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.
Hi Mariah,
ReplyDeleteThe sound of the waves is what I liked most from the loving-kindness exercise, although I understand your reason for not liking it' I still remember those days. I think that the sound of the water helps to relax, to be calm and focused, and let go of the frustrations of the day at lest for a few minutes.
I think that mental workout is an ongoing process. Each day of our life contributes to new opportunities for cultivating health and well-being.
Hello Ms. Mariah. Awesome post as usual. I like seeing some of the ways in which we differ in our views and preferences. For instance running (haha) and now with this mental workout. I think this might indicate you are further along than me with your focus and understanding. I am at a point where I still need a lot of guidance, but I’m confident I will get better with practice along the way. It will just take time. You on the other hand seem to do better without the guidance – left alone to your own thoughts with minimal guidance. That’s awesome. I also loved your recollection of ideas from the text and memory for all the ways we can get a good mental workout. I am enjoying this blogging so far. I have always wanted to journal and definitely see the benefits of keeping a log/journal to track emotions, activities, and so forth to see how far we are able to develop but I have never allowed myself to take the time to journal, so this is a new experience for me. Look forward to your next post! Hope you have a great week.
ReplyDeleteEmi
Hi Emi,
DeleteThank you for your response. I am actually enjoying blogging so far too. I had never done it before, but I am finding it to be fun and informative. I like reading how we are alike and similar as well. It's nice! :) Different people are what make the world go 'round! :)
Mariah
Mariah,
ReplyDeleteIt sounded like the exercise was beneficial to you, despite the ocean waves making you use the restroom haha. Anyway, you make some key points about accepting oneself before being able to love others. Sometimes I feel like I love myself enough to love others then find myself doing bad things to people I care about and find myself totally lost. We are all works in progress and no one is perfect. I think if I can do activities like you suggested to help induce "mental workouts" then I can grow with maturation. Thanks again.
Chris
hi Chris,
DeleteThank you for your response. We are all guilty of not being the best person we can be at times. But that is where we find the most opportune time to reflect on ourselves and our behavior, and take conscious steps to improve/change those behaviors (what Dacher refers to as "conscious witnessing"). So you have already done so, or (at the very least) started to do so. Realizing that at times we do bad things to people that we care about is the first part in working toward changing that behavior. Did you realize that you were actually "witnessing" yourself when you wrote that post? I think that's great! And we all continue to grow--even when we are old!! :) Thanks for sharing, I hope this helped you! :)
Mariah
Hey Mariah-
ReplyDeleteFirst off, thank you for your response on my post! The subtle mind practice is definitely something I should partake in. If we could always see our thoughts listed by priority, all of us would probably realize our true madness! ;) This would help me a great deal with lessening my stress. Have you practiced this yet?
Hi!!
DeleteThank you for your response. Yes, I have listed my thoughts to calm my mind, and then went through them by order of importance. Let me tell you a little secret: I LOVE LISTS. haha! Seriously, I have lists everywhere, about everything. To do lists, goal lists, shopping lists, event lists, and the list goes on! I have found that it truly helps me. This method, I understand may not be for everybody...but it works for me, and I am sure it can work for other people! If you haven't already tried it, I would recommend that you do. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a little notebook, or a post-it, and look at your lists often. It will keep you focused, and at the same time take off some of your mental load, because it's written down! You don't have to worry about forgetting what is on your list--just look at it! :) Let me know how it works for you!
Mariah