In my opinion, the concept of a mental workout would include the efforts made to practice relaxation of the mind which could be yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, focusing on loving images, prayer, etc. Learning to shift the flow of blood to certain parts of our body and focusing on that body part is also beneficial for helping to reduce stress.
Training our mind and working it in our schedules is key to helping us achieve the kind of wellness we all want. It is kind of like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, doing all the rituals we do everyday.
I would like to leave with one word:
Focus
Jill
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Jill,
ReplyDeleteOh you got me with the last word "focus." I find it hard to focus at times. I have found it increasingly hard to focus during seminar. It takes place at a terrible time and on a day that I like to watch the only two shows I watch on television. Plus focus is not something I can typically do with a 3 year old running around. Oh I know what I focus on. Keeping my son alive everyday. LOL
Ericka- you make an interesting point about focus and location. In the past, I have found that too much "quiet" (at least in the room), allowed my mind to fill the void with internal chatter. Noise on the other hand, seemed to allow me to focus on the task at hand. Even now, I find that if I have serious work to get done...I do it better when listening to music - although I don't listen to the words per se, the noise helps me block out everything else and have intense focus on what I am doing...
ReplyDeleteWhen Jill talks about the "rituals of the day", sometimes these tasks provide a similar opportunity for my mind to wander UNLESS I make a concerted effort to focus on the task. (It is like driving to work and upon arriving, not knowing how I got there as I was focused on things OTHER than driving...kinda scary.)
Some great posts and thoughts!
Look forward to more posts - David
Focus is so important yet so difficult sometimes. I used to have a great routine where I went to work, ran 3-4 miles at lunch everyday then went home from work and either ran or walked another 2-3 with the dog. I was watching my diet and seemed to have very good physical health and my mental was pretty good also. I noticed that I lost much of my regular routine when I went through the divorce and did not work at that job anymore. I still wanted to keep going everyday but my normal motivators were gone. Now, I find that I must focus on the task at hand and try to fill my head with positive thinking and motivation to get through tasks that used to be so robotic to me. I am with David that too much chatter makes it hard for me to concentate but a lot of stillness can get me thinking too, like when going to bed at night. I think my best thinking time and mental work out is when physically working out, then cooling down and stretching. Like professor has said, students sometimes meditate and relax in the shower. I am one of those students that find that to be about the best place to be comfortable and alone.
ReplyDeleteFocus, Yes, focus can be used as a noun for: a place of concentrated activity, influence or importance. Focus can also be used for a verb: To devote ( oneself or one's effort) toward a common center.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great affirmation Jill, I will use focus too this week, I will let you know how it goes. Thank you for the motivation and help. Jess
Jill, I agree with you that we have to keep our mind focused on positive influences and thoughts. Mental workout is learning to keep control of these things (including our tongue) and understand that for every action there is a reaction that we are in control of how we respond. Good deeds towards others is always a nice start.
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