Mental Workout

Loving kindness attracts loving kindness…you receive what you give.   I loved this statement said at the beginning of the recording.  I tend to think what you give to others you will receive back fully.  It may not be at this very minute but it will come. 

Begin by thinking of someone you love with great tenderness...the first person I thought of was my six year old son.  It is not hard at all to open my heart even more to my son.  I love him with every inch of my soul.  He is the reason I wake up every morning and strive to be a better person.  Then when I was told to turn this same feeling to  myself…this caught me off guard but I feel I love myself almost as much as I love my son.  I feel it is important to love yourself fully before you can love anyone else.  This exercise was great…I felt like it opened my heart even more and the ocean waves relaxed me.   When it was time to think about someone who is suffering it made me sad to think about a woman whose daughter recently took her own life.  This child was only 16 and I don’t even want to imagine what her mother is going through.  I pray for her daily and hope she is staying strong for her other children.  I wouldn’t take her feelings for myself but I wish I could take the hurt away.  Then I was to think about strangers even my enemies.  I don’t let people who have done me wrong keep me down.  I forgive and pray for them.  This exercise was nice because it helped with opening up my heart and remembering to forgive those who have done me or someone I know wrong.  Forgiveness is important to live a healthier, happier life in my opinion.

Mental workout is actually thinking about inner feelings such as love and anger.  Mental workouts can help us understand things more.  I feel these workouts can be helpful to balance one’s life and help one love more. 

Wellbeing

This week's blog is about wellbeing.  I have worked pretty hard on my overall wellbeing the past few years.  I still have work to do but feel I have come pretty far.  :)

-Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?

Physical wellbeing I would say I am an 8.  I work out at least 5 days a week.  I incorporate cardio and weight training as well as flexibility.  I also try to eat clean and eat very little junk food.  I can not give myself a 10 because I do not eat as much as I should and I do sometimes splurge on a few cheat meals.  I am still working on cutting out more junk in my diet and continuing to eat healthier.  I think my spiritual wellbeing is a 7.  I have faith but tend to lose faith when things are not going so well.  I try to have faith in God and myself and continue to work on my beliefs.  My psychological wellbeing is around an 8 as well.  I think being physically active has helped improve my psychological wellbeing.  I use to be depressed and down most of the time but ever since I added physical fitness and eating better to my daily life I feel like a new person.  I still get stressed out and let that mess with my mood but I have gotten much better. 

-Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).  What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?

I want to add yoga to my weekly physical fitness goals.  I do it at least once a month but I feel adding it more often will help with physical fitness as well as psychological wellbeing.  I want to start reading the bible more and praying more often, not just when I need something.  Psychologically, I want to improve my attitude with stressful situations.  Instead of letting a bad situation get me down, I want to be able to walk away and regroup before handling the situation.  I tend to let my attitude control me and I want to work on that.  I feel taking a five minute breather will help me handle a situation better than if I handle it while upset about it. 

-Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. To hear this exercise, click here. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)

It’s hard for me to concentrate on my breathing alone especially with the busy schedule I have.  But I tried!  The speaker’s voice is very calming.  Rainbow meditation: The color red does not make me feel grounded by fierce so it was hard to feel grounded like the speaker suggested.  Yellow is for feeling loved I guess I can see that since it is bright and so is love.  Emerald green is for positive thoughts…I liked this one because it made me think of people and things I love and show love to.  This technique was a little difficult because I find each color to mean something different than explained and it required a lot of thinking which is not relaxing to me.  I did like how it gave positive thoughts. 

relaxation

This relaxation technique is about releasing the tension in muscles by thought alone.  The speakers voice was extremely relaxing I actually fell asleep.  I am not sure if it is because I was so relaxed or exhausted!  When the speaker said to lift my arms I really did not want to I just sat here.  And I use woke up from a short nap haha!  His voice literally made me fall asleep but I have to admit I am tired.  Relaxation techniques are great if you actually listen and relax.  Many people tend not to let their body and mind relax.  I like to relax especially after a long day.  I hope each of you relaxed and enjoyed the technique as well.  :)

The beginning...

Hey everyone!  I am starting this blog as part of a class assignment.  I am currently studying at Kaplan University, working on getting my Bachelors in Health Science and Wellness.  I truly have a passion for anything health related whether it be fitness, nutrition, or wellness in general.  I feel we should live each day as if it is our last but take care of ourselves as if we will live forever.  There are so many ways to get and stay healthy and I plan to help others do just that.  :)