Unit 3 I think has been the most interesting unit for me so far. It has gone into detail about what exactly our foundation needs to be when trying to heal our whole person. It talked about the five basic principles we need to lay down as our foundation to our overall healing. Some of those I hadn't really given much thought to before. For instance, I don't automatically think of needing to intentionally focus my thoughts on healing. I now believe that if we are not focused we cannot reach our goals. This will be my psychological goal to attain in particular in my healing process. My physical goal is to take time during the day to just stop and sit for a while and not focus on doing anything in particular. I am very bad at that since I have so much to get done with having a one year old, a part time job, and going to school full time. Finally, my spiritual goal is to pray more for God to help me be at peace and to have the wisdom I need to properly heal. God given peace "passes understanding" and I believe will give the greatest potential for healing through a peaceful life. I need to hand my life over to God...it's much better in His hands. He is the Great Healer and I believe that if I let Him, He can lead me on the path to total healing!

     On a scale of 1-10, I would say that my physical health is at about a 7. I strive to eat a very healthy and balanced diet and I try to stay away from medications as much as possible (even tylenol and ibuprophen). I try to find natural alternatives to conventional medications when possible. My arms are very well worked from carrying a 13 month old around all the time but I do not get out and exercise much at all. This is a huge problem when it comes to living a physically healthy lifestyle and I know I desperately need to work on that. Psychological well-being I would put at about a 2 to be honest. I am a worrier and I don't feel that I am very focused. I cannot seem to focus my thoughts on any particular thing for very long if I am not completely 'in the zone'. I worry constantly and have very few moments of true happy peace in my life. This is a horrible way to feel and I am constantly trying to fix this aspect of my life because only I can control how I look at life and handle it. Spiritually I would rate myself at about a 9. I am very at peace with my spirituality since I have God to lean on. There are always things I need to work on however, such as delving into God's Word more often and spending deep time in prayer more. I feel I have made good progress in these areas however and intend to continue to expand on them.

......I just tried that exercise and WOW!!! I didn't think it would work that well! Something about it was different than all the other relaxation techniques I have ever tried before. At first, I had the urge to laugh because I felt silly, but after I focused my mind and really tried to relax the desire to laugh diminished and I just began to feel more calm then I have felt in a very long time! It was a little tough to focus my thoughts solely on what the voice was saying but what he said about the colors was so inspiring to me that at times I got chills. Remembering that acknowledging the fullness of your being is so therapeutic!!! I never thought such a simple exercise could bring about such good results. I think I will make this a practice I incorporate often. I feel calm, relaxed and empowered.