A Reflection of Well-Being
Based on my reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 of
well-being, I rate my physical well-being at a 5, my spiritual well-being at a
6, and my psychological well-being at yet another 5. There are many reasons I
chose the middle number for rating my well-being on all three aspects.
Beginning with physical, I am fairly active, but no longer participate in
sports or other recreational activities because the kids are grown, moved away,
and I felt like it was time for relaxation and quiet time at home. I realize
now that a body at rest stays at rest and I need to get involved in something.
I bought a brand new elliptical several months ago, but it has only been used
twice. That’s pretty terrible. I normally stay away from New Year’s
Resolutions, but this year, and because of this class, I have made several for
myself. I rate a 5 because I am nowhere near optimal well-being, but nowhere
near the bottom either. Just recently have I become lazy, and I think it’s time
to step it up.
Spiritual well-being I have rated at 6. Just as with
the physical, I do not feel like a 10 but I do not feel like a 1 either. In
fact, several months back I began to explore Buddhism with the guidance of a
Professor. I feel like I am evolving in my spiritual well-being but certainly
do not feel confident enough to rate myself any higher than 6 just yet.
Psychological well-being I have rated at a 6 just as
spiritual well-being and for the same reasons. Again, I am in the middle of a
complete transformation, a new me. With that said, I feel like I am moving at a
nice pace in finding myself, my whole self. I am learning what is behind anger
and how to be more emotionally intelligent. This is truly changing my life, but
I realize much more work is yet to be touched upon. I have an open mind and
will keep moving towards real happiness in all aspects of my life.
Goals that I have set forth are first, making
changing in my diet. I feel like eating right directly affects an individual’s
well-being and that is in all three of these aspects. Five weeks ago, my fiancé
and I made a small and subtle change in the way and what we eat. We have
eliminated all white foods including potatoes, pastas, rice, white bread and
added a lot of green leafy vegetables, asparagus, salads, grilled chicken, fish
and more. Both of us have dropped about 5 pounds each but the weight loss has affected
our confidence, energy levels, moods, etc. This is a slow process but one I believe
will stick and pay-off in the long run. Change does not take place overnight,
it is a process.
Other changes I wish to make are to engage in more
meditation and listen to more of the Reiki recordings that a friend gave to me.
I wish to calm my body and calm my mind. At times I have trouble with excess
stress, anxiety, and mild depression that I wish to stave off using these
techniques. Oh and Tai Chi as well. I believe that I will also incorporate all
of the principles of integral healing in my daily life. If only a little at a
time, I want to start.
Other exercises to help assist me in my goals are to
start fast-paced and trail walking. My fiancé and I just bought a house in the
Georgia International Horsepark (used for equestrian use during the 1996
Olympics) and it has wonderful mountain hiking or biking trails. I want to take
advantage of this opportunity and challenge. Again, picking up my exercise will
help me to approach no only the biological aspect of human experience, but
psychspiritual, worldly, and interpersonal.
I completed the relaxation exercise “The Crime of
the Century.” There is no doubt that this exercise was relaxing. At first when
the man was asking me to think of something red, my mind went off completely to
a whole list of red things. Then I was thrown off balance because I kept asking
myself if I has pick an adequate enough red object or should I pick something
else. It was clear that I was experiencing some anxiety for a reason that is
unknown to me. Perhaps it was because I had 6 people from out of town staying
at my house from before Christmas and ended up leaving only today around lunch
time. I suppose I felt obligated to be the hostess and experienced some guilt
for taking a moment to do what I needed to do. There were times during this
exercise that I felt my entire body relax and boy I wish I could experience
that every day for at least 20 minutes per day. Then again, I would hear the
back door slam, laughter, chatter, barking dogs, screaming because of football
games and this continued day and night. This is another goal I will set for
myself in that I need perhaps just 30 minutes of alone time. Overall, I do feel
the benefits of these exercises are more than I ever imagined. I could
literally feel my arms and legs become one with my body and no separation in
limbs. It was an awesome feeling. At times, my mind was truly still and calm.
Now that I have experienced that, I crave it more.
Thank you for reading my blog. Please, I welcome any
suggestions concerning my goals; they will be embraced with open arms. Happy New
Year Everyone!!
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