It seems that spirituality and spiritual wellness has become something of a big deal. 2020 made it awfully clear that it’s just as important to take care of our internal world as it is to take care of our external world. Really, how many times did you hear the words “self-care” last year? Too many to count! But unfortunately self-care doesn’t quite cut it. Why? Because we live in a capitalist society that immediately preys upon big ideas and turns them into commodities to be sold and consumed. Self-care became an industry! But spiritual wellness isn’t something we need products for, it’s something we need to look inward for. You can have the brand new car, the beautiful house, the cute puppy and the gorgeous partner and still not be happy. Because no matter what our capitalist society tells us, happiness does not come from things. Sorry if that bursts your bubble, I know it would be much easier if it did!

So What is Spiritual Wellness?

Spiritual wellness is similar to physical and emotional wellness in that it takes commitment to yourself and some ::womp womp:: work. Just as you try to move your body each week, or schedule your therapy session, it is important to give your spirit, or your soul, some of your time. Through our own pursuit of spiritual wellness, we are looking to find self-acceptance, a sense of peace, contentment, and purpose. Sounds like a tall order hey? But trust me, if I can get there, you can too! And who wouldn’t want to feel peaceful and content in this crazy world? Hopefully all of us.

How Do We Get Well?

1) The first thing you can do to start cultivating spiritual wellness is to make a list of your values. What is truly important to you in life? Is it your family? Is it education? Is it the environment? Racial justice?

Here are my top 3 values: personal improvement, the environment, and new experiences.

List as many as you can think of, the things you already have in your life, the things that motivate you, or things you wish you had more of. This list will be your guide to the places where you may not be living in alignment with your values.

If you value the environment, are there places that you can make changes to live that value? Like buying a reusable cup and always having it with you, declining straws when you are out, reduce waste.

If you value new experiences, when was the last time you did something for the first time? What did that feel like? What is something you have been dying to try but haven’t had the courage or time to do it? Make trying that thing a priority!

Getting clear on your values is an essential first step towards spiritual wellness and for the spiritual journey.

2) Next, it’s time to make a commitment to yourself. I know better than anyone how scary commitments, especially to yourself, can be. It seems like we are often encouraged and even rewarded for putting ourselves last. But that doesn’t serve anyone, especially not you and those close to you. So, make a small and realistic commitment to yourself.

This commitment should involve some sort of quiet time with yourself each week or day. Whatever feels achievable to you. I’m not telling you to meditate, that can be really daunting. If you’re up for it, have at it! Meditation is a great tool. But if you are at the very beginning, just try leaving your phone in another room and sitting with yourself, without any expectations. Maybe even just 5 minutes and increasing as you become more comfortable. Thoughts will come up, try not to attach to any particular thought but rather notice what kinds of thoughts are coming up. This is valuable information! Just sit there with yourself. It may be uncomfortable but it will get easier.

In our current lives there are SO many distractions, endless choices of what to watch, infinity scrolling on all social media, emails, texts, news alerts. There often is not time where we can just be with ourselves. But this is the person we spend every waking hour with for our entire lives, they deserve some quality time, to be shown some love. So find a way, whatever it may be, just sitting like described above, meditating, looking at yourself in a mirror, positive self-talk. Just commit to spending time with yourself each week.

3) And my last suggestion to support your spiritual wellness is around reactivity. Again, because we never have time in quiet, never have a moment to ourselves, we are constantly reacting to our environment and those around us rather than acting from a soul centered place. How many times have you just reacted to someone’s negativity, only to feel ashamed of what you said?

My suggestion here is when you feel yourself being activated by someone or something in your environment, sit back and take three deep breaths. Oh god, really, deep breaths? YES! This is such common advice because it works.

And when I say deep breaths I mean deep. The deeper your upset, the deeper the breath. I often imagine my breath going all the way down to my toes. And once I have taken that time, I can respond from a more aligned place. I am likely still pretty upset, and I may even need to call a friend to vent, but I am not reacting from that emotion. That is spiritual wellness.

These are all things you can do to start putting some care and attention to your own spiritual wellness. And this is just a jumping off point, there are so many things to do to cultivate this type of wellness, and you are the expert on you! So trust your inner knowing and find the practices that work for you! Spiritual wellness, much like physical and emotional wellness, is essential to your happiness and with practice, you’ll have what you need to weather any storm.

If you are ready to take the leap and make this your priority, be sure to check out my offerings and book a free consultation call!