IT DOES WORK!

The two best practices that work for me are the loving kindness practice and swimming.  What really hit home for me was when I realized that when practicing the loving kindness methods, I cannot always expect to be treated the same way back.  Practicing this unconditionally on a daily basis, (I do it in the morning and afternoon on my commute to and from work) will keep you mentally fit and prepared for those pleasant and unpleasant encounters you may come across throughout the day.  By practicing this twice daily it keeps me centered and feeling lighthearted throughout the day.  The other practice that I love is swimming laps. For me, this is a great mind-body-spirit experience that leaves me feeling relaxed and accomplished.  It all starts with the rhythmatic breathing performed with each stoke so your body and breathing are synchronized. After several laps of this harmonized ritual you feel this sense of weightlessness as you glide through the water.  Your mind begins to drift on pleasant and uplifting thoughts or a visualization of what you can accomplish that day.  I work this in my morning weekly workouts which set me up mentally that day.  After my swim things that earlier seemed stressful and overwhelming tend to slow down and seem more manageable.  I understand this is not for everyone and finding a pool can be difficult at times, but since reintroducing this into my life I have felt much more at ease.      

I had a hard time coming up with an image of a wise person that I can connect; with the exception of one of my previous professors I had Prof. Earon Davis. Even though I never met him I used his image, and in particular, his relaxing and wise sounding voice.  With the waves in the back ground and my image I open up and had a since of no responsibilities but only to myself. This is always a refreshing moment and important for integral health.  
In my opinion leading by example is the strongest possible qualification to a wellness professional.  Education and practicing your own profession will make you a better counselor because, more often than not, you’ve walked that path your clients want to go.  Practicing meditation or prayer on a daily basis can help you understand yourself through life’s up and downs.  Re-centering yourself from time to time is very important to do before you can counsel some as a professional.   

Individuals

When attempting the meditation exercise I was able to repeat the four phrases a few times before my mind started wondering who the individual might be.  I kept coming back to friends and family and could not remember the phrases. So I ended up finishing the exercise on how I may be able to improve myself to help the ones close to me. I choose to focus on becoming a better listener without suggestions or trying to fix what is troubling the ones I’m listing to. Some activities that help me accomplish this are trying to sympathize with others. A lot of people just want to be heard and acknowledge that things are tough, most of the time they understand what needs to be done or why a certain situation is happening.  A sympathetic ear can go a long way to improving yourself and someone else’s overall wellness.

AWE! the sounds of the Ocean!

 I don’t know what it is with the sound of waves but it almost always puts me to sleep.  Although I was able to keep my mind focused and not wander I still eventually dosed off. It may have been only for a short couple of minutes, it seemed like a long, refreshing nap afterwords. Between the two exercises, I was able to stay focused longer because of the thought of friends and family using the loving kindness methods. 

The biggest part I feel with spiritual wellness is a sense of not having the weight of the world on you.  That it’s Ok not to be perfect yet you have a sense of guided direction. This allows you to pay more attention to what you can have an effect on, which can be your mental and physical wellness.