DESCRIBING A MENTAL WORKOUT

After listening to a Loving Kindness CD, my overall experience was both positive and negative. This exercise was beneficial because it helped me somewhat relax when normally my mind would be consumed by a mental list of daily obligations. Also, I did feel a momentary increased sense of loving kindness toward my sister and self.

One way that I found the exercise to be distracting or difficult was due to a technical error. There was an extremely loud static filled noise that periodically blasted through my speakers which caused the same mental effect as nails on a chalkboard. I don’t know if this was an error on the actual CD or if it was an issue with my laptop and/or audio system. Since this technical error occurred so frequently during the exercise, I would only recommend it to others after initially reviewing the CD quality.    

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 concept of a mental workout is the belief that one can evolve or enhance his or her psychospiritual life by simply practicing this type of exercise on a regular basis. According to (Elliot S. Dacher. 2006), even though “the apex of human flourishing may require an Olympian intensity of effort and practice, we can be well on the road to health, happiness, and wholeness with a far more moderate yet sustained effort.” (p. 64) This simply means that if we practice mental workouts on a daily basis then eventually we may get to experience what is known as human flourishing. Human flourishing occurs when one gets to finally live a life that is consumed with positive health, happiness and wholeness.

After learning about mental workouts, I would like to improve my psychological health by implementing this practice in to my own life. I am going to begin this workout by first choosing a regular time of day when I can meditate for at least 5 to 10 minutes. If this routine is successful then maybe one day, I will get to experience human flourishing within myself.  

Reference:

Elliot S. Dacher (2006). INTEGRAL HEALTH. The Path To Human Flourishing