- Practice the universal Loving Kindness (meditation) exercise on p. 93.
Complete.
- Complete the Integral Assessment discussed in chapter 11 (p.115).
Complete.
- Describe the exercise and assessment process. What did you discover about yourself? What area have you chosen to be a focus of growth and development? Why? What are some specific exercises or activities that you can implement to foster greater wellness in this area?
I sat here listening to the Loving Kindness exercise with
much distress. My internet has gone down
and luckily I had saved the exercise to my desktop so that I could practice the
exercise and complete my homework.
Unfortunately, the first time doing this exercise, was not a success
because it really didn’t do much for me.
This time around, it was a horrible failure again. I tried hard to concentrate, but my mind was
racing and my blood boiled with anger as I thought about the loss of signal
with my internet. I couldn’t help but
worry about whether or not I was going to get my homework turned in on
time. I had been smart enough to copy
and paste my questions into word documents for preparation prior to loss of
signal, but that doesn’t help with getting it turned in, does it? If you can’t tell, I’m a high stress, low
tolerance type of person. I have been
trying to take time to find outlets to relieve my stress, and meditation is one
of them. When I am too stressed out, it
seems that not much works for me. So
unfortunately, the Loving Kindness exercise today, was nothing but a mere aggravation
for me.
This would be a great time to discuss the assessment
process. Noticeably, just from this
post, we can tell that there are a few things I need to work on in my
life. My mind is definitely a source
that doesn’t seem to slow down. My
thoughts are always racing and it is very hard to concentrate at any given
point. It makes it difficult to listen,
to think and even to sleep. I get
stressed out and don’t know what to do with myself sometimes. This causes emotional, physical and mental
exhaustion for me. Because of this, my
body suffers, which is another level of development that needs
improvement. I need to get sleep to help
regulate my well-being, I am slightly overweight, so I need to work on my
fitness and nutrition, and I need to calm down, which will help ease my mind,
body and spirit. I want to focus on
meditation as an exercise to foster growth in all of these areas for development. It is something that I enjoy and makes me
feel good about myself when I do it. It
doesn’t take a huge part of my day to do, and I can do it anytime I feel
overwhelmed. I just need to find a way
to get it to get me through the really rough times…the ones like today where
nothing seems to matter but me and my emotions.
I think I will practice the Subtle Mind exercises often to focus on my
mind first. This is where I feel most of
it starts and stems from. If I can get
this to a level that is satisfactory for me, other lines and levels may change
and my needs may change. So wish me
luck.
- Participate in the Blogs of at least two other students. Provide them with feedback on their strategies for growth and wellness.
Blog
is posted and I have participated in the blogs of two other classmates.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteYou poor thing! I hear you though there are times that it seems things just won't let up.. I was there a few weeks ago with my in laws and dealing the stress of them being in nursing homes and trying to get homework done, dealing with a step daughter that doesn't listen to me cause her mother tells her not to and then dealing with in laws getting mad at us because we didn't get everything out of their nasty old house that they wanted because it was covered in dog poop. So I hear ya loud and clear, and when I am at high stress like that I turn to prayer if I am unable to find a means of meditation because prayer is a form of meditation. I prayer for help with understanding and asking for patience and guidance and to help me stay calm. I don't know if you do that or not but its worth a shot. You also mentioned that you need to work on our fitness and stuff and I love yoga I find it difficult because of my weight right now but when I was able to do it well I felt a huge difference because yoga incorporates meditation if you find the right one.. I use Yoga Booty Ballet and if you want more info on that let me know I can tell you more about it. Anyway I want to wish you luck and know you aren't alone, reach out people and talk to them.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteI completely understand how our hectic thoughts create more distraction than can be controlled. I was pretty much unable to think such broad thoughts about everyone that I knew or didn't know. I can see the benefit of these exercises because it makes us more well rounded and opens our eyes to the benefits of relaxation and deep thinking. I took a 4 hour test today and did not do as well as what I wanted and I actually used these techniques when I was done. I breathed in and out deeply and focused solely on that - it actually kept me from panicking and stressing myself out. I like that I can incorporate this into my life!
Stacey Falke