As I shifted to the thoughts and feelings I noticed, I was more stressed out than I realized this week. I tried to focus on the stillness and push the thoughts out, and as the exercise stated, let love in. As I move on to the next piece, I follow the thought of loving myself, and appreciating who I am. As I think about a loved one who is suffering, I try to move myself to breath out the health and happiness to him, and mindfully pushing positive thoughts. It is not the first time I have tried to take the pain and suffering from him; he is so innocent. It is difficult to see the group of enemies and think the same thing, and that will take some work.
The benefits of the exercise are there, if one opens themselves up to it. It was not difficult, only in the choosing of whom to envision. I would recommend it, especially to someone who is struggling to find their place.
A mental workout can encompass a variety of things, to include physical activities and meditation exercises. There are studies that prove a mental workout can keep you sharp. The mind is able to continually adapt and rewire itself, and grow new neurons (The Franklin Institute, 2004) . It is just like any muscle in the body, our mental state needs to be stimulated or we will lose the ability to function.
Implementing mental exercise throughout the day can help keep one sharp. Starting in the morning upon rising by thinking about moving your body, challenging your body to do things it is not used to (such as eating with your non-dominating hand), to taking a different route to work can be ways to stay sharp and focused (The Franklin Institute, 2004) .
References:
The Franklin Institute. (2004). The Human Brain. Retrieved from Resources for Science Learning: http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/exercise.html
Warm Regards,
Jenn
Hello Jenn,
ReplyDeleteI also found it difficult to spread loving kindness to those that I consider my enemies. Granted there is only one person that gets under my skin, I tried to share some positive energy with her.
I must say that I do believe we can replace suffering and pain with ease and compassion, if we're strong enough. As long as we are filled with loving kindness, generosity, compassion, faith, etc., then we shouldn't have to worry about anyone's suffering taking over us and bringing us down. If we have enough inside of us, there should be more than enough to share with our loved ones.
Hanan
Hello Hanan!
ReplyDeleteDo you find when you try to share your positive energy, it just makes her more negative? I find there is no one I hate in life, just those I have no use for. That probably sounds mean, but there are people that have walked all over me, tried to take from me all I am worth, and then tried to associate with me some time later. i just ignore them, as if I try to "work things out" I tend to get stressed.
Thanks Hanan!
Warm Regards,
Jenn
Hello Jenn,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your post on your blog and the discussion boards. I hope you do not feel like I am cyber stalking you :-), I just really appreciate your point of view and the way that you purposefully relay your messages.
Like you, I felt the part of the exercise that involved the loving kindness directed at the loved one much easier to do than it was for a group of people. I am in the process of learning to look out for me, so this exercise is in direct conflict with the homework I was given by my practitioner. I am sure I will find a happy medium somewhere, but I really understand where you were coming from.
For the past two weeks I have been using the brain exercises at Lumosity and I have to say I have seen improvement in my ability to retain things in my short term memory. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to exercise their brains.
Keep up the good work.
Rufus J.