Unit 8

The two exercises I found the most beneficial are the breathing/visualization and Loving Kindness exercises. I can utilize the breathing techniques at work when I am feeling stressed. Take a few moments and just calm myself before moving on. The visualization exercises were fairly easy for me to do, and I feel very relaxed afterwards. The Loving Kindness exercise allows you to share these positive feelings with others. I can radiate these feelings to my family, coworkers and patients. By looking at the bright side, and focusing on the positive others tend to follow.
Shartyse

Meeting Asclepius

This week I really struggled with the exercise. I was unable to concentrate long enough to achieve much of anything. I kept having to refocus on my breathing and eventually gave up. I have had a lot on my plate this week, so i think I was unable to turn off my mind. We had the Make A Wish Foundation visit for our son, work, and the large project due in my other course all took its toll and I was unable to concentrate on anything else. I will continue to try as I believe this exercise will be beneficial. As for the quote from this week "One cannot lead another where one has not gone himself,"I believe that it rings true. I grew up in a family of alcoholics and I still find it hard to understand what their thought process was at the time, but I remember that my grandfather always said you can't help unless they want to be helped. I think that this is the reason that programs like AA are beneficial because the are surrounded and supported by people who have been in the same place and situation. The people understand where they are coming from and can relate to the struggles they are having. When I read this quote I remembered the phrase, "before you judge me, walk a mile in my shoes," this seems fitting and relates back to the quote from this week. I can utilize this in my work by not judging others for the illnesses they present with. I do not know there story, and I should keep my judgements to myself, and do what I became a nurse to do: help those in need. In regards to the health professional "practicing what they preach," I think it is beneficial for the nurse/client relationship if the caregiver also displays a healthy lifestyle. That being said, I do not think that the health professional should be judged for their habits either. It may sound hypocritical, but I think we all have our vices and neither one is better than the other. The healthcare professional is held to a higher standard, but I think this is part of the stress of the profession.
Shartyse

Unit 6 Universal Loving Kindness

Universal loving kindness switches the focus from yourself to others around you. In this exercise you repeat a series of phrases to assist you in radiating loving-kindness to others.
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
This exercise is useful to me as I am a nurse, and work with individuals who are ill or suffering from chronic issues everyday. This exercise refocuses my energy on caring for them to the best of my ability.
The integral assessment exercise asks you to look into the four aspects of being and decide which areas need to grow, which areas are in need and so on. This week the biological aspect of my self is in need. I have an abscessed tooth that cannot be removed until the 10th of July. The discomfort from this tooth is disrupting my personal relationships as I am more irritable and I am unable to talk very well, limiting my conversation. It is also disrupting my work, as my focus is not 100% on my patients and their needs, but is split between the needs of myself and them. As for areas that are ready for growth and development I would choose the psychospiritual aspect. I am not a very spiritual person, but I work at a Catholic hospital, and religion and spirituality are important aspects of care. I need to open my heart and mind to the benefits of a spiritual relationship between my patients and a higher power and participate more in the act of prayer. By doing this I will not only expand my knowledge, but I will also be participating in a aspect of holistic care that is deemed important by my patients.
Setting small goals at first will help me to enhance my psychospiritual wellness.   

Unit 5 Subtle Mind

I must say this is the first week I have not been able to fully participate in the assigned activity. With my work schedule and the many projects/assignments due for school, along with a massive tooth abscess my focus was else where. I found that I was unable to concentrate because I was worried about how much time it was taking to do the exercise. Kind of ironic when the exercise focuses on clearing your mind. Also the pain was very distracting. I will keep trying though!
Shartyse

Unit 4 Loving-Kindness

I find the mental exercises offered in this course to be very relaxing. In the case of the Loving-Kindness exercise finding a loved one to focus on is very simple for me, it is my grandfather who passed away from brain cancer in 1997. I was able to visualize him for all the steps of this exercise. While the memory of his suffering still remains, this exercise helped me to relax and visualize the positive aspects of him and his life. It helped ease the heart ache still felt. I would recommend these exercises to my friends, family and coworkers. While it may seem strange or awkward at first, these relaxation exercises really do work.
I discovered an article that discusses the positive effects not only relaxation exercises have on the mind and body, but also mental tests or games that stimulate and make us use our brain in a different way. Mental exercises force our brains to try and make sense of what it is being shown. For example, one game they played with an elderly group of people required them to name the color shown on a projection screen. This seems easy but the word spelled on the screen did not match the color of the ink. The word orange was written in blue ink. Their first instinct was to say orange, but the object of the game is to identify the color of the ink. Exercises like these have been shown to improve cognitive function, and may help prevent Alzheimer's (Erb, 2012). While daily exercise for our bodies is important to maintain a healthy weight, exercising our brain is important to foster a healthy mind.

Erb, R. (2012). Mental exercises key to better brain function. USA Today, Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-10/mental-exercises-brain-health/55497440/1

Shartyse

Unit 3 Relaxation

I have never thought of grading myself on a scale of 1-10 for physical well being, psychological well being and spiritual well being. That being said I would rate myself at a 5 for physical well being, a 6 for psychological well being, and a score of 5 for spiritual well being. I am active, but not as active as I should be. Most of my exercise comes from working 12 hour shifts at work. I do go on walks and do outdoor activities with my family, but not as often as I probably should. Another strike is the fact that I am a smoker. I know smoking is unhealthy and causes many health issues, and I plan to try and quit smoking eventually, but keep putting it off. Psychologically I feel that I am in a good place. I am confident in what I do, and I know what I want to achieve. Work, school, and raising a family add great amounts of stress and I need to learn to take time for myself to relax. This is easier said than done though. Spiritually, I am aware of and comfortable with my belief system, and i am working in becoming familiar and accepting of others cultural and religious beliefs. Working at a Catholic hospital and communicating and interacting with the pastoral care department, and learning from my patent's experiences have helped me in this aspect.

My goal for physical well being is to participate in more outdoor activities with my family. Taking walks, riding bikes etc. Now that it is summer this should be easier to achieve. Psychologically I will take time for myself to just relax and spend some quiet time to allow the stresses of the day to diminish. Spiritually I will continue to learn from others, and broaden my knowledge in the beliefs of others. I will also focus on my beliefs and incorporate them into my daily routines.

The relaxation exercise allowed me to take time to truly relax. I was able to make it half way through before my thought process was interrupted by my children. I was also beginning to feel very sleepy and was distracted by my desire to not fall asleep. I think this exercise would be great to listen to at the end of the day to relax. Or may also be beneficial at the start of day. I would need to attempt these relaxation exercises where I am not going to be interrupted and can give my full attention to relaxing.

Unit 2 Journey On

Unit 2 offers further exploration into the mind/body continuum. The Journey On relaxation exercise is meant to allow you to focus on controlling the flow of blood through the body. This technique is intended to help you relax and relieve tension caused by stress. The exercise was very relaxing, yet I found myself being lulled to sleep by the narrator. As a caregiver and nurse, relaxation and alleviation of stress are important issues to address. Care giver role strain is a common phenomenon, and is one of the leading causes of abuse and neglect. As a nurse it is important that I am knowledgeable about stress relieving techniques and positive coping mechanisms in order to minimize care giver role strain and nurse burnout. Using the mind to control the body is an amazing technique, and I hoe to be able to effectively utilize it in my daily personal life.
Shartyse