Week 5

Loving Kindness vs. Subtle Mind

I enjoyed both of these exercises very much. The loving kindness exercise seemed to focus more on the importance of being kind to others and ourselves while the subtle mind exercise focused on completely clearing the mind. I could relate a little more to the loving kindness exercise because I am not very good at completely clearing my mind or focusing on breathing. However, I do know the importance of breathing exercises and of clearing the mind, especially when we have so much going on in daily life.

There is huge connection between spiritual/mental wellness and physical wellness. As we have discovered in the recent weeks, there have been many research studies conducted that show how the mind/body connection can contribute to overall health and healing when a person is ill. We need to all remember this connection and the importance of maintaining spiritual and mental health with physical health.

Loving Kindness Exercise

Loving Kindness Exercise

Like the other exercises, I really enjoyed this. I found it beneficial because it reminded me of the importance of kindness. In my opinion, it was soothing as well as humbling and reminded me of how essential it is to implement kindness into everyday life.

Research has shown that mental workouts are just as important as physical workouts. I have competed in many athletic events over the years, and I know first hand that mental toughness is just as important as physical toughness when it comes to accomplishing goals as well as staying healthy. I must make it a priority to practice mental workouts just as I practice physical workouts because the mind-body connection is crucial to success and wellness.

Blog Week 3

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?

 

I would rate my physical well-being as fluctuating from a 7-9 I typically compete in marathons and triathlons, and when I am in training, I am exercise constantly and eat very well. However, when I am not in training, my eating and exercise habits are not as good. My goal is to be at a 9 constantly, even when I'm not in training.

 

My spiritual well-being is a 7. I pray each day, I feel as if I am a very spiritual person, but I do not always put my beliefs into practice. Once again, my goal is to increase this number.

 

For me, it is a little difficult to gauge my psychological well-being. I would say it is about an 8. I feel balanced mentally, but I do lose my temper at times, which I am working on.

Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).

 

My goal in each of these areas is to be at least at a 9. I can increase each of these areas by implementing healthy physical, mental and spiritual practices.

What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?

 

In order to move toward each goal, I must actually do what I have said I am going to do. For example, I must actually exercise six days a week, and not just say I am going to do this. Additionally, I need to actually attend church instead of having the intention to do so.

 

Relaxation Exercise

Once again, I enjoyed this exercise. As I stated before, I was skeptical about these types of exercises until I tried these. I enjoy the voice, the directions, and the calmness these entail.

Relaxation Exercise

From the beginning of this relaxation exercise, I felt calm, peaceful and relaxed. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical of an exercise such as this, but the music, narrator, and script was ideal to achieve a high level of relaxation.

The instructions paired with the information made the exercise informative, interesting, and tranquil. I could feel my mind-body connection working as I went through the exercise. It is clear that if a mind is trained, it can absolutely influence the body.

I recommend this exercise or any other relaxation exercise to everyone, but particularly to those who may be highly stressed or skeptical. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to experience this exercise.