself as an 8, also increasing on a daily basis. I feel very positive in this aspect. As I am learning and studying, my classes are really helping me get through my own personal issues. I know I have grown in this area of my life in the past 4 years. I am not the person I was 4 years ago. I can proudly say I am a much stronger, determined woman.

My goals are to get healthy, both inside and outside, physically, spiritually and psychologically. I want to achieve a balance within all these areas. I want to alleviate myself of stress, anxiety and of especially negative thinking.

Activities and/or exercises that I can implement in my life to assist in moving toward my goals are to breathe, mediate, pray, relax and let go. Perhaps take up Yoga to help release my stress, tension and anxiety.

I found the relaxation exercise “The Crime of the Century” to be very relaxing and beneficial. I really enjoy the guided mediations. I found it very beneficial because it made me really concentrate on what the guide was saying. I was very relaxed during the exercise and I felt re-energized at the conclusion of the exercise.

Thanks for reading! 

Thought for today....

This has been a very productive weekend. I feel that I have grown mentally and spiritually.

“I am not a rocket scientist, a philosopher, or a wizard. Even if I were all three, I would still find myself looking off edge of my understanding into a vast unknown. As I recognize my own limitations, I am more grateful than ever for a Higher Power who is free from such restrictions” (taken from Courage to Change).

Thanks for reading!

Re-train My Brain.....

OK….beginning today I will consciously make an effort to think and feel positive mentally, physically and emotionally. I am on the path to re-train my brain! 

“The power of our mind can transcend physical space to affect the body, mind and spirit of all those we touch” (Dacher, p.23 2006).

My first thought this morning was “ugh, I’m so tired I don't want to get up” but I quickly changed my thoughts to “no I’m not tired, it’s Friday and I am going to feel good today"…so far so good! This will be very challenging but I know it will be well worth it. 

Thanks for reading! :-)

Day 2 Blog

Getting in a little reading this morning before starting work. I really like this philosophy....

“...the signs and symptoms of  health. These include a sense of inner control, competence and self confidence, creating and sustaining healthy relationships and having a sense of meaning and purpose in life” (Dacher, p. 13, 2006).

Thanks for reading :-)

Journey on Relaxtion Exercise

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog. My name is Lori Ochoa and I currently reside in
Las (HOT)Vegas, NV with my two dachshunds Jack and Hannah and my kitty cat named Cleopatra. It is a cool  (NOT!) 108 degrees on this Wednesday evening at 7:14 p.m. I am currently working as a Paralegal for a small bankruptcy law firm in downtown Las Vegas. I am pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with an emphasis on substance abuse. I am counting the days to graduation (292). I am looking forward to attending the graduation ceremony in Chicago in August, 2013!

This is my first blog, a requirement for my Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing class. (Which I am enjoying by the way). I guess blogging can be compared to writing in a journal and/or diary.

One of our exercises for this week's unit was to take some time and listen to an audio entitled "Journey on Relaxation." Personally, I have a very hard time relaxing, in other words...I don't know how it. However, taking this dedicated time to close my eyes, listen, breathe, and follow the "suggestion" directions, I was truly in a state of relaxation. When the exercise was over and I opened my eyes, it felt as if I had been somewhere else other than in my room. Pretty cool. I guess I will need to dedicate time on a daily basis to take a "journey on relaxation."

Thanks for reading :-)