Creating A Quiet Mind

Hello Everyone:  I WAS doing so well at blogging and now I cannot seem to send post to any of your sights.  I tried for a couple hours last night typing post after post.  When I went to submit them they disappeared and then my screen flashed out.  Very frustrating.

 

 

I hope you are seeing my main post for Unit 5:

 

I found the Loving-Kindness exercise difficult because there was too much to think about.  I cannot relax or focus when I have to stimulate my mind with new thought processes.  I do think it is very hard to instill loving-kindness all the time.  I have become much better over the past year at understanding why individuals react to certain situations in certain ways. 

 

As a manager I have to be open-minded and it is important I understand what  and why certain deep-seeded thoughts initiate particular responses.  Most individuals are not intentionally mean or angry, however; if they are over the top there is normally something that happened before that situation that created that response.  I also feel strongly that when you give love first individuals will respond with love.

 

 

The "Witnessing Mind" exercise was great.  I loved the ocean sounds and I was able to focus on my breath moving forward to focusing on creating stillness within my mind.  Despite the fact that I had children intentionally drawing my attention to them I was still able to relax.  I really enjoyed this exercise.

 

 

I practice spiritual, mental and physical wellness to the best of my ability everyday.  I workout everyday (as it is my job) and I attend church weekly.  If I need to talk I make time to visit my counselor or call a friend.  I know when I am depressed and I recognize when my depression is affecting the people around me. 

 

Sometimes it is really hard for me to pick myself up and move forward.  Yesterday was my birthday and my sister and mom and aunt made this day very special for me.  I was very depressed by the evening because my children did not recognized my birthday and I was in tears last night.  It just hit me.  I toke out birthday cards they used to give me when they were little and put them out so they might remember what it was like to give love.

 

 

I know my children love me but for this generation showing loving-kindness is not important or is it a daily practice.

 

Cherie





Hello Professor and Class:  The exercise for this unit was a little too relaxing for me.  There was too much quiet time for thinking plus the sound of the water and chimes put me to sleep.  I tried to focus but it was too difficult for me.  I understand the concept behind the exercise. 

Practicing Loving-Kindness is very important to me.  As a manager I want to appear approachable to my instructors.  This way they will feel comfortable talking about their problems relating to work.  I can help them become better instructors if I understand where they are coming from.

In everyday life I practice Loving-Kindness with my children and husband.  Talk about a challenge because we do not see eye-to-eye on most things.  I try to be open-minded and I try not to take things personally.  That is the hardest for me.  I am sensitive and my feelings get hurt quickly.  Again, I look at things through their eyes and world.  My vision is that if they know I care enough to see their point of view they will meet me halfway in most situations.

I would recommend this exercise to others if I felt they were capable of holding their attention for that long.  I do not think this exercise is for everyone.  It takes an individual with a quiet mind and the ability to focus for long periods of time. 

The concept of the "mental workout" is the perquisite for this exercise.  We must first learn how to quiet our minds and attain the wisdom to understand others prospective.  Anyone can benefit from the "mental workout" because it can result in great knowledge and it also allows you to teach yourself at your own pace.  Practicing Psychological development allows us to focus on destructive emotions that hurt the people we care about the most.  We learn by doing and this results in a healthier set of attitudes' and behaviors.

Cherie

Empowering and Improving my self-esteem

Hello Professor and Class:  I hope all my responses to your awesome blogs are going through.  It is so exciting to be able to blog to all of you.

The "Crime of the Century" was a difficult exercise for me.  I had a hard time focusing on all of the information the speaker was throwing out.  I have done this exercise before and when I did this exercise in the past we also learned about foods that correspond with the colors.  The speaker had a calm voice which helped me relax.  I was able to focus in and out during the session but not on the whole session.  I did feel relaxed.

Physically I rate myself at a 9.  I have struggled with weight issues and depression for a long time.  When I accepted the position at L.A. Fitness as a fitness instructor and Activities Director I focused on losing weight and eating right.  This job has changed my life.  I went from a size 16 to a size 10 in 6 months.  I feel great and my depression is under control. 

My goal is to continue to work out regularly.  I recently became certified as a  fitness instructor and completed and passed my Personal Training class.  My goal is to continue working out and start building a little muscle.  I also want to continue my education in the area with continuing education classes focused on senior exercise.

Spiritually I rate myself at a 7.  I attend church weekly and teach Sunday school classes.  I read my bible regularly.  I have occasions when I feel very sad or frustrated and I find myself not wanting to do anything but feel sorry for myself.  I still have lots of room to grow in this area. 

My goal for spiritual growth is to  focus on listening to Christian music while driving.  I know this will help me release some tension from work while helping me get into a positive frame of mind.

Psychologically I am at a 5.  I feel weak in this area.  I allow little things to but me into a bad mood.  I feed off others negativity.  I like the idea of positive affirmation.  My goal is to start my day by looking in the mirror and repeating positive quotes from the bible.  My co-worker has a medical issue that can be made worse by stress.  We talk daily and we just feed negative thoughts back and fourth.  I have been working on only talking positive to her.  I do not vent work issues with her and when she seems stressed I praise her for her hard work.  It seems to help her and helps me focus on more positive thoughts.