I enjoyed the universal loving kindness exercise found on page 93. I turned on some zen music to help drown out my kids but overall, I was able to keep my focus on repeating the phrases. Repeating these 4 sentences helped me keep all other thoughts out for the entire 10 minutes. It helped me to open my heart and feel more compassion. I think this would be a great exercise for all health professionals to start their day out with.
On page 115 was the Integral Assessment. We were to clear our minds and then ask ourselves what area is the source of our difficulty and suffering - psychospiritual, biological, interpersonal, or worldly. I'm sure that every area needs work, but I think overall I need to work on the psychospiritual. This seems to lead to the others. My life is led (or halted) by fears. I do not get involved in the world because I'm afraid I'll get hurt or embarrass myself. I don't go to the gym for fear of the unknown. The list could go on but I'm sure ya'll get the idea. I let fear control my life and so this is the area that I need to develop.
To improve in this area, I plan to meditate regularly while repeating positive affirmations such as "Fear has no hold over me".I will remind myself of all the things I have accomplished when I thought I couldn't. Also, my religious side has been known to help me with this. There is a certain bible verse I repeat to myself over and over when I get overwhelmed with fear or anxiety. I just replace (us) with( me) to make it more personal. It is 2 Timothy 1:7 -
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
I enjoyed reading about your experience, and how you define your process of this assessment. You helped me to better understand this exercise and the assessment, altogether. I struggled on reading this exercise for meditation. I suppose I read it more as almost a prayer. Not for self meditation. Either way, great job on helping me understand this one better! Thank you
ReplyDeleteHi Becky,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post as well. I appreciate your honesty about fear. It is difficult sometimes facing certain things or places or people that we have never faced before. I can speak personally that I used to have a great fear of speaking in public. What cured me of that fear was being in the military. We have no choice to not speak to groups of people, particular as you get higher in rank. I guess it was a forced cure, but now I can speak in groups and not have that fear anymore. Just know that you are God's child, you are perfect because he made you that way.
Scott
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteBeing honest of your fears is the one of the first steps to healing. Positive affirmations are very powerful when we use these in our lives and I just wanted to give you some tips that I have learned along the way in using them. When we use positive affirmations we always want to use them in the present, such as using "I am", "I am worthy of all good things in life", never use "will be" because that keeps your intention in the future therefore the intention will never come to fruition. The other thing is using only positive words in your affirmation. In your affirmation "fear has no hold over me" the word fear by its self and the word no are both negative words, and we don't want to put those words out to the universe. I would suggest this instead, either "I am fearless" or "I am safe, secure, and filled with love, joy and happiness". I hope that I wasn't too forward in my suggestions to you. Remember you are perfect just as you are!
~Michelle
GREAT POST! That is a great verse as well; it very much encompasses the purpose of this assignment. I agree that this is a great way for a health professional to start their day. It a lot of ways it's humbling and expands our minds to think of those around us with out the specifics to get in the way.
ReplyDeleteI loved this in all it's honesty! We all feel that way sometimes I think. I know I do.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that I have been feeling calmer and breathing easier since I have started to incorporate these practices into my life these past weeks. It seems to be working for you too :)
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed this weeks exercise. This is the only exercise so far that has worked for me. This is a great exercise to you to start or end your day. Fear at times overtakes me and keeps me from doing the things I want to do or things I need to do. I'm trying to get better with it. The scripture you posted is a good one to repeat when you feel fear trying to take over. Great blog post this week.