This week there were two separate exercises that we were asked to participate in. The first was the Universal Loving-Kindness. I actually really enjoyed this practice. I took the 10 minutes and really cleared my mind of any other thoughts and focused on the instructions. I was skeptical of the phrases at first, but afterwards I did feel very open, much more understanding and more caring. For quite awhile after the exercise, I approached each task I needed to accomplish and person that I talked to with a open mind and open heart. I felt more at ease and almost serene.

The second exercise we were asked to participate in was the Integral Assessment. This exercise forced me to really consider my overall wellbeing and assess areas of my life that need to be further developed. The area that I think I need to focus on would be the psychospiritual. Between school, my full time job and part time job, there is often not enough time in the day to get everything accomplished. I often feel overwhelmed and extreme tension and stress. I do a lot of deep breathing exercises to calm myself, but a lot of times my mind is still focused on what else I need to get done. I have a hard time winding down at the end of the day, and when I am attempting to sleep at night I'm usually wide awake thinking of what all needs to be done tomorrow. I think my first step is to rid myself of unnecessary projects and activities that are only causing more stress and not serving a beneficial purpose in my life anymore. Once I release a few more responsibilities, I would like to sign up for a yoga class that will help teach me to focus my mind and provide me with the skills to calm myself and clear my head of stress.

The Subtle Mind

This week's exercise, "The Subtle Mind" was a very interesting experience. I struggled to form a solid connection to last week's "Loving-Kindness" exercise, so I was a little apprehensive starting this one. I think one of the biggest differences from last week's exercise for me was my ability to focus this week and rid myself of distractions. I was able to find a quiet place and focus, unlike last week where there was too much noise and things going on around me for me to really concentrate.

Anytime I feel overwhelmed or stressed, I walk away and take deep breaths. I focus on my breathing and it instantly calms me. I think my prior use of breathing techniques really helped me form a connection to "The Subtle Mind" and benefit from it. I felt very relaxed during this exercise and after. My mind felt clear, fresh, and calm.

I think there is a big connection between some one's mental, spiritual, and physical wellbeing. Depending on some one's religious or spiritual backgrounds, prayer and spiritual traditions can be very powerful and helpful for healing. For those who believe in a higher power, prayer can be a very calming and an emotional experience. It can provide people with hope, faith, and belief, especially when things are looking grim. I also believe that having a positive attitude and outlook on healing keeps a person mentally healthy as well as providing physical benefits. Positivity can reduce stress, and the less stress, the better for your physical health. In my personal life, I use prayer whenever I need a little "pick me up" or feeling low. It really helps keep me calm and rational, which influences my mental wellbeing. The less stressed I feel, the better I feel physically.

Loving-Kindness

This exercise was a difficult one for me. I listened to the audio version of the first practice of love-kindness about four times. Unfortunately, the audio was not effective for me. Each time it went to a long audio pause, my mind would wander and drift off to tasks that I need to accomplish, work I needed to do, etc. Despite the struggle with the audio exercise, I was able to complete the exercise through the reading. Being able to read at my own pace, and complete the steps was helpful. It made me calm, and relaxed, but I did struggle with the visualization and instructions. I found it difficult to connect to the mental suggestions. Despite my struggles with this activity, I would recommend it for other people. I think I wasn't in the proper state of mind that is needed for the activity to be successful and was not able to give it my full focus and attention. If someone is able to rid themselves of all distractions, I could see this being a very beneficial exercise to building your psychological health.

 

The concept of a mental workout is the same as a physical workout. In order for someone to build muscles and strength, they would need to go to the gym, lift weights, and train their body and muscles. The same goes for our psychological wellbeing. In order for us to obtain the highest level of psychospiritual flourishing, we need to mentally workout and practice mental exercises that build on our capabilities. Dedicating 15-20 minutes a day to practicing specific exercises can be very beneficial. It not only helps calm the mind and relax the body, but it can help expand your way of thinking, progress you to higher mental development, and open your mind to new ways of healing. There are several ways that I can incorporate these techniques into my daily routine to help build my psychological health.  Each night I already take 10 to 15 minutes before I go to bed to mentally relax. To do this I get comfortable, do deep breathing exercises, clear my head, and rid myself of all the day stresses. What I can start doing during these moments is attempting the suggested exercises.

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health: The path to human flourishing. (pp. 59-69). Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications Inc.

My Overall Health and Wellbeing

After considering my own personal health and wellbeing, I would have to rank my physical health at a 7 on a 1-10 scale. I would choose a 7, because I exercise on a regular basis, maintain a healthy weight, and try to “well”. However, there are still major improvements I could make. I eat fast food approximately 3-4 times a month, which could be eliminated. I also have a bad addiction to Mountain Dew, which has a lot of sugar, useless calories and is very acidic. My goal for my physical wellbeing would be to cut out soda drinking in the next few months. I feel as if I will need to slowly wean myself off, so this may take me some time. Something that could help achieve this goal would be replacing one soda a day with water. The following week, replace two sodas with water, and continue this until I am no longer craving caffeine or soda.

I would rate my spiritual wellbeing at 6 out of 10. The reason I chose 6 is because I am religious and pray on a regular basis, however, I am not involved or attending church as much as I would like to. My goal for my spiritual health is to attend church at least 2 Sundays a month. Something that would help me reach this goal would be finding a church that is closer to my home. Currently, I live about an hour away from my church, which makes it difficult to attend.

My psychological wellbeing is one that could fluctuate from day to day. Overall, I would rate myself at 8 out of 10. I am very busy between full time work and school, but I always manage to keep my head and thoughts calm, relaxed, and open. I think it’s important to take a breath and walk away whenever I am overwhelmed. This always seems to refocus me and release any tension or frustration. One goal I would like to set for myself would be learning more breathing exercises and meditation techniques. One way I could achieve this goal would be signing up for a yoga class at my gym. I think that would be extremely beneficial and could teach me a lot more about relaxation and breathing properly.

                After attempting the relaxation exercise “The Crime of the Century”, I was very relaxed. Within the first two minutes, I felt calm and at ease. I completed this activity at the end of the day right before bed time. The prism and color exercises did not really affect me, and I wasn’t able to completely visualize what was being suggested, but the overall soothing music in the background, the quiet and soft speaking voice, and the deep breathing that was suggested worked very well. After completing the exercise, I went to bed, and fell right asleep, and slept wonderfully. I am considering keeping up with this exercise on a regular basis to see if it will continue to help me sleep better.

Relaxation Exercise

Listening to the relaxation exercise was an interesting experience. The background sounds were very calming and soothing. They were soft and inspired me to breathe easier and relax. I was quite stressed when I began this exercise and while listening to the instructions on what to focus on, I found myself slowly relaxing my muscles and letting the stress and anxiety go. The suggestive words really inspired positive feelings and a positive physical response. I have always been a believer in how the mind influences how you physically feel, and this exercise certainly reaffirmed that notion for me.

Greetings!

Hello Everyone!
 My name is Allison and I'm a student at Kaplan University working towards my Bachelor's Degree in Health Sciences. In the last year I have moved to Wisconsin and I am anxiously waiting to graduate in January so that I can move back to Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is the most amazing place and has truly become my home in my heart. Outside of working and school, I like to spend my time with my family, friends and the love of my life my dog JD. He is a 6 year old Pit Bull that has become like a child to me. I am excited for the upcoming changes with graduating and very eager to start the next chapter in my life.