Unit 6 - Exercises

Practicing the Loving-Kindness from the text was very relaxing. I do most of my homework in a busy coffee shop, but being able to sit alone and focus on the exercise was very beneficial to myself. I am able to tune out others very easily, so sitting for a few minutes reciting the designated lines, I found myself breathing slower as other exercises recommended and found the stress leaving my shoulders.
The assessment for determining an urgent area of distress was a bit more difficult. Being on bed rest, I have several stressors in my life that I am constantly focusing on; whether it be work, finances, preparing for baby and my overall health are just a few. Of these, my largest concern is my personal health, while baby is doing great, myself I find having problems with gestational hypertension, increased edema and mild pre-eclampsia. While I do have medical care for these problems and the symptoms will alleviate after baby is born, they are still very stressful and problem in my current life as they are serious conditions; relating to the biological aspect. I feel my other aspects for the most part are very healthy and in check, at least as best as they can be at this moment. Since I typically am a very healthy person, no smoking, very minimal drinking, healthy eating and regular exercise, returning to a healthier biological state will be easy as soon as doctors orders dictate I may. Until then, keeping my feet up and doing some deep breathing are the best I can do.

Unit 5 - Subtle Mind

This week's exercise of the subtle mind was very relaxing. Like many, life is very stressful and this exercise helped clear my mind and decrease the stress. The spaces between talking were very long, and almost distracting at times. I personally prefer a man's voice for relaxation, it seems more soothing. For the Love & Kindness exercise from last week, I could not focus and could not benefit from the exercise. For this weeks exercise, although I found it more beneficial than the Love & Kindness exercise, I would have benefited more if it was a deeper voice and maybe more guidance.
The connection of spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness is noted that many emotions and physiological imbalances can be corrected internally by having great connection and natural healing (Dacher, 2006.) By having a clear mind, the deepest understanding of emotions and tribulations can be noticed and can be healed naturally by having understanding of the problems at hand.

Love/Kindness

This weeks exercise with the love and kindness was very difficult. I had difficulty focusing on the woman's voice and found the background noise used to be more of a distraction than the other exercises that were conducted. As others had noted, it was very nice taking time to think of others and send them positivity and love, especially to those in Boston at this time; to those families and EMS workers, I couldn't give my prayers fast enough it seemed. I'm more of a spiritual person rather than meditating, so sitting in church or a nice quiet place reflecting on the good and bad of the world and giving praise to those who are good and helping is more beneficial for me.
Mental workouts are taking time to literally exercise the brain. Frequently on random infomercials, there are constant ads for games or exercises to give the mind a break and to focus on something different. It is beneficial to take a break from focusing too long on something and giving the mind something new to focus on; many mini-mental games are simple, but can make the mind work in a different method giving relaxation and refreshed focus to the other task at hand.

Unit 3 - Evaluation

This self-reflection took a bit of time for myself. My physical well-being I would normally rate at an 8, I'm a very healthy person for the most part. I watch what I eat, exercise, don't smoke, minimally drink..etc. However, being pregnant, it has been a bit difficult as I don't feel healthy; I have pre-eclampsia as well as mild gestational diabetes; this is very frustrating for myself because I continue to watch what I eat, but I cannot exercise as I usually due because of the blood pressure problems. Once I deliver, and have the approval of my physician, I will be back at work right away and will start my exercise regimen slowly to get back to my pre-baby self; being healthy is very important as I want to be around to see my children grow up into amazing adults.

My spiritual well-being I would rate at a 10. I am very connected in religion and my spirituality. After going through numerous surgeries, chemotherapy and recently, in vitro, I am very connected religiously as at one point my religion is all I had to get me through chemotherapy when I wanted to quit. I attend masses regularly and pray and give thanks daily not for myself, but my wonderful family and friends. I felt that I was truly saved by the grace of God and I am forever grateful. My continued goals for my spirituality is to continue my current program; I am very in touch with my religion and am comfortable with my spirituality. However, I am always willing to grow and discover.

My psychological well-being would typically be a 9 of 10 as well. However, pregnancy hormones and going stir-crazy from being on bed rest I would rate myself closer to a 7 or 8. I am typically very level-headed and understanding and have a very clear mentality. If were to ask my spouse, I'm practically insane at this point (just kidding). After baby is delivered, I will be sure to watch very closely for post-partum blues, I have history of depression, and understand when I need help, and just having the open mind to accept help is half the battle in recovery. Hopefully after the hormone levels have returned to normal, my mentality will be back to nearly sane. 

The relaxation exercise took me about three times to complete, having a toddler in the background made for some difficulty in completing it accordingly and actually being able to listen to what the proctor was instructing. Once I was able to complete the exercise, I found it helpful in relaxation, however, I prefer my own relaxation methods that I have had great success with over the years.

Unit 2 - Journey on Relaxation

Good morning! Similar to others, this is my first attempt at blogging. I typically haven't been interested in blogging, but unknown if that's because I don't think I have something interesting to contribute or if my hectic schedule limits the extra-curricular activities. A majority of my posts will be in regards to my class on Health and Wellness; however, maybe something more will be able to come through as I become more accustomed to blogging lifestyle.
Currently, I am on bed rest and am only 29 weeks pregnant; the Journey on Relaxation was a great technique to utilize as I am going insane with having to hold still and relax. I have pre-ecclampsia, and so taking part in this exercise was very beneficial for myself as I could feel my body relaxing and my blood pressure going down, even if only for a short while. Typically, I use music therapy to relax, but the entire exercise was comforting and beneficial.