Hello again! When I had done the Loving Kindness
exercise (Dacher, 2006) I felt relaxed and was able to image my daughter she is the one person
who I feel so much love for (besides my husband). I could feel how much I love
her when I open my heart to that feeling, nobody knows what love is until they
have a child. I did find this exercise a little harder than the others, this is
because each and every day I feel and am aware how much I love my daughter and
husband. When I got to the part about visualizing someone suffering, for this I
imagined my uncle who just found out that he has the same type of cancer that
killed his dad (my grandpa), I felt in my heart deep sadness and fear. When I
breathe out I sent wholeness, health and happiness to him, for this I felt like
it helped my psychospiritual because it helped me ease my soul. For me this
exercise was not beneficial for me, it was hard for me to focus on strangers
(even enemies) and think of their suffering. When I did this I felt bad for
those that are losing their house or jobs and do not know how they are going to
provide for their families, but it was hard for me to send out peace wellness.
It made me feel blessed for what I have in my life and it made me actually want
to go out in my community and physically help them and put them at ease, I felt
like I should be doing more. I would recommend this exercise to others because it
does relax you and make you look beyond yourself and think about other people’s
suffering. Mental workout is expanding our minds for health, happiness and
wholeness, if we give ourselves a mental workout for one hour each day will
help expand our consciousness and healing capacities. Using mental workouts has
shown that it can transform the mind by reducing disturbing emotions that can
cause anger, hatred, fear, worry, confusion and doubt. It also can improve
positive emotions, which helps resist mental distress and physical disease,
helps our healing capacities and promote well being (Dacher, 2006). How I can implement mental
workouts to foster my psychological health is to do yoga which relaxes my body
and spirit and I can use guided meditation which relaxed my mind.
Dacher, E.S. (2006) Integral Health The Path to
Human Flourishing. Basic Health Publication. Laguna Beach, CA.
Hello Amy, It is kind of hard at times to think about the tougher things in life when you are blessed in your own life with happiness and love. I often find that anytime I have ran into someone who is in need of support (no matter how small or big), that just listening and being the person they can talk to can be helpful more often than we think. I have a friend at work that has gone through many troubles in her personal life because of her exhusband, but she perserviers, because of the support system she has within her small groups of friends. Spiritually I feel that positive thoughts and projecting them can also help to improve the thoughts and spirit of others. I have a difficult time shutting down my mind enough to truely follow through with the exercise on certain parts. Emotions are hard for me to open too as well. But each day I live for that day and try not to think about tomorrow because then i will get stressed, not knowing what will be next. I am very happy that you are blessed with your family and I hope for the best for your uncle.
ReplyDeleteHello Amy-
ReplyDeleteA mother/daughter bond is so strong. It is great that you express that to her and your husband everyday. That was very helpful to me that you thought of strangers ecomonically. It is hard to think about stangers as a whole and the numerous problems emotional and physical. That was great that you were inspired to want to help them physically. You gave Loving Kindness a good try even if it was not to beneficial. You felt emotions and you released emotions. That is so great that you have found your "thing" to wholeness, yoga and guilded meditation.
Brandie
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteAs a mom it is very easy to understand a kind of love no one else can understand. It is important to turn that same love inward but many have a hard time truly doing this. We are often much harder on ourselves than we are towards others. It is hard to see someone we love suffer and it is great that this exercise helped to ease your soul. Having empathy for those who are suffering is easy but I find it hard to send out the same loving feelings toward everyone. For example those who abuse children or terrorists are hard to have loving feelings for. It is great to think outside ourselves and even to get involved in ways to help others. Mental workouts are a great way to expand our minds and should be just as much a part of health as exercise and a healthy diet.