After a bit of self reflection I would rate my physical well being at a 5. I am currently sick (with a cold) and overweight. I believe this is due to stress from work which is weakening my immune system which is also connected to my train of thought. Ultimately, I would like to start eating better and on a regular basis which I believe would help me in all these areas of being. I would be better focused and would stress less at work, which in turn would help me to be stronger internally which would help me to be more positive, think more positive, and loose weight. I can achieve this by exercising and focusing more on my goals.
My spiritual well being I would rate at an 8. I believe my spirituality is my strongest asset and my strength. I feel good about my self, my life, and my existence because of my faith. I would like to attend church but have found it difficult considering I work Sunday mornings. I do not see this changing until I change careers unfortunately. Working weekends is a must. However, I do find that sharing my faith and surrounding myself with others who not only share their spirituality but also are capable of absorbing my spirituality has helped to grow even more in my faith and belief that life has path and my life has meaning.
My psychological well would be also be an 7. I feel very well rounded as a person. I try to practice kindness, patience, love, and understanding towards others. But, I do have my faults as we all do. I admit I am not sure how I can change this. I know I am open minded but I also know I need to be more open minded or perhaps I simply expect too much from others. I seem to have high expectations (call me old fashioned) of others, which tends to frustrate me at times. Any suggestions in this area would be greatly appreciated. I believe this area in particular has a great deal to do with all other areas of my life that I struggle with.
Finally, the relaxation exercise: I really enjoy these exercises. However, today when I sat through this exercise I felt very tired. I have been sick this week and perhaps that and the medication is taking a toll on me. I found I felt a little frustrated this time instead of feeling relaxed. This in itself frustrates me. The minute I feel I am getting sick my first thought is 'my immune system is down', 'why is my immune system down'? 'Am I working too much, stressing too much, so on'?. I believe that how we feel (emotionally) has a great deal to do with how our body reacts. For example; I quit smoking this past year. I have smoked my entire life, some thirty years, but when I quit I started eating more, that hand to mouth action, which in turn caused me to gain weight; lots of it. But in reality, I think quitting smoking caused me (subconsciously) to think that I couldn't do it (stress) leading me to eat to over come the stress. Hence, creating an imbalance within my life and the outcome is essentially stress and being overweight. Perhaps now that I realize this I can address these issues and overcome/eliminate both the weight and the stress.
Hi there! It sounds like you know yourself very well and that is great! I have to agree with you that your stress is not helping your health at all, so hopefully you can take some of these relaxation techniques with you to lessen your stress that you feel from your job so that you have a better chance at keeping that immune system up. I completely understand being stressed at work. I have that on a daily basis, but more so right now than usual because I work in a tax office and with the tax deadline right around the corner, it's ugly in my office right now. The hard part for me is when I get overly stressed or even when I am simply mad, I cry and most people don't understand that. Usually I just have to cry to be able to feel better so I have learned to not fight that. Maybe you are trying to hard to hold those feelings in and that is just adding to your stress. For example, you mentioned you are old fashioned and you can get frustrated with people; have you ever tried journaling when you have those moments? I honestly think that journaling would help you. Its such a great way to channel frustration, without having to worry about hurting others or simply in situations where it wouldn't be appropriate to voice your comments, say in the workplace. Journals not only work to let you vent whenever you need, but they are also great teachers. You can go back and re-read things that you have felt or gone through and get a completely different perspective on them and it can really help. If you haven't ever tried this I really hope you do try for at least a week or two and see if it helps you. :o) Definitely let me know if you do! I'd love to hear about your journey! I think that someday soon your weight and stress will only be a thing of the past!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Rogers-