Hello everyone! Hope you are having a good weekend so far! I just finished a big paper for my other class so I feel pretty relieved to be done with that!
The exercise of loving kindness was beneficial but, at the same time I was getting frustrated because 10 minutes is a long time to be repeating four short phrases over and over. I tried saying them to myself slowly but it was still agitating. That issue aside, I did enjoy the exercise because I have been trying to show loving kindness more in my life. I do not have any trouble showing loving kindness to my loved ones and friends but I have not really focused much on showing it to strangers and especially not to enemies. After completing this exercise I messaged an "ex-friend" on Facebook. She did/said some pretty mean things about two years ago and our friendship ended abruptly and not in a good manner. So, this exercise inspired me to write her a little message and apologize for my actions and also to let her know that I forgive her and that I no longer am holding a grudge for what happened. I just did this so no response yet, but even if she doesn't respond, I feel better and I know that the message will also help her to feel better about the situation.
During the Integral Assessment process work is what stood out to me, if you have read my discussion and blog posts it is no secret that I do not particularly enjoy my job. lol I am a very hard worker and I really do love the people that I work with, they just have some issues with their management style, but we won't get into all of that. Before taking this class I was prepared to quit my job as soon as I found a new opportunity. After taking part in this class I realized that any job I currently have is just a temporary thing until I get my degree, so getting a new job won't be the answer to all my work related problems. Now, instead of looking for a new job, I have focused on just enjoying the one that I currently have. I don't let anyone's attitude bother me and I just go about my day being happy and sharing my happiness with others.
I plan to help out my dad at his local food bank where they distribute food to the less fortunate. This will help me show my loving kindness towards strangers. I have been wanting to do this for quite some time but always am busy with work or school. Well, I think it's about time that I make time for this, because it truly does matter.
As far as work goes, that is a work in progress. lol Work is work so I don't think anyone ever wakes up and says "YAY! I get to go work all day." If you do, good for you I'm jealous! lol But, I do have a better attitude towards work now and I use deep breathing to help alleviate headaches during stressful situations, it does work so I recommend giving it a try if you get headaches often!
Kristen
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Unit 5 Blog Post-The Subtle Mind
Hello Class! Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! I did this exercise after completing my rough draft of the project due this week, it was much needed! lol
I really enjoyed the loving kindness exercise. However, I found the subtle mind exercise a little easier for me as a beginner with these types of exercises, and therefore more beneficial. Initially, I was annoyed that there was less talking in this exercise than the loving-kindness exercise, but about halfway through I realized that I actually like this better. Less talking allowed me to not become so easily distracted and to focus more fully on clearing my mind and inhaling and exhaling slowly. I really enjoyed the subtle mind exercise and felt extremely refreshed after completing it, I plan to continue using this audio at least a few more times and am looking for more like this on the internet.
The main connection of spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness that really stands our for me is that if you are free of stress spiritually, the mind is able to be clear and you are physically able to be less tense and more relaxed. This being said, I find doing these exercises such as the loving-kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise to be very beneficial when done before going to the gym. This may not work for everyone, but I feel very relaxed after doing these breathing and mind clearing exercises and have noticed that when stretching before exercise, I am more limber when relaxed, as my body is not as tense as if I go the gym straight from work.
Kristen
I really enjoyed the loving kindness exercise. However, I found the subtle mind exercise a little easier for me as a beginner with these types of exercises, and therefore more beneficial. Initially, I was annoyed that there was less talking in this exercise than the loving-kindness exercise, but about halfway through I realized that I actually like this better. Less talking allowed me to not become so easily distracted and to focus more fully on clearing my mind and inhaling and exhaling slowly. I really enjoyed the subtle mind exercise and felt extremely refreshed after completing it, I plan to continue using this audio at least a few more times and am looking for more like this on the internet.
The main connection of spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness that really stands our for me is that if you are free of stress spiritually, the mind is able to be clear and you are physically able to be less tense and more relaxed. This being said, I find doing these exercises such as the loving-kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise to be very beneficial when done before going to the gym. This may not work for everyone, but I feel very relaxed after doing these breathing and mind clearing exercises and have noticed that when stretching before exercise, I am more limber when relaxed, as my body is not as tense as if I go the gym straight from work.
Kristen
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Unit 4 Blog-Loving Kindness
Hello everyone! I hope that you are having a wonderful day! :)
Question 1 Response:
My experience was a positive one. At first, I found it much easier to feel loving kindness for a loved one. The second step of turning this loving kindness inward did take me a little longer. Luckily, we did get quite a long span of time to focus on the direction, so I had enough time to turn my feelings of loving kindness inward.
My husband has always told me that before I can truly love him or anyone else that I need to love myself. This exercise and the class as a whole has helped me to understand why that is such a true statement. It has also helped me to realize that I do love myself even though there are times that I have trouble showing or feeling this love.
Question 2 Response:
The concept of mental workout is to do exercise with the mind much like you do with your body. Working out the mind can help someone eventually get to the point of being able to foster certain emotions when needed to make a situation have a better outcome than if they got angry or upset.
Some of the benefits of mental workout that were focused upon in this exercise are: being able to show loving kindness towards oneself, being able to show loving kindness towards loved ones, and being able to even show loving kindness towards strangers.
Mental workouts, for me, help me to relax and forget about the daily stress of life. This allows me to focus on the things that are more important than work or school (yes, even more important than school lol) like relationships with people (loved ones, people I've recently met, and strangers) and my relationship with myself.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Unit 3 Blog-Reflection on Personal Wellness
Hello! I hope that everyone is having a great week!
1. Ratings:
A. Physical Well-being: 8, I am giving myself an eight because I believe that there is always room for improvement. I go to the gym 5 days a week and try to eat healthy, but do I eat healthy every single meal and snack of everyday? ABSOLUTELY NOT! lol
B. Spiritual Well-being: 7, I am giving myself a seven because I am new to working on my spirituality. I have been attending church for almost a year now, but need to work on broadening my horizons and expanding my spiritual well-being in other ways as well.
C. Psychological: 6, I am giving myself a six because I am still young and have not obtained optimal psychological well-being, or even come close really. I have gotten better at staying calm and trying to have a positive mindset, but I often fail. The progress I've made recently would be that when I do fail at staying calm or being positive, I reflect on this quickly and correct my actions or thoughts.
2. Goals:
Physical: My physical goal is to be able to do a pull up at the gym (this has been my goal for about 6 months now). I started out with very weak arms, but after working out with my husband for about a year and a half, I actually have some strength in my arms. I cannot do a pull up yet, but I am about halfway there.
Spiritual: My goal here is to start reading the bible. I have it sitting right next to my computer and have been meaning to start on it, but homework tends to constantly get in the way of this.
Psychological: After reading what we have of the textbooks so far in class, I feel that meditation would really benefit me psychologically.
3. Implementing goals:
Physical: Well, I can work harder at the gym, especially on arm day. Incorporating an extra arm exercise into my workout a few days a week will help to build my strength more quickly as long as my arms are allowed to rest in between days.
Spiritual: I plan to start out by reading one single page of the bible before bed, this won't take very long at all so it will be easy to work into my routine.
Psychological: I plan to work meditation into my lifestyle at least twice a week. I am going to do more research on meditation and find some helpful relaxation technique videos similar to the one we listened to last week.
4. Some of the breathing techniques at the beginning were similar to what is done at the end of a yoga video that I have, I always find these beneficial and relaxing. Focusing on each part of the body and repeating the phrases really started to make me feel pretty good about myself by the end of this video. lol I think this video really helps with loving and caring for yourself, which is a very important step to be able to show this love and care to others. I enjoyed this exercise, the only part that irks me about this and that also did in the last exercise, is that he says that we will feel very energized at the end. His voice and all the deep breathing about puts me to sleep, I don't feel energized at the end, I feel good, but not full of energy. Maybe I'm just not fully immersing myself in the video and need to work on this.
Kristen
1. Ratings:
A. Physical Well-being: 8, I am giving myself an eight because I believe that there is always room for improvement. I go to the gym 5 days a week and try to eat healthy, but do I eat healthy every single meal and snack of everyday? ABSOLUTELY NOT! lol
B. Spiritual Well-being: 7, I am giving myself a seven because I am new to working on my spirituality. I have been attending church for almost a year now, but need to work on broadening my horizons and expanding my spiritual well-being in other ways as well.
C. Psychological: 6, I am giving myself a six because I am still young and have not obtained optimal psychological well-being, or even come close really. I have gotten better at staying calm and trying to have a positive mindset, but I often fail. The progress I've made recently would be that when I do fail at staying calm or being positive, I reflect on this quickly and correct my actions or thoughts.
2. Goals:
Physical: My physical goal is to be able to do a pull up at the gym (this has been my goal for about 6 months now). I started out with very weak arms, but after working out with my husband for about a year and a half, I actually have some strength in my arms. I cannot do a pull up yet, but I am about halfway there.
Spiritual: My goal here is to start reading the bible. I have it sitting right next to my computer and have been meaning to start on it, but homework tends to constantly get in the way of this.
Psychological: After reading what we have of the textbooks so far in class, I feel that meditation would really benefit me psychologically.
3. Implementing goals:
Physical: Well, I can work harder at the gym, especially on arm day. Incorporating an extra arm exercise into my workout a few days a week will help to build my strength more quickly as long as my arms are allowed to rest in between days.
Spiritual: I plan to start out by reading one single page of the bible before bed, this won't take very long at all so it will be easy to work into my routine.
Psychological: I plan to work meditation into my lifestyle at least twice a week. I am going to do more research on meditation and find some helpful relaxation technique videos similar to the one we listened to last week.
4. Some of the breathing techniques at the beginning were similar to what is done at the end of a yoga video that I have, I always find these beneficial and relaxing. Focusing on each part of the body and repeating the phrases really started to make me feel pretty good about myself by the end of this video. lol I think this video really helps with loving and caring for yourself, which is a very important step to be able to show this love and care to others. I enjoyed this exercise, the only part that irks me about this and that also did in the last exercise, is that he says that we will feel very energized at the end. His voice and all the deep breathing about puts me to sleep, I don't feel energized at the end, I feel good, but not full of energy. Maybe I'm just not fully immersing myself in the video and need to work on this.
Kristen
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