This
week’s exercise was easy for me to complete and very beneficial as well. I have
been having an extremely stress filled week and a half as my mother is in the
hospital and I am trying to take care of everything, along with my priorities
that need to be taken care of and I am exhausted. The exercise relaxed my mind
and body. I had to close my eyes. I thought it was interesting how the first
suggestion in the reading was to have your eyes open with a fixed gaze so many
feet in front of you. But, to fully relax and concentrate I needed my eyes
closed. Sending out loving thoughts to my loved ones was easy but there are not
many things or people (if any) that I despise or dislike. I see beauty in
anything. I have always stated that I will find the positive in any negative.
Even when the situation is terrible, such as my mother and her health
situation, I can still understand that it could be worse or at least they found
out when they did for that may have prevented worse problems. To send her
loving, healing thoughts made me feel extreme amounts of pleasure and
happiness. I felt as though I was helping her and taking away any pains or
troubles she was having at that time. It made me feel as though I was helping
her to get better, I will be practicing this exercise a lot. I had a bit of troubles
getting my mind to relax completely. I have so much going on right now and to
truly relax it was hard for me to let go of my worries. I did the exercise
several times yet never felt completely relaxed and if I was to do the exercise
again while becoming completely relaxed (mentally and physically) then I can
only imagine how beneficial the exercise would be. I have stated in other units
that it is hard for me to listen to another individual speaking when I am
trying to relax. Yes they speak in a soothing tone but it seems to break my
concentration and when I am visualizing something it takes some time to get the
picture only to have the picture vanish due to the speaker. My interpretation
of what a mental workout is when a person gives their brain a thorough
cleaning. Meaning when they take the time each day that is needed or preferable
for them to allow their thoughts to flow in search of the negative in order to
replace with a positive. The person will have to perform their mental workout
on a regular basis just as one does an exercise routine on a regular basis.
Also the time needed for one to reach a mental workout may be shorter or longer
than what it takes another to reach that state and the time should be adjusted
to one’s personal needs. An individual should relieve the negative emotions and
thoughts within their minds.
Leanne this unit was interesting in the experiments that they used on the patients to see if it would make a difference. You are a little hard on yourself. It is nice to be able to remove the past but don't forget because we learn a lot from our past experiences. I have been able to look back on past experiences and reflect. This allowed me to make sound decisions instead of just guessing on what to do. I agree with you about fellowshipping with a church family is the most rewarding thing. I look forward to it on Sunday and Wednesday or any other day I am able to go to the house of the Lord. I commend you on reaching your goal of weight loss. I two need to get back on track mentally so I can achieve my goal of weight loss by making out a chart to go by on a daily. I can also improve on meditation skills as well so I can get more in tune on a spiritual level with God. It is good to know we have some things in common
ReplyDeleteLeanne I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I am like you in the sense that I find it hard to relax when the person is talking too. This week I did find it easier to connect with exercise. I wonder if it is because it is do to connecting with others that we are close to and love. I think love plays a major role in the wellness of people, and I would have to say that this exercise shows that. I also love the definition you have for mental workout. I think you are definitely on the right track.
ReplyDeleteHi Leanne,
ReplyDeleteI hope things are going better for you mother. I will include you and your family in the positive energy " loving kindness" being sent out.
In regards to the exercise, I too found it hard to visualize with my eyes open. When I practiced the exercise with my eyes closed I could control my breathing and begin to let go of all the chatter in my mind. When I was able to control that, I then was able to visualize a person with whom I connected positive loving kindness. After the exercise was complete I felt energized and refreshed knowing that I was able to send love and kindness to those in need.
I agree that mental exercises must be done with the same dedication as physical exercise for us to see and maintain results.