1.
Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness
exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the
benefits, frustrations etc.
Loving Kindness: I do not like to say it, but the first half of
this exercise is completely wasted on me. It does not seem to matter how many
times I try it, I just do not get it. I have been doing a little better with
the second half of the exercise. I still find the whole concept weird but as I said,
it is getting a little better.
Subtle Mind: In general I like breathing exercises, even if they
do sometimes make me a little dizzy. This exercise comes more naturally to me; I
think because I have instinctively done something very similar for a long time
now.
2.
Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness
to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in
your personal life.
I suspect that a lot of
people instinctively know/feel that there is more to human life than the
physical body and the mind; there are many names for this third aspect but
spirit is the one that I have grown up hearing and using. I have a really hard
time putting this into words. That spiritual, mental, and physical are
interconnected has always been a given assumption/belief for me – how do you
explain something that just is. I have
dealt with anxiety and depression for many years now. I do not think I need to
go into the physical or mental effects of depression here. I have been thinking
about it a lot lately and I really do not believe that the fact that I still
continue to have anxiety & depressive symptoms reflects a spiritual deficiency
in my life (at least not a major one). I think if I was less spiritually aware/developed
it would be worse, but I also believe there is still room for growth.
Just my opinion, but I think that the more you train your mind to be quiet and still the less anxiety and depression you will have. I say this because you will learn to let these thoughts and feelings just come and go without them affecting you.
ReplyDeleteLike you, spirituality is hard to describe for me. It is something that is just there.
As for the loving kindness exercise, it left me feeling sad. I do think you need a really open mind to benefit from what is offered. So each time you listen...listen with an open heart and mind.
Rose
I don't know about the depression part yet, but this class and one I took last term have helped reduce my anxiety.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI think a person always has room for growth and improvement, no matter how grounded a person may feel. There is always some aspect that can change for the better. You mentioned that you have a lot of anxiety. I can relate to that. Lately I have been trying to be less anxious about things and just let them happen. I used to be really nervous about just driving somewhere that I didn't know. Now I am better about doing that just because I have made myself do this a lot more lately. I enjoy driving to unknown places now. This is kinda a ridiculous example, but it's the one that just popped into my mind. I hope that you can continue to grow and I also hope that you can reduce your anxiety and depression :)
I have that exact same anxiety with driving so it does not seem silly to me. Driving somewhere just to prove to myself that I can do it has helped me some, but I would still rather have someone else drive.
DeleteHello Wren,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts about the Loving Kindness exercise. I could not get through that one. But the Subtle Mind one was so much better. It made me really relaxed, which is exactly what I needed.
We think along the same lines when it comes to mind-body-spirit. It has always been something I just knew. I feel spirit is everywhere. Don't be so hard on yourself about your anxiety and depression. I have been suffering from them also. My doctor explained to me today that depression is a chemical imbalance and the medication helps correct that. She also said it is an illness just like diabetes or cancer. I have been frustrated that I even have these issues and fearful it was "all in my head". Hang in there, these have nothing to do with your spiritual life, they are medical, not spiritual. You're going to be just fine :)
Thank you!
DeleteHi Wren:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there is more to life than what we see. Our spirituality addresses that something. Often, when we refer to our spirituality, we are looked upon as being odd. So we tend to abandon the spiritual aspect of our nature. If only we as a collective could embrace this, then we would see the endless wonders of this life.