I have not made much progress with any of the meditation exercises. I have not been able to find a quiet, undisturbed place to practice them. I am either interrupted, or I cannot keep my mind from wandering off in other directions. It just gets away from me, yet I know how much I could benefit from doing them.
For my personal integral health assessment I will begin with my psychospiritual flourishing. I believe that my motivation is mostly based on survival needs and some psychological needs. I try to be sensible and grounded, but I let my instincts and reactions get the better of me at times. I am a creature of habit, and my first thought is to take care of myself, not others (unless it involves my loved ones). So, I am inwardly selfish, but I don’t think I portray that side of myself to others. I would like to think that I am neutral when it comes to my emotions, but I do not have a “poker face”, so there are times when my negativity is easy to spot. Honestly, I could use a lot of work on loving-kindness practices and learning to think more of others before myself.
For my biological flourishing, my nutrition is not bad, but there is always room for some improvement. I joined a gym last year, which I have not been to for months, so it is obvious I could use some discipline in this area. I enjoy the simpler activities like walking because I can combine that with being outdoors and enjoying the scenery or weather. I know that I should develop a regular workout plan and stick to it.
For interpersonal flourishing, I have always said that family comes first. Of course, having been a working mom most of my life, it was sometimes easier said than done. I have some friends that I have known most of life that I still keep in touch with, and just last year I joined a car club and have met and made some wonderful new friends. My work relationships are always pleasant, but I have a tendency to keep to myself and avoid some of the chit-chat and drama that accompanies a work environment. I think this gives some people the first impression that I am not friendly or approachable. I have made some good friends at other jobs, and then have lost touch when we weren’t working together, so I tend to keep workplace friendships at a distance now. I guess I could learn to be more open to and trusting of others.
Worldly flourishing is not a big part of my life right now. The car club I joined last year does community activities, and I sometimes participate. We collect food for a local homeless shelter, we raise funds for scholarships, we send food and supplies to the troops serving overseas, and we participate in local parades. I recycle at home, but I am probably more wasteful than I realize. I don’t spend much time thinking beyond what I need to do in the present. This is an area I could work on developing, but I need more hours in the day. Work, school, and life in general are keeping me quite busy lately.
Overall, I have a lot of areas I could improve in. I think the most important is to work on my biological flourishing. I think that if I felt stronger, healthier, and more energetic, it would give me the start I needed to work on the other areas in my life. Of course it sounds selfish, but we to be healthy ourselves to persevere and grow. Now, I am off to attempt another meditation exercise. Wish me luck!
Meditating for me is about the process. If I have no time to find a quiet place I practice where I can; in situations I don’t have to pay attention to what is going on. On the treadmill, waiting for an appointment, standing in line, any where I can take a few moments to pause and follow my breath works.
ReplyDeleteEven if I find a quiet place I may not be able to settle my mind. Dacher says when the mind “just won’t settle, you will have to be satisfied with observing how agitated your mind, body, and life actually are” (2006). The practice is still benefical. Success is in the doing not the outcome.
The time spent meditating is a small portion of the day, if that is all I do and it doesn’t affect everything else, how or when I meditate will not have a very transformative effect on my life as a whole (Wallace, 2005).
When I bring my attention back to my breathing in various situations it increases my opportunity and the depth of my practice. It is similar to taking “one minute vacations.”
This helps me, I trust, it will you too.
Dacher, E. S. (2006). The Subtle Mind. In E. S. Dacher, Integral Health: the Path to Human Flourishing (p. 77). Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications.
Wallace, A. B. (2005). Mindfulness of Breathing. In Genuine Happiness (p. 18). Hoboken: John, Wiley and Sons.
Sally,
ReplyDeleteIts hard finding a place to meditate. I don't really meditate but I found that helping me spiritually, I go to church. It is a relief to take time out of my day to hear the stories of the Bible and the things that GOD is doing and have done for us. It relaxes me to a point where I have been able to find my breath and follow it. I have had a gym membership for almost 4 years now and have been to it maybe a total of 10 times. I understand where you are coming from in that area also. I actually have the membership with my sister, and I used to like going with her, it motivates me to know that I can do "more" or that I can do "better" than her. WE are both in a situation to loose weight and become healthy, but I just don't have the motivation to do so yet. I have been in school for just about 2.5 years and I know all about eating right and the benefits of exercise, but do I proceed in doing anything about it? NO! I have so much on my plate, I'm surprised I finish anything throughout my day! Thanks for sharing, and hang in there!
Kelly
Sally,
ReplyDeleteI have also been finding it hard to meditate and settle my mind. Have you tried yoga classes or guided meditation in a class setting? Those have worked better for me because I am away from my home and its distraction....It might be me but this week’s course load has been hard to get through..... Keep an open mind and positive spirit and soon you will find something that works. Best of luck!
Amanda
I find it helpful to instead of viewing the stuff going on in the world around us as a distraction, instead part of the meditation. It can very very difficult in our world to find a full 20 minutes uninterrupted. I take 5 minutes here and there if that's all I can get. Charles is right, it's really about the process, the observation of the mind. Of course when we begin to focus on clearing our heads, that's when it really starts racing. You are not alone Sally. Keep up the practice and view the milliseconds between your thoughts as those silent moments of pure potential. One day you will notice calming effects.
ReplyDeleteHi Sally I am also struggling with this weeks exercise as well. Amanda has made a good point in terms of being away from home and its distractions its actually something I will give a shot this week actually. I totally understand where your coming from and maybe her suggestion may work as its good to see what works for others as it may work for us.
ReplyDeleteLuc
Sally, I don't do well using the tapes but they have helped me learn the processes to use and I just choose a time for myself with music of my own.
ReplyDeletePerhaps just setting aside a definite quiet time for yourself everyday where you clear your mind and focus on your breath work at least relaxes the mind and body and introduces discipline into your inner self. If nothing more, you cknowledge that you are worth investing a quiet time to.
Deb