 |
Based on my personal and professional history, I’ve identified the following specific AREAS OF INTEREST
If there is a central hub in the wheel of life, it is the concept of holistic health. Every breath we take is based on how we live within that breath. What we eat and drink, how we move and care for our body. How we feed our minds. The words we tell ourselves and the depth of our emotions. Our spirituality … however we define this. No matter how we live each day, through those moments of choice and those moments of chance, our responses are truly at the heart of who we are.
It has long been recognized that “Wellness” is defined much more broadly than an absence of illness or disease. According to Dr. John Travis, co-author of The Wellness Workbook, “Wellness is a choice, a way of life, a process, an efficient channeling of energy, an integration of mind, body, spirit and a loving acceptance of self.”
Through my work as a nurse, therapist and coach, I have always encouraged my patients/clients to take responsibility for their well-being. Although this includes the basics of proper nutrition, a regular active use of the body and adequate sleep, etc., it also involves a respect and appreciation for the entirety of what makes life worth living!
With the above as a guiding factor, I bring the totality of my experience and vision when working with clients whose focus is creating a life of balance and authenticity.
“Life means change. Some changes are internal and developmental such as becoming an adult, creating intimate relationships, and aging, while other changes are external such as a job promotion, divorce, change in health, or a geographic move. Some changes are anticipated - others are not.” Leia Francisco, MA, Certified Professional Coach and Certified by William Bridges in managing organizations transitions, author of Writing Through Transitions, A Guide for Individuals and Groups, and co-leaders of the webinar "Stop the World I Want to Get Off: Embracing Change in Troubling Times."
While taking Leia’s course on facilitating transitions groups, I become aware of the premise of stages within the process of transitions (endings, the neutral zone and beginning). As with Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief (On Death and Dying), the stages of transitions are not linear. But the outline provides a guide of sorts. Sometimes just being aware of the markers along the journey provides a light where only confusion and darkness seemed possible.
Some of my most satisfying work has involved supporting my patients/clients during times of transition. Through personal and professional experience, I have developed a special interest in transitions involving changes in physical health and body image. This includes infertility and injuries or illnesses that have resulted in redefining who we are in the midst of who we were before the illness or event.
“I have always known that at last I would take this road, but yesterday I did not know that it would be today.” Narihara
I’ll soon be 60. A rite of passage in our culture. I loved my forties. Respected my 50s. And now feel in awe of my own life as I march into my 6th decade! As a wellness coach, I look to my own experiences and those whom I’m been fortunate enough to know as a guide.
One of my clients, when approaching her 80th birthday, said, “I’m not sure I know how to be 80. I’ve never been here before.” She did it beautifully and brought the energy of her life force right there with her! In nursing training, I was charmed by the delightful bounce of my head nurse, Hazel Spitze, a dynamo charging down the halls well into her 70s. While interviewing seniors for my book, Voices of WWII … A Kaleidoscope of Memories, I met the most amazing people. One woman in particular, May Alm, was skiing … downhill!! … on her 80th birthday!
As I approach my 60th year, and a new personal terrain of health, I sort through the faces of my role models and mentors. People who have thrived into their eighties and nineties. What did they have to teach me? What did I learn from those who struggled painfully, with illness and limitations, into their seventies and eighties. What made the differences?
I believe my three areas of special interest … Holistic Health, Transitions, and Healthy Aging … have a common thread that weaves through the tapestry of my life’s philosophy: we may not be able to determine how the winds blow in our lives, but we do have the ability to adjust the sails of our attitudes and energies.
|
 |
|
 |
Holistic Health:
