Our assignment for this week’s blog post was the rate our
Physical, Spiritual and Psychological well-being on a scale of 1 -10 (ten- being
optimal well-being).
I rate my physical well-being as a 7 because I am in
over-all good health other than being overweight. The reason that it is only a
seven is because I have not had a complete physical in at least four years. Our
insurance does do a health screening each year which includes blood tests and
tells us what our risk factors are, but I have not followed up with our doctor
on these results. Also I have not had a Pap
smear or mammogram for quite a few years and at 66, I have not yet had a colonoscopy.
I rarely get sick, so I rarely go to the
doctor.
I rate my spiritual well-being at a 7 also because even
though I go to church regularly, I do not feel connected to God or Jesus. I
think that the problem there is that I do not pray regularly therefore it is
hard to feel connected when I don’t communicate with them.
I rate my psychological well-being as a 7 also because
even though I feel that my mind is mostly clear and sharp, I do suffer from
Seasonal Affective Disorder and can become quite depressed and despondent when
the weather is gloomy. Also since I am
retired and often alone, I often feel disconnected from the world. Although,
this has gotten a bit better since my youngest son (28) came home to live for a
while this December.
I set some goals for myself at the beginning of the month
and have been meaning to write them down, but had not gotten around to doing it
yet. So I was glad for the assignment to do so.
My main physical goal for this year is to take the
results of the health screening that will be done on January 31st to
my doctor and get the test that I have not had this year. In addition, I will
walk at least a mile a day 5 or 6 days a week and eat more fruit.
My spiritual goal is going to be the hardest for me, but
I think that the way to begin is to commit to pray at least once a day.
My psychological goal is to make sure that I get at least 15 minutes of sunshine a day, in order to alleviate any symptoms of SAD and to attend church activities more often, so that I don't feel as lonely.
My psychological goal is to make sure that I get at least 15 minutes of sunshine a day, in order to alleviate any symptoms of SAD and to attend church activities more often, so that I don't feel as lonely.
Before I go on to the relaxation exercise, I would like
to discuss something that really touched me in our reading this week. When I was reading the Meeting Asclepius
visualization, I was really touched. The
personal that I visualized was my maternal Grandmother as I feel that for me
she embodied the characteristics of peace, wisdom, compassion, love and joy
that were mentioned. I was so touched when reading this visualization and
imagining her that I was brought to tears. After I finished, I thought well
Jesus also embodies these characteristics and wouldn’t it be nice if I could
visualize him with the same clarity as I did my Grandmother and let him by my
Asclepius. This is a goal I would like to achieve.
The “Crime of the Century” relaxation technique was a
little more successful for me than the one from last week. Even though I was able to imagine the colors,
I was not able to imagine the beams of light, but I liked the affirmations that
accompanied the colors and can see the benefit of repeating them on a regular
basis. The breathing also was very relaxing and so was the speaker’s voice.
Hi, June. I have to say that you are an inspiration to me. I hope that when I am your age I can do as well as you are doing. I work in a nursing home and the elderly there (many people there are much younger than you and not considered elderly) are severely disabled. It is great that you are able to get out and walk and can still do many things that a lot of people take for granted. I also love the goals that you have set for yourself. It sounds like you have it all figured out. lol I wish you the best. I agree that the breathing was very relaxing and I also enjoyed the exercise. I am normally an avid meditator, but have recently not had much time for it. I am glad for these exercises in this class. They help me stay on track.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amanda. I am really glad that I am in such good health, but I wouldn't be able to walk as much as I do if I had not had a total knee replacement 4 years ago. It has limited other forms of exercise, because it wasn't a complete success and I have limited Range of Motion, but at least I can walk without pain! I wouldn't say I have it all figured out, but every day in every way I try and be better.
DeleteHi June,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post very honest and inspiring. I love that you are starting with praying in the spiritual department. I myself have had many battles with religion and after being force-fed it as a youngster I was very happy to just peruse around at my leisure as an adult to find where I was comfortable being. I'm also very happy to hear that you have been well enough to not have to go to the doctor so much. I know many people are all about screening, and to a small extent I am as well, however I try to work on trusting my body as well. Its funny, in my culture the common misconception is "don't go to the doctor because they'll find something wrong with you!" Kind of like, they'll make you sick if you go. I used to laugh when I was younger, but now, with a future career as a naturopathic physician in my sights, I wonder if maybe there could have been a small amount of mental truth to that. I was also touched by our reading this week as well as your visualization of your grandmother. My maternal grandmother came to my mind as well. She used to pray to Jesus kneel by a picture of the Sacred Heart (something she also carried in her wallet as well) all the time. She had a huge picture of it framed and hung in her bedroom and she would pray to it everyday several times a day. When she got pancreatic cancer it was me to took care of her. (it was very close to the death of my daughter, and my mother was just not strong enough to go through palliative care with my grandmother so soon) So I took over care and was with her everyday until her last breath. The process of death is a hard one to watch, but, depending on your perception it can also be a beautiful one as well. I watched as my grandmother slipped out of consciousness when she was no longer really responding or waking at all. We were able to have her on hospice care in our home (where she lived). During those final hours...probably about 3-4 hours before she died while I was sitting next to her bed I noticed that she put her arms up in the air... both of them. Similar to how she did during mass at church. It looked like she was welcoming her God. She brought her hands down again and blessed herself. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen. I wasn't afraid for her after that because somehow I knew she was being comforted in all that delirium and pain. Its a sight I'll always carry in my heart and I am so glad that her spiritual health was so "well" that it carried her when her physical body could not. Fantastic post June!
-Lori
Thanks, Lori. Your comment about not going to the doctor because they will find something wrong really hit home with me because I think that is another reason I avoid it. Also because I don't like the way they treat the problems when they do find them and that is mostly with drugs which I avoid at all costs and I don't want to have to fight with the doctor about it. I wish I insurance covered a naturopathic doctor. I would go to one in a heartbeat! I also appreciated you sharing about your Grandmother's experience at her passing. It was a sweet one!
DeleteHello June,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. Communication with God does not have to take place in church. I find that I'm closest to Him when I look into the eyes of some of my patients. The communication begins at the first introduction. When I'm anxious or sad, I go outside or take a long walk in the Metro Parks. I've gotten my husband involved in some of those walks - he is a type A personality. Imagine his frustration in a houseful of kids running around. I convinced him to teach me how to fish last Spring. He hasn't gone fishing for over 20 years. This really wasn't for me but for him. To find that peaceful outlet. It works, and the two of us have learned to put our lives into perspective and come closer to God. We are currently trying to find a church that makes us both feel warm and part of a community - He is Protestant and I'm Roman Catholic.
Laurie
Laurie, I agree and for my communication with God does not take place in church. I go regularly and still do not have it! I love to walk outside and especially to commune with nature and I do feel closer to God during that time than I do at church. My church is a warm, welcoming place and a community. If it wasn't for them, I would be a much more lonely and depressed old woman!
DeleteHello June,
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice blog. I also am having a hard time finding a spiritual goal for myself since I too do not feel a close connection with God. It sounds like you are working well at keeping your goals a part of your life and making sure that your SAD is not taking control of you. It made me smile to see that you were able to visualize your grandmother. When we think of our family members who have gone away it is such a sad but happy experience all at the same time. The relaxation exercise was very relaxing for me. The only problem was that half way through the exercise it just stopped. I logged out and started it again and it continued to do the same thing. So what I heard was very relaxing it just would have been nice to hear it all.
Thanks, Monica. I relate to what you said about God, but it is something that I want to have, so I am trying. I was very close to my Grandma, so it was not hard to visualize her and I have had contact with her a few times since she died in dreams and such.
DeleteHi June. I also suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder but something I found years ago that helped me and I try sticking to it now every winter is I buy a package of fitness classes somewhere to get me out of the house and socialize. I found it really helped my mood. Your story about your loneliness reminds me of my mother. My dad passed away in August and they were always together and she had no social life outside of him. I try doing as much with her as I can but I have a busy schedule. I talked her into getting a pass at the local gym for aqua aerobics and I think she really likes it, and I keep trying to talk her into volunteering somewhere. I don't know if any of these ideas could help you too so I thought I would offer them. I am glad to hear you are able to have your son living with you now for company!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Your suggestions are good ones, but I have the additional problem of us only having one car and my husband needs it in the winter to go to work. I have tried aqua aerobics and enjoyed it, but his schedule changes daily, so it is hard to find a time that works for us. I do have some social life with my church friends and school keeps me busy.
DeleteJune,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the openness and honestness of this post! As terrible as it is we have to keep up to date with all those nasty medical tests to keep us healthy. I also had my biometric screening done recently, my numbers were great, but I know I can be in better shape. I hope that you can feel connected with us. It is hard when you feel you have no one to talk to. I think your goals are reasonable and achievable and I wish you the best trying to achieve them.
Those were very beautiful words you spoke about your grandmother. You are lucky to have had her in your life. I am glad you enjoyed the exercise, because I really enjoyed it!
Thanks, Brandy. I know I should do the screenings, but.... Thank you for the comment about my grandmother, she was a big, positive influence in my life and we were very close!
DeleteHi June,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog :) and you broke down your thoughts very well. I have traveled a difficult road based on my own choices however, at 50 I see things from a different perspective which is good. I've always practice my faith especially during times of great troubles but I shared with anyone that it takes practice in order to develop this type of patience.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts and love your blog :)
Thanks, Allenda. I appreciate your comments. I practice my faith, but I am not very good at communicating with God on a regular basis. I have a few years on you and am always learning from my life experiences. I love classes like this that encourage us to expand our horizons.
Delete