Unit 5 Blog- Subtle Mind Exercise

1.Compare and contrast the Loving Kindness exercise and the subtle mind exercise. Explain your experience including the benefits, frustrations etc. 



I feel that the loving kindness exercise was more engaging than the subtle mind exercise. The narrator guidance was too far spaced apart and when she would ask you to focus on something…you would forget what you were doing in the first place because of the time that had passed and the relaxation experienced in between the narration guidance. I feel that I got a little irritated because I felt I was being ‘interrupted’ due to the spacing. I would find myself relaxed and then be prompted to do something and be like ‘why are you talking, I was doing fine on my own…’

2. Discuss the connection of the spiritual wellness to mental and physical wellness. Explain how the connection is manifested in your personal life. 


Spiritual wellness gives an individual an outlet to express emotions and to feel a sense of belonging and unity. These feelings help to initiate a sense of mental well being and physical wellness because they know that there is the support needed available to them by members of the same grouping. My dad has been Catholic for 55 years and recently got baptized into and is practicing the Mormon faith. He says he has not felt the welcomness or belonging after all these years of practicing Catholicism that he has since converting his faith. He is now more involved in the Mormon Church, made more friends, and will soon be sharing his faith with others…an opportunity never afforded to him being Catholic. It has certainly brought about a positive change in his attitude and everyday life. He even told me that he hasn’t cussed due to this newfound change. 

Unit 4 Responses

1. Describe your experience. (Did you find it beneficial? Difficult?) Why or Why not? Would you recommend this to others? Why or Why not? 


I feel that the exercise overall was good. Some people get so caught up in the routine daily activities create for us that we forget to demonstrate loving kindness. I still have my qualms about these kinds of exercises so I think that it inhibits my ability to effectively listen to them. I liked the ocean 'music.' If I could sit through an exercise that just consisted of that I think I'd be fine. I also think I am bitter about the loving kindness aspect of life because I give and give and feel that I don't get anything in return. I am constantly helping people, putting my needs aside, and etc in hope that something will click and they will reciprocate the gesture and it has yet to happen from those that matter. Sometimes I get so fed up with giving and giving I am like its time for me time, everyone leave me alone. 
2. What is the concept of “Mental Workout? What does the research indicate are the proven benefits of a Mental Work Out? How can you implement mental workouts to foster your psychological health? 


The mental workout is more or less training your brain for certain situations. It could be to overcome stress, increase your memory, gain knowledge and etc. If one knows how their mind works, they can foster a routine to help increase these areas of the brain to 'work' the way that we want them to and increase the capacity to flourish. I can implement mental workouts to foster my psychological health by finding a way to increase my ability to remember things. I have so much going on a day to day basis that if I don't write things down that I have to do I tend to forget them. I have been trying to recite my 'to do list' so that I can commit it to memory instead of having to write things down and am making progress.  

Unit 3 Blog Responses

1. Based on your reflections, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being optimal wellbeing), where do you rate your A-physical wellbeing, B-spiritual well-being, C-psychological well-being? Why?



Physical Well Being: 6- Currently being pregnant as much as I would like to work out my body is very much against the idea and it has made it hard to be as physically active as I was before I was pregnant. I still try to walk to and do things around the house so that I am not sitting on the couch doing nothing all day. My body lets me know when it needs to rest and I need to listen to it.

Spiritual: 8- I am in tune with my spiritual situation and my beliefs. I am where I want and need to be in respect to that part of my life.

Psychological: 10- I feel I am very aware of myself as a person. I have set goals for myself that I follow and I don’t let things overwhelm or hold me down. I tend to go with the flow of life and take things as they come. I never feel overstressed, depressed, or overwhelmed with anything that I know I cannot handle with time and patience.

2. Develop a goal for yourself in each area (physical, spiritual, psychological). 



Physical- Be able to complete/fulfill my physical fitness requirements for the Navy Reserve by June of 2011. I have 6 months from when the baby is due to be within standards and have to take the bi-annual fitness test.

Spiritual- Have a ‘me’ day. Being a stay at home mom and a military wife I find myself being a single mom a lot so I don’t have much time for myself or to pamper myself. Now that my husband is home I can make an appointment to have a much needed ‘me’ day and rejuvenate myself.

Psychological- Get the family on a general routine, where everyone knows what everyone is doing and doesn’t inconvenience anyone by making plans that conflict with one another’s. I hate having last minute things come up or that are forgotten that interfere with plans that had been previously made or set in place for a long time.

3. What activities or exercise can you implement in your life to assist in moving toward each goal? 



I think persistence will persevere in all three goals. If I don’t follow through with them and hold the standard then it is never going to happen.

4. Complete the relaxation exercise The Crime of the Century.  To hear this exercise, click here. Describe your experience. (What it beneficial? Frustrating? etc.)

As the first words come across I started to think that this was going to be a good exercise. I liked the deep breathing part at the beginning. Then it got into the colors personating from the different part of your body. Having to recite the phrases I felt was a little corny and I began to lose interest. Not everyone can embody or personify these phrases and feel that they are actually meaningful to their life or situation. The representations of the different body parts were interesting and I feel that for me this exercise would be more personal to me without the recitation of the phrases.

Relaxation Exercise

I find it hard to get into these relaxation exercise tapes and recording hype. I have never been able to understand how someone telling you how to relax is going to help you relax. I prefer music. After listening to the tape I still have the same thoughts. I thought the narrator's voice wasn't the most soothing for a relaxation exercise, it was kind of nasally and I had a hard time listening to it. Also the music wasn't very relaxing. It reminded me of music you might hear in one of those 80's sci-fi films. I think understanding your body and stresses are one of the biggest in factor's in being able to help yourself relax.

Welcome to my Blog

Welcome, my name is Dana Boll and I am a student at Kaplan University. I am currently enrolled in Creating Wellness: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Healing and as part of the course I need to have a blog so here it begins. I have been here at Kaplan about a year and half now studying to get my B.S in Health Science and I should be graduating early next year. I live in San Diego with my husband and 4 year old son and we are expecting another boy in January. After I graduate I plan to get my personal training and CES certification through NASM and then hopefully find a job at a gym or intermediate school as a personal or athletic trainer. This course will help me to identify individual needs of my clients and foster a more personal and integrated training plan customized to them.