Assignment #2

The first thing that I learned while taking this course is that the textbook was written with a specific age range in mind. Being in my early thirties, some of the text seems a bit juvenile to me but had I read it 15 years ago I may have found it more helpful. Not to say the information is inaccurate, just presented to the reader in a manner that would apply to the average aged college student. Having already taken courses in psychology and biology, most of the information in the first three chapters I was already familiar with. What I did learn was tactics to apply that information to daily life. The previous courses I've taken dealt mostly with clinical definitions and biological mechanisms behind them. This course discusses real life situations and ways to approach those situations from a healthier perspective.

The biggest thing I learned from the discussions was how many people had first hand experience with the mental disorders discussed in the chapters. Statistics in a book son't convey the extent of the situation as dramatically as actual testimonial.

In the first video lecture, they pose the question "what dimensions (of Health and Wellness) have you done well?" The only ones I can claim to have done well in the past month are the intellectual and occupational dimensions. I don't get much vigorous exercise and I am not a religious or spiritual person. At work, however, I am presented with the opportunity to use the skills I do posses to my advantage. I have a certain degree of control over my daily job activities. I try to challenge myself daily by accomplishing increasingly difficult amounts of work. This is not a matter of running around faster but of coordinating several personnel and a dozen or so machines into a symphony of mass production. This gives me the satisfaction of a job well done and the intellectual gratification associated with it.

Participation in this course is actually easier than most courses I have taken online. The ability to discuss personal experience and opinion as opposed to students all regurgitating the same information from the text, is far more enlightening.

There were not many terms in theses chapters that I was not already aware of from my previous courses. I had never heard of Progressive Muscle Relaxation before. I had also never heard of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. That was not covered in my psychology course. I like knowing that there are multiple approaches to dealing with the same problem.Self-efficacy was another term I was unfamiliar with.