My idea of optimal well being would be to be at a point in my life where my physical health, mental state of mind (emotional, intellectual, psychosocial), and my spiritual state are in line to where I feel I don;t have any need to make major changes. Although minor changes can be made in consideration to what is going on at a particular time in life, i feel comfortable that all these aspects of my life are very well where i want them to be and I am living the best life possible in reference to each.

At the point in my life, I feel that i am very much at ease with my physical well being and would rate it a 7. After having my youngest son almost 10 years ago, I gained a lot of weight and got to the point where I was not satisfied with myself and saw a need to be healthier. I began by cleaning up my diet and started with fitness videos and lost almost 30 lbs, which was 10 lbs lighter than my weight before i was pregnant. after starting this fitness regimen, i joined a gym and started working out 5 times a week. Since then, I may stray a little on a well balanced diet, but I tend to eat healthier than the average person, and I have continued to maintain at least 3 to 4 gym days. The one thing I can say i don't do is regular health check ups and although I feel that i am very healthy, I am 36 years old and as  nurse, i have seen very healthy people out of no where end up sick. My goal physically now is to begin a regular physician visit at least yearly or twice yearly to maintain an appropriate health status from a physician physical and point of view.

Currently I rate my spiritual well being at a 5. I don't see myslef as being a very spiritual type person although I grew up with a family that centers healing and devotion on prayer and uplifting God. I do see that prayer and believing in the impossible can change things through dedication and heart felt prayer. I feel the need to become closer with believing in the powers of the spiritual healing and well being and I need to actively take part in spiritual services. My spiritual goal is to become more humble in myself and my belief that change can occur through spiritual healing and prayer. I am currently looking for a church to worship at least once a week to gain a closer connection with others that have the same faith as I, and i want my children to understand the power of and connection of spiritual healing and faith.

Psychologically, I rate myself as a 5. I am currently in need of about 10 stress balls at once. I feel myself stressing over the smallest situations that I encounter and I need to find a means of relaxing and letting my mind ease itself. It is easy to stress the need for techniques to help relax and calm the mind so that barriers that cloud logical thinking can be removed, but it is hard to actually implement them when I feel that nothing is going my way. Psychologically I see the need to stop and refocus attention on myself and let myself know that I am doing a great job in school, work, and with family. the stressors I encounter will be overcome and for now, letting them go and relaxing will not change any major circumstances. My goal this year is to take time for myself and family and relax and have fun with my life. I also plan on communicating needs during stressful periods to seek resolutions and help from others when appropriate. I currently feel i am struggling to get through these last 2 semesters in school, but coincidentally with the spiritual goal I have combined with physical time to relieve stress , I plan on overcoming all challenges. It takes mind control sometimes to let go of negativity and I have to learn that if I don't stop mentally abusing myself and begin uplifting myself,  I can't expect it from others either.

The relaxation activity I would have to say did not strike my interest this time around. I felt that switching from all those colors began to make me more tense than relaxed because when my mind beam at ease with one thing, it was time to switch to something else. I really didn't get anything out of this exercise and it definitely didn't help me relax. Not to mention my mind was on finishing my assignments for my two classes along with what i needed to complete for work this week. Been a long week foe me but next week is vacation, so maybe I will try the activity again when Im feeling a little more relaxed.

Introduction/ Refelction

Hello. My name is Jami. I believe I mentioned my background of nursing in my original presentation to the class. I am new to this blog thing and have only done it in one other class, and was confused from beginning to end in that class as well (so was my instructor). This is going to be a learning experience for me, but I will see where it goes.

Reflecting on the relaxation exercise was very different for me because I normally do not know how to relax. well, let me say that my idea of relaxing is sleeping, otherwise, I am busy doing something if I am awake. being able to lay back, kick off my shoes and clear my mind was a new experience that I would like to continue to try on a regular basis. relaxing helped me to forget many of the stresses that I deal with on a regular basis and focus on just me and tune into those carefree things that distract me from worries. I learned that being relaxed really took my mind to a different place and allowed me to see that those troubles that I feel bother me, really aren't as bad as they truly seem. I really enjoyed the exercise and will try to do it again on my own.