My Self Assessment

During the loving kindness exercise, which I like much better than following along with the audio, I focused on people in general, not just people I love or people I dislike, but everyone. I thought about the needy, and the suffering especially though because I think I just have such compassion toward them and really feel like I should or need to help them.
Afterward I did the self assessment exercise and determined that my area that is lacking the most is the the worldly. I found that I am also lacking quite a bit in the interpersonal area as well, but definitely the worldly is the worst for me. I'm actually pretty good in the other two areas though. I care a lot about my fitness and nutrition and I feel like I am pretty good at expressing my emotions not just to myself but to others. Back to the worldly area though. I think I'm lacking in this area because I really don't do much in my day to day to impact my community or environment as a whole. I don't recycle, I've given to charity a few times but not nearly enough I'm sure, I haven't done much to help with global warming or social issues or health policies either. I'm pretty much lacking completely in this area I've found. So I've decided that my first step should be a small one just to get the ball rolling. I've chosen recycling! I could just start with cans, then once I've made that a habit get more into it with paper and glass. Just for a reminder I think it'll be a good idea to go get those little division bin things! Then if I don't recycle at least those will be staring me in the face making me feel guilty for not lol. 

The Subtle Mind...Not So Subtle

I have to say I liked this exercise much better than the last one. I still couldn't calm my mind, but I felt like I was making progress as it went. I definitely noticed how easy it was for anything and everything to grab my attention. I wasn't able to progress through all the stages along with the audio but I didn't really care because I felt like I was getting better at the first stage by the end of it. I tried focusing on my chest rise and fall at first but found that focusing on my breathing in and out was more natural and I could actually semi-not think about other stuff when I did that.

My connection specifically between the mental and physical wellness and the spiritual wellness is my reliance and faith in God. Knowing that someone else has it all figured out and has a plan for everything that happens to me, good or bad, is such a reassuring and relieving feeling. As soon as I start to grab on and hold tight to something that just isn't working out or going my way, I stop and learn to let go and take it as God telling me it just isn't in His plan. I've noticed in myself such a change for the better. I'm less stressed, I'm more positive, and, with the help of this class as well, I've learned to develop a greater loving-kindness toward others. 

Loving Kindness

Ok so this week's exercise was...not very beneficial for me unfortunately. The other exercises have mostly been for calming and relaxing and I definitely got that again with this one but with all the picturing and "moving" things in and out of my heart and breathing things in and out...I found it difficult. I couldn't calm my mind well enough to think about moving images and when I would try it was like they didn't want to listen! My mind is even stubborn against itself! It really made me realize how much I don't really have control over my mind yet. I thought I was getting better with the loving kindness, and maybe I am but as far as controlling and calming my mind...It's not great at all. I don't know if I would recommend this to others..but I'd say it'd be worth a shot because you never know if it will help you or not.
I think the concept of a mental workout doesn't have to be a calming or a relaxing one like this exercise. I think anything that challenges your normal way of thinking is a mental workout. In all of our readings it is clear that with mental workouts you see great benefits. They give you a more positive outlook on life, which tends to reduce stress, which will in turn improve your health both mentally and physiologically. The ways I've been trying to reduce my stress are more like mini workouts for my mentality and I also like to reflect on things which prepares me better for the next situation. When I'm in a situation I try to not react instinctively and instead try to step back and be calm...even if that's not exactly what I'm feeling at the moment. I find that in the end if I lighten up toward the other person and try to show compassion and understanding instead of judgement or hostility, the other person becomes easier to deal with and kind of lightens up themselves too. Afterward I try not to dwell on the situation too much, but I do briefly reflect on what I could have done differently to help the situation or to keep myself calmer.  

Rating My Wellness in Unit 3

1. 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?

Physical Well-being- I would rate myself at a 7. I'm in the best physical shape I have been in in my life and I feel great. Of course there is always room for improvement and I'm working at bettering myself. 
Spiritual Well-being- I would rate myself at a 6. Although I've more recently become more spiritual, I'm still learning a lot and trying to incorporate it more into my life. 
Psychological Well-being- I would rate myself at a 5. I'd say I'm pretty psychologically healthy but I still let some people get to me and do have some self esteem issues I'm trying to work through. 

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

Physical Goal- Complete the tough mudder in May. The tough mudder is not only a long distance run which would require good stamina, but it also includes numerous obstacles which would challenge my agility.

Spiritual Goal- Finish reading the Bible. I've started and am about 2 months out of 12 into it. 

Psychological Goal- Do not let others get in my head so much that I act out on it. 

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

Physical Activity- Get into a running program or schedule, and do cross training on the off run days. 

Spiritual Activity-  Read at least 4-5 chapters a day out of the Bible in the mornings and reflect on them the rest of the day.

Psychological Activity- Focus on myself and my values and try to develop that loving-kindness toward everyone, even if they put me down or I disagree with them. 

4. Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. Describe your experience. 

My experience was not as good as the first exercise, but I liked the idea behind it. It was kind of hard to wrap my head around the whole concept of light coming out of me and it meaning different things. I think if I ever did this exercise again I would try to focus more on the feelings than the light because that kind of distracted me. That and my mind kept wandering in this one. It was still relaxing though.