Hello Classmates and Dr. Aguilar,
Each week I get ready to start the integral health exercise, and before I even get started I begin to feel stressed about the exercise itself. I feel that I cannot get myself to shut down long enough to get anything from the exercise. I wish that I could just sit and listen quietly to the recording, but I simply cannot get myself to relax. In fact, it almost causes me more anxiety to sit and listen to the exercise. I am usually a very positive person, so I have been struggling with being truthful about how these exercises affect me. I wish that I was having the anticipated feelings of relaxation and calm that these exercises should produce, but they actually seem to have the opposite effect on me. My husband was listening in on the exercise. He was watching me as I was focusing on the previous directions each time there was a pause. He later said that he would like to listen to the recording himself. I can see that this must be a useful tool to some people, I just wish that I could wrap my head around it. I tried shortening the time of the exercise like Dacher suggested. At the end of the five minutes I was practically jumping up to get back to other tasks. I wonder why I am struggling with these techniques so much....
Mental workouts are allowing yourself the time and practice of using your emotions and state of mind to enhance your well being. Studies show that having a compassionate, happy, and peaceful state of mind can actually enhance your ability to make spiritual connections and achieve well being. Perhaps this is where I am faltering. Integral health seems to be a "mind over matter" thought process to me. I definitely struggle with this. If I was able to believe in this practice more fully I think that I would then be able to use integral health and contemplative practices to enhance my well being physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
Thanks for reading,
Kaitlin
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Unit 3
Hello Everyone,
At this point in my life I would rate my over all well being at about a six. There is definitely room for improving in all areas of my life. Physically I am the healthiest I have ever been. I have recently lost a large amount of weight and I am baffled by how much better I feel and how much more manageable my life is. That being said, I still have some work to do. I need to lose another thirty pounds or so to be at what I feel is a healthy weight for me. I have been fighting with these last thirty pounds for about eight months. I feel that if I am continuing to eat healthfully and exercise that the weight should still be coming off, but I have completely plateaued. Therefor I am now beginning to believe that I should be looking for other ways to heal my body and get myself to my optimal health. I feel that my spirituality is an area of my life that I really struggle with. I don't really know what I believe in on a spiritual level. I feel that I am my own higher power. I need to believe in, and trust in myself to achieve my dreams and goals. Perhaps if I was able to give some of my control over to a higher power I would feel less burdened, but that is not something that I am willing or able to do at this time. This causes psychological distress at times. I sometimes feel so overwhelmed by everything on my plate that I simply shut down and choose to do nothing instead. This, of course, leads me to feeling even more overwhelmed and and out of control. I think that if I were to get better control over the spiritual and psychological aspects of my life, I would be able to finally make my physical health goals
To reach my physical goal I need to stick to my eating and exercise plan while expanding my spiritual and psychological awareness. To expand on these areas I need to be more willing to open up to new experiences. Spiritually I need to learn to give up some my my control. This will not be an easy task for me. It will be a struggle, but I feel that it will be worth it in the end. Psychologically I need to find a way to de-stress my life. Meditation and relaxation techniques are not working for me yet, so I think that I need to find a way to better manage my time. Once I have a better handle on my time management then I feel as if relaxation strategies will be helpful for me.
I tried, unsuccessfully again this week to complete the relaxation exercise. I simply cannot get my mind to shut down. I struggle with just sitting there and breathing and fully following the exercise because my mind is in a million other places. I feel that once I have a better handle on my stress and "to-do-list" that I will be able to give myself fully to the exercise.
Thanks!
At this point in my life I would rate my over all well being at about a six. There is definitely room for improving in all areas of my life. Physically I am the healthiest I have ever been. I have recently lost a large amount of weight and I am baffled by how much better I feel and how much more manageable my life is. That being said, I still have some work to do. I need to lose another thirty pounds or so to be at what I feel is a healthy weight for me. I have been fighting with these last thirty pounds for about eight months. I feel that if I am continuing to eat healthfully and exercise that the weight should still be coming off, but I have completely plateaued. Therefor I am now beginning to believe that I should be looking for other ways to heal my body and get myself to my optimal health. I feel that my spirituality is an area of my life that I really struggle with. I don't really know what I believe in on a spiritual level. I feel that I am my own higher power. I need to believe in, and trust in myself to achieve my dreams and goals. Perhaps if I was able to give some of my control over to a higher power I would feel less burdened, but that is not something that I am willing or able to do at this time. This causes psychological distress at times. I sometimes feel so overwhelmed by everything on my plate that I simply shut down and choose to do nothing instead. This, of course, leads me to feeling even more overwhelmed and and out of control. I think that if I were to get better control over the spiritual and psychological aspects of my life, I would be able to finally make my physical health goals
To reach my physical goal I need to stick to my eating and exercise plan while expanding my spiritual and psychological awareness. To expand on these areas I need to be more willing to open up to new experiences. Spiritually I need to learn to give up some my my control. This will not be an easy task for me. It will be a struggle, but I feel that it will be worth it in the end. Psychologically I need to find a way to de-stress my life. Meditation and relaxation techniques are not working for me yet, so I think that I need to find a way to better manage my time. Once I have a better handle on my time management then I feel as if relaxation strategies will be helpful for me.
I tried, unsuccessfully again this week to complete the relaxation exercise. I simply cannot get my mind to shut down. I struggle with just sitting there and breathing and fully following the exercise because my mind is in a million other places. I feel that once I have a better handle on my stress and "to-do-list" that I will be able to give myself fully to the exercise.
Thanks!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Relaxation
Hello again to my classmates!
One would think that relaxing would be an easy task. I am sure that for some people it is, but for me the relaxation exercise was actually quite a challenge. It is hard for me to get my brain to slow down and relax when my body does. Even when I was listening to the exercise my head was going a mile a minute. I was thinking about what I had to do for work, what I had to get done still for school, what we were having for dinner that night, my ever growing list of house work, and all the bills that I still haven't paid. It is no easy task to get everything to turn off and really concentrate on the task at hand. I feel that I need to keep this relaxation technique on file and try it again at a less stressful time in my life. Hmmmm...that seems a bit counteractive doesn't it? Perhaps I need to really push myself to put my health first and try to achieve a higher level of whole body health. This would of course include my psychological health which is the most difficult for someone as busy and stressed as I always seem to be. However, how will I ever reach inner happiness and health if I don't take the time to put myself first. Everything else should be on the back burner and my well being should be first. I think it is time for me to make a list of life priorities, and I think I know what should be number 1.
Thanks,
Kaitlin
One would think that relaxing would be an easy task. I am sure that for some people it is, but for me the relaxation exercise was actually quite a challenge. It is hard for me to get my brain to slow down and relax when my body does. Even when I was listening to the exercise my head was going a mile a minute. I was thinking about what I had to do for work, what I had to get done still for school, what we were having for dinner that night, my ever growing list of house work, and all the bills that I still haven't paid. It is no easy task to get everything to turn off and really concentrate on the task at hand. I feel that I need to keep this relaxation technique on file and try it again at a less stressful time in my life. Hmmmm...that seems a bit counteractive doesn't it? Perhaps I need to really push myself to put my health first and try to achieve a higher level of whole body health. This would of course include my psychological health which is the most difficult for someone as busy and stressed as I always seem to be. However, how will I ever reach inner happiness and health if I don't take the time to put myself first. Everything else should be on the back burner and my well being should be first. I think it is time for me to make a list of life priorities, and I think I know what should be number 1.
Thanks,
Kaitlin
Welcome!
Hello to all my classmates,
I am new to this whole "blogging thing." I have read a few of my friend's blogs in the past, and I can see how they are a good way to communicate with the people in your life. I just hope that my life is interesting enough to the rest of you to give you the desire to check in with me! I am looking forward to reading my classmate's posts as well. Perhaps this whole "blogging thing" will will become something that I really enjoy. Good luck everybody, and happy blogging.
Kaitlin
I am new to this whole "blogging thing." I have read a few of my friend's blogs in the past, and I can see how they are a good way to communicate with the people in your life. I just hope that my life is interesting enough to the rest of you to give you the desire to check in with me! I am looking forward to reading my classmate's posts as well. Perhaps this whole "blogging thing" will will become something that I really enjoy. Good luck everybody, and happy blogging.
Kaitlin
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