Made it through awake!

I actually wanted to stay awake this time for the exercise so before I started I had a cup of coffee and was pretty wide eyed.  At the beginning when she said to focus your energy on yourself a feeling of guilt came over me. If it wasn’t for this being an assignment I would never have allowed any time for this.  But when my loved ones came into the picture the feeling of guilt was replaced by the sense of joy and pride.  Before I knew it the exercise was completed and I felt very much centered and sure of myself which is something I haven’t felt in awhile. 
Mental workouts can be a quiet meditation focused on any particular part of your life you wish to improve. Whether it’s to teach yourself patience or to get your daily mind set into a kind, loving, focus, the important thing with making a habit stick is to see it through for an extended period of time to where it doesn’t feel like an exercise but a part of your life. 

physical, spiritual, psychological well-being

I would rate my physical wellbeing around a 7 mostly due to the fact that I’m dealing with several injuries.  As I age my two surgically repaired knees (especially the right) are acting up a lot, particularly when I try to participate in cutting sports like tennis.  My psychological well-being I would have to say rates as a 7 as well.  One area that seems to be eating way at me in this area is my job.  Although at times I don’t mind it, I often find myself day dreaming of working at something more meaningful to me and not just simply a pay check.  As far as my spiritual well-being I would rate that the lowest at a 5. I was raised catholic but I’ve never really bought into it fully.  With so many different spiritual practices how can I be sure what’s right for me? And therein lays the problem. I tend not to have belief or faith in something I cannot physically control. This is an area where I need the most work.

My physical goal would be to strengthen my muscles.  This applies to my legs in particular because it is winter and I love to ski.  Strong legs can help prevent injuries.   Taking an extra spin class after I do a leg workout could help.  I think a good goal for my psychological self is to keep plugging away at school and finish my degree.  For my spiritual wellbeing I have a harder time pinning down an activity that can help me.  One thing that I’ve always wanted to do is a three month hike through Appalachian National Scenic Trail. It is a passive recreation footpath that runs 2175 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.  I have a fondness for nature and feel that this alone time along the trail can help me perhaps come to terms with some of my spiritual shortcomings.

For the relaxation exercise I tried to make a conscious effort to stay focused on the presenter’s suggestions and completed it all the way through.  Again, I dosed off but seemed to stay with it longer than most. 

Welcome to my blog.

Blogging is a first for me, and to tell you the truth it makes me a little uncomfortable due to the fact of my fear of writing. I have never been very good communicating myself effectively through writing. On the other hand, I can carry on a face to face conversation and feel very comfortable and in my element.  Combine my inadequate writing skills with clumsily navigating through a blog program I’ve never used before only heightens that fear.   We all have heard the saying “practice makes perfect” and “you must face your fears head on”.  The way I see it, what better way to face my writing fears then a blog.  I’m definitely in the infant crawling stage of my blogging life, but in nine weeks I feel pretty confident that I will be walking at a very comfortable pace. So welcome to my blogging journey and thank you in advance for helping me eventually get to that element of comfort.   

Journey on relaxation

I have to admit that I fell asleep several minutes into this one.  I woke up when I heard his voice stop talking, and let me tell you I felt pretty refreshed.  The form of mediation that works best for me is 10 minute cat naps. I can’t really explain it, but I feel better after words.  Typically when someone is guiding me through relaxing exercises that’s my queue to take a cat nap. Low and behold I wake up as soon as the presenter is finished. Subconsciously I don’t dream, and my mind is completely blank with the exception of the soft voice of the presenter. I'm not sure if it’s rude or not but the outcome is what we are all looking for, a sense of refreshness to get you through your day.