Reflecting on my
physical well-being, I give myself a 9.
In general, I am in
fairly good health. I get very few colds and flu. I have had a few migraines
this past year, but I think they are hormone induced and have a lot to do with
the increased hot flashes I have been experiencing. But considering that I have
been battling a life threatening disease the past twelve year and had two major
hip surgeries, I consider myself in great shape. My weight is a bit more than I
like it. Well that’s not exactly right, my muscle to fat ratio is less than I
would like it. While I am only a few pounds from my desired weight on the
scale, I have increased in body fat and lost a great deal of the muscles that I
worked so hard to develop. Really, I was in a Zumba class at a gym about six
months ago. It was the first time I had worked out in a place where there were mirrors.
Looking at my arms and shoulders I kept thinking, “where did my muscles
go??” This of course is where I have to
remind myself that I am fortunate to be able to do Zumba again.
My Spiritual well-being
has been up and down so I would put it at a 5 or 6 right now. I do not have a
regular spiritual practice and I am not really religious. I was raised Episcopalian. My father, who died when
I was six, was an Episcopal minister. My mother was one of the most religious
people I know. However, I was very turned off by the church, well mostly the
congregation, who looked down their noses at those who had less than them. I
also had issues with the whole sit, kneel, stand routine during church. The
only reason I lasted in church until high school was the choir. I’ve always
felt that there is a greater power, but not so sure that going to church was
going to get me any closer to say, God. I find myself more at peace and
connected to nature and the universe when I can get out into nature. Going for
a hike, working in the garden, and being at the beach are ways that I feel
connected with the universe. I have not done any of this lately. I have a
Gratitude Journal, but I have not written in it for a while. All you do is
write the date and five things you are grateful for. Simple. When times are bad
you can reflect back to what you are grateful for. Today I could name five
things, my kitties, my boyfriend bringing me tea while I worked on schoolwork,
Yoga class, warm socks, and no headache. (I’ve had two migraines this month). I
know I need to work on my spirituality. I hope going to Yoga class counts.
Although today, we had a sub and she was like a dictator “do this” “do that”. At
one point, she demonstrated a pose and then said, “You were supposed to be
watching as I demonstrated, so if you get hurt it is not my fault.” Really? For
one thing she was teaching poses that you do not teach in a large class format
where you cannot adjust people to prevent injuries. Sorry, I got off track with
my rant.
C-psychological well-being? My psychological
well-being is around 7. That is better than what I would have given it at the
beginning or last term. I was fairly depressed. But HW410
Stress-Critical
Issues in Management & Prevention, class was sort of like therapy in the
way that I was able to identify there was an issue and throughout the exercises
we did each week I was able to work through some of my issues. I am doing much
better and I am coping with the stress of things I am not able to change. Some
of the changes I would like to make, need to wait until I finish with school.
My
physical goal is to
gain more muscle mass in the next 12 weeks. I also am working towards walking a
Half Marathon the first Sunday in February. This means making sure I get
strength training included in my weekly workouts and stick to my training
schedule
My spiritual goal is
to set aside at least 5-10 minutes each day to go outside and do a walking
meditation.
My psychological goal
is to find mental peace each day with the things I cannot control. I can use my
deep breathing in stressful traffic instead of getting upset.
I completed the
relaxation exercise, The Crime of the Century this evening. I wanted to find a
time when I did not feel drowsy and a time when the house was fairly quiet.
Again I found myself sitting in my bedroom on my bed. The visualization was
good. I have done similar guided meditations in my yoga training. At first when
he spoke of the color red and being grounded, I didn’t feel much. However, I do
feel centered and I liked having the opportunity of sending a loving message
out to a loved one. I have a friend who just went through a bone marrow
transplant after battling Leukemia the past year. He has a good outlook, but
you can tell when you talk to him that it is wearing on him. So it was good to
mentally send him love. Once again, towards the end, I started to fall asleep
and I do not remember the end. I do feel a better state of well-being. This is
good, as I felt shorted by the yoga class I had today.
