Part I
The loving kindness exercise was very relaxing. I did like its clear direction for where to give focus. Although the breaks were a little long and I found that the exercise made me feel really good. Its nice to focus so much on what your heart has to offer. It is definitely an exercise that I would do again.
Part II
The concept of a mental workout is that of daily practice that provides the most benefit. Similar to athletic training, when done daily you see the best results. When time lapses without practice there is a noticeable difference in the decline of abilities that would need to be rebuilt. Research shows that a trained mind functions at a higher level of integration and organization. An example of a mental workout that I currently practice is a daily meditation.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
My Personal Wellness Assesment
Looking at my own well-being is something that is pretty familiar. I try to be very aware of taking a personal inventory on a regular basis. When I am feeling out of balance I usually can notice right away so this assessment was pretty comfortable for me and somewhat enjoyable as I was looking at each category individually.
Physical- I would give myself a 7, I workout regularly and generally feel pretty good. However, being a night timer, there are days when I feel like a zombie. A goal that I would like to set for myself would be to focus on the importance of getting adequate rest. One way that perhaps I could achieve this is by establishing a bed time ritual. I go to bed most days around 730am, if I could make a practice of using a combination of aroma therapy, relaxing background noise or music, and ensuring no interruptions during my sleeping period.
Spiritual- I give myself a 8. I meditate daily, study, and place much importance on a daily basis on my spiritual well-being. A goal of mine would be to participate in more group activities with those who share my same belief and value system. One way that I could do this is by attending a local buddhist mediation circle on the nights that I am not working.
Psychological- I would score myself a 9. My partner is a Marraige and Family Therapist, and some days it can be frustrating to share my life with someone who is always so in tune with the wellness of others. Some days it is a great asset that I can come home and get an intelligent perspective on any issue I may be facing. My goal would be to journal more, it has been suggested to me many times, and it does help me clear my head.
The Crime of the Century Exercise-
This was pretty much a chakra meditation. It was very clear and easy to follow. It was enjoyable, however I did fall asleep which was also very beneficial for me since I had to go to work later that night.
Physical- I would give myself a 7, I workout regularly and generally feel pretty good. However, being a night timer, there are days when I feel like a zombie. A goal that I would like to set for myself would be to focus on the importance of getting adequate rest. One way that perhaps I could achieve this is by establishing a bed time ritual. I go to bed most days around 730am, if I could make a practice of using a combination of aroma therapy, relaxing background noise or music, and ensuring no interruptions during my sleeping period.
Spiritual- I give myself a 8. I meditate daily, study, and place much importance on a daily basis on my spiritual well-being. A goal of mine would be to participate in more group activities with those who share my same belief and value system. One way that I could do this is by attending a local buddhist mediation circle on the nights that I am not working.
Psychological- I would score myself a 9. My partner is a Marraige and Family Therapist, and some days it can be frustrating to share my life with someone who is always so in tune with the wellness of others. Some days it is a great asset that I can come home and get an intelligent perspective on any issue I may be facing. My goal would be to journal more, it has been suggested to me many times, and it does help me clear my head.
The Crime of the Century Exercise-
This was pretty much a chakra meditation. It was very clear and easy to follow. It was enjoyable, however I did fall asleep which was also very beneficial for me since I had to go to work later that night.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Reflection on the Journey to Relaxation
I have had several experiences with guided relaxation exercises, this one was not my favorite. It was a bit too scientific, which for me is not very relaxing because my career is very scientific. I prefer a more creative or spiritual experience with guided relaxation. I like to hear music that is more involved, perhaps some drumming. The music on this one was very basic and did not stir up any particular reaction within me. When I hear descriptions of body systems and blood circulation my mind goes immediately to thinking about work. I start to think about certain patients, their conditions, what I should try to manage their care differently, and all of a sudden this is not relaxing. This is definitely not something I would use to actually try to relax.
Here it goes....
Hello Class and Professor, I am entirely new to the world of blogging. I have a couple of friends who blog and I enjoy reading their blogs from time to time, but I have never even considered doing it myself. So this should be an interesting experience. I named my blog Tales of a Night Timer because I am a night shift health care worker and at times my world can be really backwards, so let my title also be my disclaimer for any weird misspellings or crazy setences, in that I am probably very sleep deprived while attempting to complete these blog posts.
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