1. A. I rate my physical wellbeing as an 8. I cannot seem to shake having problems with my sinuses since I moved to Colorado. The other is my blood pressure. I am diagnosed with high blood pressure. It started at the end of my pregnancy with my last child, 8 years ago. Also, I am obese and want to lose weight. I need to add more physical activity to my routine.
B. I rate my spiritual well-being as a 10. I am behaving myself, finally after some hard trials in the past several months. But I never lost sight of the love God has for me. He just wants to have a healthy relationship with me, and for me to obey Him.
C. I rate my psychological wellbeing as a 5 or 6 or even less. Right now, my family is not happy because I moved to Colorado. They think I left because of sin in my life. My answer is YES, it was, but I left so I could be MORE spiritual, not LESS spiritual, if that makes any sense at all. Some personal issues made it so it was hard to even focus on God during the worship service at church. I was tired of that. I wanted to give God my ALL, not take it away. My family still thinks I should ‘suck up’ my problems and go on about my way, happy or not….I am wrong. Plus, my son has abandoned our relationship and I want it back so desperately. He feels betrayed. He feels like I kicked him out of my house. In the heat of the moment I may have told him to leave, after one of his fits, not getting his way, and I told him if he did not want to obey me or help around the house, then he did not need to live there.
2. Goals:
A. Physically: Add more physical activity.
B. Spiritually: Find a church, find a place to serve God, and have a social network of believers that will encourage me in the way I should go.
C. Mentally: To give my family the space they need, but let them know I have not left them. Or to be open to have a relationship with them, even though they have been so unreasonable in their judgment of me.
3. Plan:
A. Use more mind/body techniques to warrant sickness away and welcome health. Ride a bike, go hiking and camping.
B. Begin visiting more churches, investigate their backgrounds and how they serve others.
C. I have no clue what to do more than I have already done. I have given them space and opportunity to communicate, to no avail.
4. The Relaxation Exercise: After being interrupted two times while doing this, I still found the relaxation exercise relaxing. The reason I would be frustrated would be trying to set aside time to actually do the exercises. Another reason would be not being able to focus on what the guide is trying to help me focus on because of my busy mind. I would like to gain greater control over this aspect of learning mind/body techniques.
First, let me say I think it is awesome you have an optimal spiritual relationship! While I never loose sight of God, I do occasionally loose sight of “He will never place more upon us than we can handle” (I have been told this all my life). Finding a good fit with a new church home will help enhance your psychological state as well (my opinion). A social network of believers will help you move forward leaving behind the past (transgressions?). I recommend a renewed involvement in spiritual activity for many of my clients. There is a unique support and compassion in this area. For some of my people it is the only path to forgiving themselves and moving forward.
ReplyDeleteFamily and the bonds that hold us together are so strong. I think your giving them space is a good choice. Perhaps they need time to move beyond their own emotions to realize you are striving to be a whole person again. Keeping the lines of communication open will be important so they will still be connected to you. This may be the hard part; rejection or condemnation may threaten to drive you further apart. I got through a time of separation from my family by reminding myself, “if they didn’t care they would not be so upset.” In time, love and forgiveness will triumph. I use and recommend to clients using relaxation breaks throughout the day. My time is always pressed so I have developed my own ability to relax out my mind and body in a ten minute break. There are many 5 minute or less relaxation clips on You Tube that may help you (if interested) develop some quick methods to refocus your mind when too cluttered. I have found the more I practice mind-body techniques the more it becomes a natural part of me.
Physically, it sounds like you have a good plan. I will mention what you already know diet and lifestyle choices will also impact your physical condition. Your psychological state is also a key player in maintaining a healthy weight. Also, your sinuses may need time to adjust to the dryness of CO. Prayer and visualization will help with you physical goals.