My Stress Guide

Introduction

Why is it important for health and wellness professionals to develop psychologically, spiritually and physically?

When incorporating the integral process into our own lives we discover the profound possibilities of integral health and healing (Dacher, 2006). What starts out as professional training soon becomes a personal lifestyle. We begin to acknowledge firsthand how we can flourish and teach others how to do the same. If we need physical healing today we would know where to go and how to see. If we were looking for someone that practices integral healing we would have to do our research. Finding those resources you might just get lucky and find a daily, weekend, or week spa that may offer some healing. To find such places, person or things could range from massages, to yoga, meditation classes, relaxation techniques, and many other techniques available. I started the martial arts at the age of 10 and was fortunate enough to have had great instructors. Anyone can kick and punch, but to do it right is the key. Without even knowing it I was already on my way to an integral lifestyle where today I can say I see the benefits.

I am 50 years old and have three children, two sons and my daughter that I have raised as a single father. My one son is a correction officer the other is a drill sergeant, and my daughter is still in school. I speak of them because they are the age of most college students the oldest being 25 years old. My twin boy and girl are 23 years old. So I can say that by living a healthy lifestyle throughout my life I can see how it was passed on to my children. I can truly say that I got it from my step-father who  is 81 years old today and getting a clean bill of health from his doctors every year. We not only have a responsibility to ourselves, but we also have the responsibility to teach our offspring about  living healthy and becoming whole in their own rights.

Without the knowledge and abilities in moving forward  towards integral healing and health we could not get the benefits it has to offer. My step-father worked on staying healthy by working out and doing things that where unconventional in getting there. My work outs are different as are my children’s. The martial arts has taught  me all aspects of human flourishing by working on the mind, body, and spirit making the connection between all three aspects of human flourishing.

We all need tools to release stress, escape from our everyday stressors and flourish as humans. These are the benefits I have gotten from the martial arts

Psychologically: Many people are finding solace in the ability to protect oneself.  With those abilities comes improved psychological confidence and well-being.  If people can protect themselves they feel less vulnerable in a time of unrest and uncertainty. If an individual is provided with the means of protecting oneself decreased anxieties about one’s safety will follow with positive outcomes. The psychological benefits of martial arts include increased self-esteem and self-confidence as well as decreased tension, stress, anxiety and depression. The individual total well being, both psychological and physical can be improved simultaneously. While the physical aspects of exercise improve your general health, it likewise improves one’s emotional health. It has been found that martial arts are one viable treatment option for depression and other mental disorder. It’s utilization of meditative principles allows the participant to utilize self-evaluation and self-introspection as a means to practice martial arts.  It has been stated in the literature that martial arts and psychotherapy utilize the same principles to achieve wholeness.  The pursuit of self-improvement is the theme that martial arts and psychotherapy purports as the ultimate goal of the practice.

Spiritually:  An important part of the martial arts is meditation as you can also use it in fighting like Tai Chi incorporates in their fighting techniques. When you practice martial arts, your mind is emptied and you concentrate on the motion and movement of the body. After a martial arts work out, both your mind and spirit get refreshed as they are used in your training. You feel a sense of reward that you feel every time you are done training. You feel relaxed, tranquil, and renewed all at the same time while you train. Martial arts help us accept circumstances in life that would require patience. The virtue of acceptance and patience are cultivated during martial arts training.

Physically: Martial arts have always been known to have physical benefits. This fighting technique can strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, and empower one’s health. It can even reduce risks to certain types of health problems such as heart diseases, high blood pressure, and many more. The martial arts gives you more than physical power it equips you with stronger and more powerful mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing that will help you succeed in your endeavors you go through in life.

What areas do you need to develop to achieve the goals you have for yourself?

I know that human flourishing is a lifetime of work. I found the one tool that can give me the most positive outcomes when I train in the martial arts. Life throws stressors our way every day and dealing with those stressors can be difficult from time to time. Having the tools that are at my disposal is something that I can work on as my goal to flourish as a human. I know that I am very lucky because throughout the years not only have I developed techniques, but I have built a business that I can help others. A big part of my goal is to continue learning to maximize the tools I have to flourish in becoming whole.

My diet is one area that can use improvement because with all I do I still have to worry about high cholesterol that I inherited genetically as a family trait. As I continue learning better ways in taking care of myself I want to stop taking the cholesterol medication. With a better diet and botanical medicine I know I could control my cholesterol. Integral healing makes the connection in all aspects of life and we are what we eat is true in many ways. I am not out of shape nor is my diet bad, but to achieve our maximum potential we have to do everything we can.   

Assessment

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

I find that assessing yourself is hard to do as you always see yourself differently than others do. My lifestyle has changed throughout the years allowing me to grow and flourish in the forty years of training out of the fifty in this world. Human development takes discipline, consistency, and responsibility as we can only take care of ourselves. Human development is a never ending battle that we cannot give up on. I have tried throughout my life to find peace, strength, integrity, and humility in trying to have balance and flourish. The integral assessment is the tool we need to choose in transform our health and life from conventional to integral, from ordinary to precious (Dacher, 2006). The six principles of integral assessment will help guide us and flourish as humans these principles are as fallowed:

1.      The goal of integral health is to alleviate needless suffering and promote human flourishing. There are two criteria to use when identifying the aspects of our life and need attention.

a)      Which aspects of our life are the most significant sources of distress?

b)      Where is our greatest possibility for growth and development?

2.      Integral health recognizes the distinction between short-term relief of needless suffering and permanent relief.

3.      Integral health recognizes the distinction between immediate pleasure and long-term flourishing.

4.      Psychospiritual development is an essential component of integral health.

5.      Integral assessment relies on deep listening and guidance.

6.      Integral assessment addresses the aspects, levels, and lines of development that are relevant to our current circumstance. 

Psychologically: My score in this area is (8.5) as I find myself in a better place than ever before in my life and the lifestyle I live. My children are now young adults and on their own, well educated and starting their professional careers. I have gone through life’s adversities and have come out on top. I know my place in life as well as myself and believe that I have a high self-esteem and love to live life. When I have problems I have my support system that consists of family, friends, and professionals where I can find guidance, support, and knowledge. Marriage, children, friends, jobs, and other factors of everyday life can also create stress. I go to the professionals to find answers such as psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor to help me stay controlled and balanced. Perfection, we all try to achieve, but we all know that it is hard if not impossible to be perfect. Every day I try to learn, grow, give back, and love in exercising my inner soul.  

Exercises that I do to stay psychologically balance by meditating 5 hours per week both in the studio with my students or on my own time. I talk to my father and have discussions about different subjects. He is has his PhD in psychology and as a child I would sit in his classes at the University of Puerto Rico when he was a professor. My social network is very good and has many avenues of communication to get me back to balance and give me feedback. I have a full gym that allows me to get away when things get stressful as well as my martial arts studio. In both areas I am able to get work outs in that allow me to relieve stress.      

Spiritually: My score in this area is (8) as I found that the martial arts and cultural back ground has me well connected with my higher power. Every night before I go to bed and everyday when I wake up I say my prayer. Prayer is one of the oldest and most commonly used coping mechanisms known to humankind. In its simplest form prayer is thought: a desire of the heart, and often a call for help in what can best be described as a plea for divine intervention (Seaward, 2009).

The church I belong to is four blocks from my house. During Christmas the family goes to midnight mass and has been a tradition my children and I have done since the divorce back in 1998. Finding the good in people and circumstances is something I try to practice through loving kindness. By looking at how my self-absorption denied me any opportunity to know my partner separate from myself (Dacher, 2006). We cannot love others unless we love ourselves first (Dacher, 2006). Religion is man made, but humans are created by a higher power that is yet to be explained or will ever be.

We begin with ourselves in areas of development the psychospiritual and the biological, because in general and there are exceptions, our personal growth and development allow us to most effectively evolve our interpersonal and worldly life (Dacher, 2006). Just like a car needs a driver so does our life (Dacher, 2006). When it comes to prayer, the styles are countless. Perhaps most common to many people is a recited prayer (much like a poem) that draws our attention from the self to the higher self (Seaward, 2009).

Physically: I score myself a (9) as I’ve been taking care of my body since the age of 10 when I started in the martial arts. The martial arts physical work outs are like no other as you focus on your  physical, spiritual, mental aspects all at once. Exercise is just not going to a gym and working out. Although I love to work out in my gym I know that muscle does not know poundage it knows resistance so you can get a work out anywhere. You can do isometric exercises, weight lift, calisthenics, and other things that can target the muscles. I work out anywhere from 5 to 6 days per week allowing Sunday as my rest day.

   

 You might assume that fitness means tight abs and nothing about the condition of the heart. People’s lifestyles have changed dramatically over the past few decades, and with these changes health have spiraled down even further (Seaward, 2009). Diseases such cancer, diabetes, and scores of stress-related illnesses have increased in the US. Sadly, there is no quick fix for optimal health, but there is physical exercise (Seaward, 2009). Not only does physical exercise utilize the stress hormones for their intended purpose, the cathartic release of stress is nearly unbeatable (Seaward, 2009). People need to take responsibility for their health and  there is a reason why exercise is called “work” (Seaward, 2009).

The human body adapts either negatively or positively to the stress put on it very day. Proper physical exercise will cause many adaptations that in the long term are thought to be effective in reducing the deleterious effects of stress by returning the body to a profound state of homeostasis (Seaward, 2009).

Goal development

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

Goal setting is very important when it comes to accomplishing things in life. The practice of integral health and healing take goal setting to reach wholeness and flourish as a human. 

Psychological: My goal mentally, emotionally, intellectually, and as a professional is to continue to grow and flourish. I was very fortunate as a child to have found the martial arts as some find religion. I want to continue to develop spiritually to have the connection between my higher power and me. I want to make a more profound connection through prayer and meditation. I know that practice makes perfect and after 40 years of practice I know I still have work to do. At 50 years of age I feel more at peace with myself and my lifestyle. With everything that is going on with our economy, world matters, and government I don’t stress as I did as a young man. I know today that I can only control the things that are within my control.     

Spiritual: My goal is to continue to develop ways to give back when I can as today’s economy keeps everybody on a tight budget. Once again the practice of prayer is something that comes within ourselves. Meditation is another way I have found in getting balance and getting my psychospiritual in line with natures. Maintenance is the key for me by keeping balance and flourishing achieving quality of life as I age.

Physical: I cannot imagine a life without having the ability to work out. I have seen just about every work out you can imagine. After 40 years trying to keep balance with all three aspects it seems like when one aspect is balance the other is off keeping us on our toes at all times. I work out 5 to 6 days per week and not all my workout are the same so my goal there is to stay healthy so I can continue doing what I enjoy doing today.

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.

Psychological: To foster my mental growth I am taking time to meditate as that will allow me to empty my mind and focus on my inner self. The one tool I’ll use is the CD “The Path to Human Flourishing” to allow the mind to flow free.  

I will also use the beauty around my community such as the beach, boardwalk, rivers, lakes, sunsets, and sunrises to visualize outcomes as I walk and enjoy the beauty.

Spiritual: Take time to give back to my community as loving kindness always gets positive effects in return. I give to my community by offering ways in getting healthy at a reasonable price and sometimes free. That gift of giving is priceless and has elevated me into a higher consciousness in my life.

The other thing I am doing to foster my spirituality is praying as the power of prayer is unexplainable unless you have faith. My faith has once again elevated me into a relationship with my higher power giving me the strength needed to give unselfishly.

Physical: I’ve been fostering my physical body for quite some time. I exercise 5 to 6 time per week doing different activities in getting me in shape. I weight lift, work my cardiovascular system and focus on having both muscle and cardiovascular endurance.

The other way I’ve been fostering my physical abilities is through the martial arts that touchs all three aspects of flourishing as we work out the mind, body, and spirit. We fight for endurance, meditate to strengthen the mind, and I pray to strengthen my soul.

Commitment

How will you assess your progress or lack of progress in the next six months?

When I weight train I keep a diary and keep track of my progress as well as the journal I keep about my life. I have been training for a very long time and exercise, health and wellness has been a part of my life that I have been working on flourishing in becoming whole. 

 What strategies can you use to assist in maintaining your long-term practices for health and wellness?

I have worked on my house to have things close to me enough that you can’t use any excuses in not getting a work out. I have a full gym in my basement just like a storefront gym. I have a karate studio right outside my living room door that I use for more than just a karate studio. I use the space to teach exercise classes, Zumba, boot camp training, and other exercise routines for people to enjoy. I have spent money to have everything right in my home for my convenience and it has worked out great for me as I use the space for personal fitness and wellness as well as it my business. 

References

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

             Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Seaward, B.L., (2009). Managing Stress, 6^th Ed. Principals and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. Paramount Wellness Institute. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA