Mental Fitness

1. Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the Subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc. 

     The loving kindness exercise is one that I have practiced on a few occasions and I have become more familiar with. I believe that it was easier for me to feel a sense of accomplishment from the loving kindness exercise as it was very specific about what I was to be concentrating on. I felt as though I was not at peace when I began the subtle mind exercise this afternoon. I had trouble letting go of my thoughts. At one point during the exercise I began to drift off to sleep. I was so focused on my mental chatter that I did not hear much of what I was being directed to do. I do not feel that I achieved much of the goal, but I did enjoy the opportunity to relax and be still. There were a few times during the exercise that I was witnessing my thoughts without being caught up emotionally in them.

2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life. 

      For me I have trouble achieving a relaxed body without first achieving a relaxed mind. My mind becomes relaxed when I am spiritually well and connected to my higher power. It is easier for me to place my thoughts in the correct perspective, when I am spiritually well and remember what is truly important and that there are no problems that God and I cannot handle together. When I am treating others and self with loving kindness this too leads to spiritual wellness. If I have acted in ways that I believe are harmful to self and others I feel dis-eased. When I a spiritually well, my thoughts are healthier and my mind is well. When my mind is well I am able to go to the gym and exercise or go on a walk outside, or stop what I am doing and listen to a cd that aids in mental fitness such as the one this class provides. All of these chooses lead to physical wellness. They are all interconnected and I must remember to care for all areas of self.

Wellness Assessment

1) Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why? 

     On a scale of 1-10 I would rate my physical wellbeing as a 7, my spiritual wellbeing as an 8, and my psychological wellbeing as a 6. I have been on a journey towards health and wellness for some time, which had a large influence on my decision to pursue Bachelor’s in this area. I was extremely over weight at the onset of my classes and have since dramatically reconditioned my body. I am on a journey towards a healthier body and recently took a detour as I had lost enough weight that I was feeling comfortable and confident. Within the past few weeks, I have recommitted to my weight loss journey with 30 more pounds to lose. While I have made great strides, I feel I have a ways to go with my physical wellbeing, hence scoring this area of my life as a 7. 

     Spiritually I am the most confident of all of the areas in question. I have a strong connection to my God and trusts in him to care for me. I of course can be caught up in fear and lose faith. I would like to continue to improve my conscious contact with my higher power and believe there is always room for growth. When my spirit is sad it is often a choice as to what perspective I am viewing life and situations through. 

     Psychologically I have been struggling lately. I have long been diagnosed as a Major Depressive with recurring bouts. I have not been medicated in over two years now. I do not wish to take medication, as I know that if I exercise and make other good choices for self I can function quite well. I just recently started exercising regularly again and can already feel the benefits. I also just found out that my B-12 is low, which leads to feelings of exhaustion. I may have just had trouble getting to the gym, because of the deficit in this vitamin. I will begin taking a supplement tomorrow for this and believe that I will be feeing even better in the near future. 

2) Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological).

     Physically I would like to exercise at least five times a week, with three days of strength training incorporated. I would like to complete 30 minutes or more of cardio on days with strength training and 60 minutes or more on days without. Stretching is extremely important and whenever possible I would love to take it a step further by going to a yoga class. My goal weight is 135 pounds and I am confident that I will reach this. I also would like to increase muscle tone and improve my cardio respiratory endurance. 

     Spiritually I would like to meditate every day. I often forget to do this. Quieting the mind is so vital in remembering what is truly important in life and letting go of the unnecessary clutter of our minds. I would like to practice one of the recordings from this class each day and be able to instruct myself through memory without the guiding words of the recordings. 

     Psychologically, I would like to continue with my exercise routine, create a normal sleep/wake cycle and eat healthfully. I believe the two previous areas we have discussed will largely affect my wellbeing in this area. Once I have completed my regimen of B-12 to correct my deficit, I would like to assess my psychological wellbeing again, to see if I have lingering feelings of depression. If I do, I may need to consider taking medication to correct any possible imbalance. 

3) What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal?

     I feel that I somewhat already answered this question in the previous answer. For my physical goal, I need to put my workout clothes on in the morning and take care of my exercise first thing or I likely will skip that day and then become susceptible for getting out of a routine again. Spiritually, I just need to remember to live God’s will as much as possible and learn from my mistakes, making time for self-reflection and seeking what his will is for me. Psychologically, I need to pick up my prescription tomorrow and take it for the full three months that have been ordered. I also need to remain committed to my goals in the other areas of wellbeing. 

4) Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century. To hear this exercise, click here. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)

     I am not certain that the link I followed took me to The Crime of a Century. Maybe I missed the title at the beginning, but the recording I heard lead me through the different chakras by talking about the colors of the rainbow. It spoke of the way that the colors split apart from the light when it goes through a prism. This was a very beneficial experience. It reminded me that I am light and that I need to keep each chakra swirling openly and balanced.

Welcome and Reflection Statement on Guided Relaxation

     Hello everyone. I am excited about this journey of blogging we are embarking on during this class. The topics that we will be covering I am certain will be inspiring. To write about healthful things we can do for ourselves and of personal goals and hopes, will surely bring a sense of well-being within itself. I am looking forward to reading your inspirational words and to come to know you all on a deeper level.


     I found the guided relaxation very enjoyable. I just completed it prior to sitting down to write this post. Never before have I used the visualization of my blood moving from my abdomen to my shoulders, arms, and hands. I was amazed of what a dramatic effect this exercise had on my being. I truly felt the heaviness and warmth in my arms, much like a saturated sponge. When asked to attempt to lift my arms, I did not move them even a little. The warmth lingered just as the guide said it would. I am thinking about loading some of these types of exercises onto my phone so that I can take some time for self. That brief journey that I just embarked on left me feeling refreshed physically and spiritually. Mentally I am much more at ease as well. There are so many small things that we can do for self that have a great impact.