An Inspirational Poem

 Today I ...
Poet: Unknown Today I smiled, and all at once things didn't look so bad.
Today I shared with someone else, a bit of hope I had.
Today I sang a little song, and felt my heart grow light,
And walked a happy little mile, with not a cloud in sight.

Today I worked with what I had and longed for nothing more,
And what had seemed like only weeds, were flowers at my door.
Today I loved a little more and complained a little less,
And in the giving of myself, I forgot my weariness.

Final Project

Introduction

       Everyone needs to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically. The brain can be trained through meditation and practice. When you are psychologically healthy, you learn how to be more empathetic and compassionate. We all need more of these two attributes in our life. These capacities enable you to develop greater wisdom and effectiveness when dealing with problems. Spiritual health is an important component of an individual’s well being. When we feel spiritually connected and fulfilled, everything in our life including physical and emotional health are easier to deal with. We feel lighter and happier. Nourishing your soul is as important as food, exercise and water. Being physically healthy relieves stress, gives you higher self-esteem, and controls your weight along with many other benefits. I need to develop psychologically, spiritually, and physically. I have just begun this journey to finding a new me, so I need more practice.

Assessment

I believe that I have come a long way in just 9 weeks. Spiritually I am a 6, psychologically I am a 5, and physically I am a 7.

Goal Development

       Physically I plan to push myself more, and I will lose 5 pounds in the next two weeks. This will be done by doing more cardio and weight lifting. Psychologically I plan to be more positive, and go to counseling to overcome issues that I have from my past. This will be done within the next two months. Spiritually I will go to a Buddhist temple something that I have always wanted to do, and I will not let fear or others opinions stop me.

Practices for Personal Health

Physical strategies: I am going to do cardio exercises 4 times a week for 30-60 minutes each time. I will do 100 crunches at least 5 times a week. Psychological strategies: I plan to get cognitive behavioral therapy. I am not sure how many times I will have to do this. I will follow my therapists’ advice. I will also read the book Psychological Self-Help by Dr. Clayton E. Tucker-Ladd. This book will help me understand how to change defeatist attitudes. Spiritual strategies: I will do creative visualization exercises daily. I will also do meditations and exercises daily that will help me develop spiritual awareness.

Commitment

I will use a journal and a daily calendar to remind me of my commitments. I will record my progress in my journal. A strategy that will be useful is just reminding myself how far I have come, and this will be done daily.  

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Unit 8

One of the exercises that I like the most is the one from this unit A Taste of Human Flourishing. I can implement this exercise into my life by using this visualization exercise to feel happy and joyful. I will use it to bring happiness into my life. The second exercise I like is Universal Loving Kindness. By using this exercise, my capacity for empathic listening, seeing, and caring for others will increase.

Unit 7

Meeting Asciepius:
This meditation helped me relax. I will continue to practice meditation regularly, and I actually look forward to it. I have learned a lot from this class as I am sure all of you have to.

Mindfulness has fostered an increase in my spiritual wellness by helping to take life one day at a time, and simply helping me to relax. Spirituality is not something that you put up on a shelf and take down periodically -- especially when you are feeling desperate. It is a living, breathing aspect of who you are. And spiritual healing practices have application to every area of our life. Whether we are faced with challenges such as health problems, relationship difficulties, financial adversity, job loss, or legal problems – spiritual healing can help us. If you want to improve your life by increasing your prosperity, getting a wonderful new job, finding your perfect relationship, or any thing else that makes you happy -- spirituality can help in these areas also. Good luck everyone!

"One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself" This phrase simply means that in order to help someone on a spiritual level we must be able to be comfortable with our own spirituality. In order to do this, we have to practice meditation on a daily basis.