Loving Kindness

The exercise "Loving Kindness," lead by Dacher, was certainly a different exercise than the ones that we have done for previous Units.  So how was my experience?  Certainly not bad...I didn't like the sound of the ocean in the background, but that is mainly because I am pregnant and have to use the bathroom often, and that sound just added to that all-too-familiar sensation.  :)  haha!  The woman's voice was easy to understand, and I liked that she spoke slowly.  I liked in the beginning how I was instructed to think about someone who was close to me and that I cared deeply for, the next step was to take those same emotions and apply them to myself--allowing me to apply those same feelings and emotions to myself.  This makes perfect sense to me, because I do not believe that we can fully and truly love somebody until we truly and fully love ourselves.  How can we accept others if we cannot accept ourselves?  Anyway, I liked that there were moments where the woman did not talk and allowed myself to think.  I would certainly recommend this exercise to others, however, I would also suggest that that person feel free to pause the exercise to allow themselves to complete his or her thoughts before being prompted to the next step of the exercise.

So what is the concept behind a "mental workout?"  According to Dacher, the purpose of a mental workout is to progress in our development of our (now and ever-) expanding consciousness and its healing benefits (Dacher, 2006).  And research shows that if this is not practiced regularly, we can lose some of thought elasticity (Dacher, 2006).  So how can I implement mental workouts to foster my psychological health?  The Loving Kindness practice suggests that we do things for others, with no selfish incentives (Dacher, 2006).  We can do this through charity and volunteer work.  And the Subtle Mind practice suggests that we train our minds to cease the madness...we can do this by writing down everything that is on our minds and then listing them by priority (Dacher, 2006).  This will help us to sort out what is important, less important, and not so important, and prioritize our attention accordingly, all while lessening our stress load.

Mariah Joyce

Dacher, E. S. (2006). Integral health:  The path to human flourishing. Laguna Beach, CA:  Basic Health Publications, Inc.

Crime of the Century Relaxation Exercise

Ok, so last time I tried to do this exercise, I was not able to access it.  But it worked this time!  :)  So this time, I decided to do the relaxation exercise in the morning.  It is about 0630 where I am.  This worked better for me.  Last time, for the Journey On exercise, I did it in the afternoon, and I was feeling rushed and couldn't focus on the exercise. 

I like the author's voice, because it is very relaxing.  And perhaps because I was actually able to relax, I feel that I got more from this exercise than the one we did last week.  "I feel grounded, I feel centered, I feel loved, I choose to love, my life has a meaningful purpose, I feel balanced, and I feel connected" are all feelings that are associated with different colors of the light spectrum and various body parts.  I found this interesting because I have done other relaxation techniques for other classes and the colors associated with certain meanings and body areas were different.  I suppose that this does not matter, as long as you achieve the relaxation you seek.  I really do not know why this exercise is called "Crime of the Century" though.  I do however, like trying all of these different relaxation exercises.  It just makes sense to try them all out, because what works for one person, may or may not work for another.

Mariah

Personal Health Goals

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate my physical wellbeing at seven or eight right now.  You see, I am seven months pregnant, and things are getting a lot harder to do!  Putting my shoes on takes my breath away!  haha!  Although my weight gain is right where I am supposed to be and I have had no adverse health conditions, I still can feel how much being pregnant has slowed me down.  (I actually don't like that!)  But I also understand that I am taking care of myself and soon to be baby girl.  :)  So I can't be off-roading, or climbing in rafters anymore!  haha!  I do have a goal for myself in this area after I am done being pregnant--and I think it is a very popular one amongst pregnant women:  to fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes!  And also to attain the same physical fitness level (by working on my push ups, sit ups, and two mile run) that has become expected of me as a soldier.

In the psychological department, I would give myself an eight or nine.  I'm pretty strong willed when it comes to things I want or want to do.  However, I think where I fault is empathizing with too much with people who do mean a lot to me (family or a client).  Like my mom, for example.  She worries about things that I just don't think are worth worrying about!  And then when she talks to me about her problems, I find myself starting to worry or feel bad myself.  But that is where I have to talk myself out of that and remind myself that her problems are not my problems.  And I am simply a shoulder to cry on, and I can give a lending ear and some advice.  From there, it is up to the person to take steps to help fix the problem, not just simply talk about it.  I can also handle a lot of different things going on at one time.  So I would say I'm a good multi-tasker and I can adapt and adjust as situations dictate.  A goal in this department would be to stay on track with my personal agenda while maintaining a professional distance so not to become empathetically exhausted.  (that would not be good for my career choice!)  And this simply takes practice and self awareness.

Oh my, and the spiritual wellbeing.  I would have to rate myself at a seven or eight.  I am not where I want to be.  But I am working on it.  I used to go to church every Sunday.  And then when I got pregnant, time has just escaped me somehow.  So I started to go back to church.  I want to be able to raise my little girl in our church, and I want her to learn about God and Jesus.  I do pray everyday, more conversationally than anything else.  However, I want to learn more about the Bible and the stories that I can share with my little one.  I think that is important.  So to improve my self rating, I can go to church, pay attention, and even do some Bible study on my own.  I have a niece who is two and a half years old and loves going to church, so she also motivates me to want to take her!  She loves going, so I want to make sure she gets to go!

I tried the link for the Crime of the Century relaxation exercise three times this evening, and each time there has been an error saying that the content could not be displayed.  So I will have to try again later.  Hopefully tomorrow!  I will post about it once I am able to access it!  Until next time, see you in class or in your blogs!

Mariah Joyce

Journey On

     I listened to the Journey On relaxation exercise this evening.  Last term, I listened to similar relaxation exercises focusing on guided imagery.  This exercise was different because the author of Journey On called for a focus on how your body feels during this guided exercise.  The man's voice is calm and relaxing and he guides the listener to "control your own body," through deep breaths and the suggestion of arterial dilation to different body parts.  He compared the muscles in our bodies to that of a dry sponge, and then to a wet sponge.  The purpose of this exercise is for your mind to take control of the way your body feels.  And by suggesting to your body that different limbs are "warm and heavy," and guiding the blood flow to different areas of the body, is supposed leave the listener in a more relaxed state than which they started the exercise.  There is a link below for anyone outside of class who wants to take a listen and experience this for themselves.

     I thought this exercise was nice...  Perhaps if I didn't have so many other things on my mind at the current moment I could have taken more from this exercise.  In retrospect, maybe early morning or before bed would have been a better choice in time to complete this exercise. 

     However, several years ago, I was taught a technique that I feel is a little bit more beneficial.  I don't know what the name of the exercise was called, but the person providing the guidance had the students lay on the floor, flat on their backs.  He suggested to us that each of us were stressed and by the end of the exercise, we would all stand up or sit up feeling very relaxed.  As he guided us through this relaxation technique, he had us clench certain muscle groups as hard as we could for a given amount of time.  And by the end of the exercise, all the major muscle groups had been clenched and released.  Between each of the "clenching" segments of the exercise he would have us focus on our breathing and say something in a calm voice that put the students at ease.  I remember "waking up" feeling so relaxed and refreshed at the conclusion of his guided training.  I find myself using this technique myself from time to time.

Mariah

Kaplan University. (n. d.). Journey On. Retrieved from http://www.kushs.net/kaplan/HW420/JourneyOn.mp3

Welcome to my Blog!

     Welcome to my blog, "Your Nutrition Intuition."  I chose this title because nutrition is highly individualized.  When I say "nutrition," I am not only referring to the food we put into our bodies, I am referring to everything that we allow to become a part of ourselves.  This includes the obvious diet and exercise, the current conditions of our interpersonal relationships, our relationships with nature and personal divinity, our creativity and imagination, our moods and perspectives, gratitude, and personal goals, among many other aspects of life that affect us daily.  "Nutrition" is everything that feeds you.  And lastly, when I say "intuition," I am referring to the power each of us has within ourselves to access a deeper "self."  Each of us holds all the answers to all of what ails us.  We just need to look for the answers and seek support from those willing to help.

     I look forward to sharing my experiences with those who choose to follow my blog as well as reading any comments that any of you may have.

Mariah