Wednesday, April 30, 2014

{taking a deeper look}


The integral assessment was difficult for me. I have always been an introspective person but trying to figure out what really brings distress to my life is not always as easy as it sounds. We want to think nothing is wrong and a sense of denial is always present, however we know deep inside something is off in one area or another. When I was finally able to realize this and admit it to myself, I could give 100% to this exercise. 

The area I focused on was interpersonal, as I felt this was the issue bringing me the most distress. Relationships of any kind seem to bring me the most anxiety and panic. There could be a bunch of exercises I could implement in order to foster greater wellness in this area, including the loving-kindness practice we did a couple of units back. I think this could help me diminish my anxiety when it comes to friendships and other intimate relationships. Also, exercises that allow practice with healthy communication could be helpful, as that is a major source of my stress. 

Overall, I think it's important to actually take a deeper look into our lives and study what's really going on, both inside and out. Being able to be honest with ourselves can be beneficial beyond compare, as it allows us to see the problems and then be able to fix, solve, or heal them. 

Tayla

Sunday, April 27, 2014

[breathing to ease your soul}


The subtle mind exercise was one of my favorite so far because I love listening and feeling my breath. Focusing on the rise and fall of my chest and stomach really puts me at ease. The difference between the loving kindness exercise and the subtle mind one is the focus. Last week we focused more on bringing awareness and loving kindness to a loved one, whereas this week, our focus was more on the mind and the breath and how these two are so connected. 

I feel as though there is a very strong connection between spiritual wellness, mental wellness, and physical wellness because, for one, they are all part of an overall well-being. Without one of these aspects, there would be an unbalance of wellness. You can only be so healthy physically, but if you are lacking in your mental wellness, your body can become ill, this can be seen especially with stress. I know in my own life, stress and anxiety play a huge role in my overall health. I am a very healthy person, however because I suffer from high levels of anxiety health issues arise, such as heart burn, stomach aches, head aches, etc. In order to heal my physical health, I have to start with my mental health. 

Tayla

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

{practicing loving-kindness}


My experience with the loving-kindness exercise was interesting. Usually I love doing these types of exercises but today, for some reason I just was not into it at all. I felt as though I just couldn't relax and my mind was elsewhere the whole time. I thought a lot about what I had left to do for the day and that was a huge distraction. I would recommend this exercise to others even though it was hard for me for the simple reason of it being beneficial for our minds to take a moment and at least try to relax. 

The concept of a 'mental workout' is basically the same as any other workout or type of practice. Without practice and commitment our goals will not be achieved, weather it be a goal of becoming better at running or becoming more mindful. Practice is the only way to get better. Incorporating mental workouts into our daily lives can be hard at first, but just like any other goal, if we begin slowly with exercises like the one above, peace and mindfulness become easier each time we sit down and relax.

Tayla


Thursday, April 10, 2014

{level of wellbeing}


On a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), I would rate my physical wellbeing at an 8, my spiritual wellbeing at a 6, and my psychological wellbeing at a 7. I would describe myself as being physically fit and healthy, however I do have some ailments that bother me (knee and back pain, etc.) and although I eat pretty much all organic and healthy foods, I still could be healthier with other things (I drink Monster energy drinks every day!). My spiritual wellbeing is good, but not great. I'm not really religious, but I do believe in some higher power or energy. And my psychological wellbeing is improving, but still could use some help. I suffered with anorexia and depression for ten years, which has taken its toll on me both physically and mentally. I still have anxiety and negative thoughts. 
A goal for my physical health is to improve my posture to help ease my back pain and to ice regularly (which I happen to be doing as I write this!). A goal for my spiritual wellbeing is to take 15 minutes each day and just sit quietly with my thoughts. And for my psychological health, I would like to continue my deep breathing to control my anxiety.
In order to move forward with these goals, I want to implement more focused meditation and breathing, which will help me slow down and focus in on what is really important. Also, patience would be a good thing to practice, as change takes time and it can be difficult. 

The rainbow meditation was really nice and helpful. I found each part of it to be very relaxing and especially liked the grounding aspect of being a tree with roots deep enough to stay grounded but able to sway in the wind. This is the way I would like to live my life, able to sway with each event that happens, but able to stay true to who I am and to stay grounded. 

Tayla

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

{welcome}

Hi all,
Welcome to my blog! My name is Tayla, I'm 21, and live in the White Mountains in NH. I am a lover of anything outdoors and weight training. Blogging is not a new thing for me, as I have written many different articles and posts on both my own blogs, as well as others, including Tiny Buddha.

The relaxation exercise was awesome. I love stuff like that because it helps me to slow down and breath. I am definitely into all that holistic stuff, like breathing and meditation. I have social anxiety and get really bad stomach pains and have had great success with the use of such techniques.

Tayla