Loving kindness is one exercise that I was most in need of. I find myself often being downright cruel to me. I would never in this lifetime treat anyone the way I treat myself. Does that make any kind of sense? Every night when I lay down, I begin the loving kindness exercise. I picture a different person every time that I have a deep love and respect for and try to project that back to myself. I am finding it is getting a little easier but I am not quite there yet. If I can treat myself with the love and respect that I so desperately need and deserve, then I will be able to project that love to all those around me instead of the stressed out overworked person I have become. I have noticed the more at peace I am with myself, the more at peace those are around me. That goes a long way toward mental fitness.
Visualization is the second exercise that I am finding most helpful. I find that I can stop whatever is spiraling out of control by taking a moment and visualizing the ocean or the mountains. I can feel it, smell it and sometimes almost taste it. I live in the middle of the city (small city but yet the concrete jungle), I have a small group of woods behind my house. I tried to make this my sanctuary but then the police sirens start or the fire engines. I had to go back to the point in my life where I was at most peace. Sometimes I feel a feeling of great sadness when I think back to what I had, but I quickly reign myself in and remember the feelings of simple pleasure. I think visualization helps me to refocus and find that small oasis of sanity that I so desperately need to maintain mental fitness.
Thanks,
Ginger
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Hello Ginger. I understand what you mean by being cruel to yourself. I am very glad we have this new beginning on lovingkindness and the other practices. It is almost over but it's not really over becasuse we as the class and even the professor has really just begun. we have so much work to do and many assignments to learn for all these things I am grateful. For our beginning that has no end.
ReplyDeleteBe Blessed
Brenda A.
Ginger, so true I agree with not beating yourself up about things because the world is cruel enough without us contributing to it ourselves in any kind of way. That is why I have traded negative for positive because negative hurts us,causes grief, heartache, and weighs us down. Therefore I choose Positive any day and the Loving Kindness exercise has helped me with that greatly.
ReplyDeleteHi Ginger, I am glad you enjoyed the loving-kindness exercise and the visualization exercise. I also liked the visualization exercise as it took me back to my childhood days when I had no responsibilities and was happy just playing with friends. I know what you mean about being cruel to yourself. That made complete sense because some times we tend to put ourselves down thinking we are the problem when we are not. We have to build ourselves up meaning our self-esteem and self-confidence by believing in ourselves and finding that inner love. Once we experience the inner love and peace within us, we can share this knowledge and experience this love with and for others. I know you have this in you and if you continue to practice these exercises, you will be a calm and happy person as you experience wholeness and human flourishing. Stay with it!!
ReplyDeleteJill
I chose the same two exercises as you. I never thought of doing the loving-kindness exercise at bed time. This could help me sleep better. I am glad to hear the visualization is working well for you and it can only get better! Good luck to you!
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