Reflecting on My Wellness...The Importance of Self-Awareness.

    Hello to all my classmates who may be reading this. Its been a much better week for me. I have been off work for a glorious 8 days so far and its been a great time to relax and reconnect with my family. This was a much needed vacation from my job! It was also the perfect time to reflect on my wellness. 

    After giving it some thought I would rate my physical well-being at an 8. I rated myself at an 8 as I workout 4-5 days a week and try to stay active. However, I did not give myself a 10 as I still over-weight after having lost over 100 lbs. For my spiritual well-being I will rate myself at a 6. I am not religious, but do consider myself to be spiritual, but this area could use some work. My psychological well-being on a normal basis I would rate at a 7. This is also an area that can always use improving. I tend to stress and worry often but I am working toward implementing strategies that will lessen the stress. 

     For each of these areas I have set forth goals. For my physical well-being I will stay on track as I am and continue toward my goal of my healthy goal weight. In order to do this I will continue to be physically active and participate in vigorous physical exercise for 30-45 minutes 4-5 days a week. I will also continue to monitor my eating habits by being more consistent in keeping a food journal as I have off and on for three years. For my spiritual well-being I will seek and give forgiveness to those who I have wronged and feel as though have wronged me. I will garden more, as this allows me to commune with nature, as well as it allows for time to observe and admire the beauty of my surroundings. This time will also allow me to seek peace and stillness in my mind. Which leads to my psychological wellness goals. For this aspect of my life will more diligently and consistently participate in my yoga practice. The deep breathing and meditative aspects of yoga allow for relieving of stress and calming my over-worked mind. This leads to less stress, worry, and anxiety. 

     The final part of our blog assignment for this week was to participate in the "Crime of the Century" relaxation exercise. The first part of the exercise was wonderful as I really enjoy deep breathing exercises. I liked how the person speaking said that if you have a fleeting thought, "acknowledge it then move on." This was important as this is how I have been able to be successful at meditation,by acknowledge the stray thoughts then put it past you. The next part of the exercise, imagining the various colors and repeating the phrases that were prompted was easy to follow and not hard to imagine. I have always enjoyed the mental imagery relaxation exercises. Usually I would find this exercise with all the talking to be distracting, but interestingly enough it really was easy to follow and quite honestly the phrases that I was being prompted to repeat was things I needed to hear and needed my inner-self to know and comprehend, and in turn had some healing from this exercise. I really enjoyed the connection to the chakras and the colors related as this is something I am studying more in depth on my own. I think this is an exercise I will use again, but next time use my chakra stones. 

Brandy