Loving Kindness

I'll be honest with you guys - I had a hard time with this one.

First of all, I think it was a little too long for me!

Secondly, I didn't enjoy all the silent time - my mind started to wander and I found it difficult to relax.

I also had a difficult time imagining myself "breathing in suffering" and "breathing out health." Was this hard for anyone else, or just me? I think I had a harder time with this one because I couldn't picture tangible things.

I would recommend this to others, however, who have a longer attention span and enjoy mind-based relaxation.

I will say this - I enjoyed the background sounds and music!

The concept of a "mental workout" is pretty simple - you're doing a workout for your mind. It usually involves focusing on something positive while accepting something negative.

Studies show that mental workouts are helpful all around. They can help us to have a better outlook on life, as well as affect our physical bodies. We can lower our blood pressure by doing mental workouts, as well as healing our ailments.

A great way to implement mental workouts to see psychological benefits is to do 5 minutes, twice a day. This is a much better way for me, usually with music playing. It's not long enough to feel like a large chunk out of your day, but it's long enough to foster a sense of calm and collectedness!

Any thoughts, guys and gals?

Unit 3!

A - my physical wellbeing

I'd have to give my physical wellbeing a 7 right now. I used to feel very confident that I was a 10, because I was very active and ate nothing but good foods, but this summer I fell off the bandwagon a little and have definitely lost some physical health!

B - my spiritual wellbeing

This is a tough one. I'd love to give myself a 10, but the fact is, I haven't felt connected to anything spiritual in a while. I used to worship through dance and song by doing theatre at Christian Youth Theatre, but since I've stopped doing it, I've lost a lot of connection to my spirituality. All in all, I'd have to give myself a 5.

B - my psychological wellbeing

I would give myself a 7 or 8 as far as my psychological wellbeing is concerned. I'm usually very centered and self assured, and don't often have intense emotional outbreaks. However, I am human and don't always have it "together!"

My physical wellbeing goal: take a walk every single day this week!
My spiritual wellbeing goal: go to church next sunday with my hubby!
My psychological wellbeing goal: journal every morning this week!

To encourage myself to take a walk every day this week, I'm going to incorporate it into my job - nannying! I'll walk with my sweet little 11-month old Eloise while she's in her stroller.

To encourage myself to go to church next week, I'll spend tomorrow searching online for a church that fits our beliefs and attitude.

To encourage myself to journal every morning this week, I'll make a dedicated time out of it, including tea and biscuits!

My experience with the Crime of the Century relaxation exercise:

First of all, why on earth was it called that? Pretty sure "rainbow relaxation" sounds better and is MUCH more accurate. But hey, I don't make the rules.

I actually loved this relaxation exercise! It might be my favorite one so far.

I went into it thinking "Okay, let's just get this done with and blog about it, blah blah blah," but the moment I turned it on I found myself totally entrapped. My rambunctious little puppy faded from my sight and I truly found a few moments of total bliss.

I found my thoughts wandering to foods of each color - a bright red apple, a gorgeous yellow pepper, a violet eggplant. Maybe that means I'm just hungry, but I wonder - do these foods have anything to do with those quadrants of the body?

If you're more well-versed in this than I am, fill me in!

Happy blogging, y'all. :)

Introduction

Hello, everyone!

My name is Kelsie.

I am a recently married 21 year-old who is about to get a baby pug!

I'm majoring in Health and Wellness and I'm obsessed with all things fitness, food, and interior decor.

Here are my thoughts about the relaxation exercise:

It was more informative than I expected

It was more effective than I expected

It was less "cheesy" than I expected.

In other words, it exceeded expectations. You know what I'm sayin'?

I loved when he told me to feel the blood flowing from my core to my arms and hands. I have notoriously poor circulation (meaning my hands and feet are always cold), and yet, as I followed along, I found my hands and arms feeling warm!

It's a Christmas miracle!

I wish I could have become fully invested in this exercise, but alas, I listened to it while in a house full of my lovely relatives. Fun, but not necessarily relaxing.

Next time: must do this before going to bed.

Score one for improving circulation!

Peace out, y'all.