In this loving kindness meditation exercise I began to truly believe that all individuals could very well gain freedom from suffering. Most of my days I sustain happiness and wholeness though a 30 minute sitting herbal meditation. The scented burning herbs relax all my senses at once and allows me to release mental and body stress. But when I suffer from a hardship, I do not always feel free! I had to learn that suffering could be physical or mental, and you can never know peace as long as this unprocessed misery remains. Now when I suffer, I think of something pleasant or beautiful; it helps me except the hardship. When that doesn’t help, I turn to spiritual relief; God is the first one I turn too through prayer. It helps to remember that suffering is a life process that can be controlled mentally if you allow it to spears your soul.
I developed a personal program by writing down the areas of my life that require the most attention, and then I mentally decided how to deal with each one in a calm rational manner. For example, my greatest suffering comes from worrying about my sick parents because lately they’ve been hospitalized at the same time. I took the steps to emotional except the fact that in life people become ill and need all your support and strength, not your pity. My mental suffering soon ended and the love I have for them began to peak out. If you acknowledge your fear then it stops having power over you and your life.
What I discovered through the exercise is there is short term and permanent relief regarding suffering. My suffering was not as serious as I made it out to be in my mind. In the beginning, it would come and go (short term relief), but once I developed a program it soon became long term relief. My parents have learned to deal with their illnesses stress free for years because they mental assessed the suffering through meditation, stress management classes, and CAM. They always keep the faith and share their mental breakthroughs with the whole family. I learned greater wellness from them; we even plan family therapeutic vacations at spa resorts.
Atalaya,
ReplyDeleteHow great to have such open and giving parents. To have mentors such as them must be great experience. You are so blessed to have them share their feelings, emotions and calmness with you. Isn't it funny that sometimes the ones that are suffering with the physical illnesses are the ones that teach us the most about our spiritual!
Your post inspired me to make sure I share all that I can with my daughter, hoping to relief any undo stress regarding me that is in her life. I wish you and your parents all the best and hope your relationship with them never fades, but continues to grow!!
Julie C.
Atalaya,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Julie, how great it is to have parents that are mentors and know the importance of meditation and spiritual well being. Your a lucky girl.
My father is also very ill, and was given six months to live. He lived his life full of stress and aggression. He will never see the importance of the mind body and spirit, which saddens me. The little girl in me is afraid for that day when he is no longer on this earth. I try to call him once a week, he lives in Michigan but I still cant help but feel disconnected.
You have inspired me to write things down and take an inventory of my current situation. So many things have happened in the past year to me that its hard to keep track. But, you have given me a way to turn this around. Thank you for your honest posts.
Regards,
JIll Gazelle
Atalaya,
ReplyDeleteIt is so great that your family is as passionate as you seem to be with health and wellness. It makes for a great support group which is vital to have. I try to include my family and friends in learning about alternative med and holistic lifestyle but I think most are just annoyed with me though some are slowly becoming more interested. I've even had a few friends try the mind practices with me and they seemed to enjoy it. It's only a matter of time before I hook them all haha
Maria
Atalaya,
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome! We see our parents as our biggest inspiration and want to be like them when we are small. It is great that you all share that common ground of health. My parents are very much the same. My friends have always thought I was a tad weird, but that is why they love me. I try and get them on the healthy wagon with me all of the time. Eventually, they will come around. I really like that you are keeping a journal. I feel like with all that happens in my life, I have to. I have 3 different ones now. One especially to work on MY wellness. I never knew that I had such "road blocks" until taking this course. This week really made me think about that and what I need to do to change things. I always figured that things would work themselves out. I know now that I have to take better charge of my life. Blessings to you!
Angela
Thanks for the wonderful kind words of encouragement, I have been so worried about them everyday. I really feel for all of you who share my hardship; my parents are all I have( no children)
ReplyDelete