DAY FOUR
The exercises in Self-Care Check-in cover six areas of well-being: physical, mental, social, spiritual, creative, and career. For the next few days, we will focus on one at a time. As we walk through them, be observant so you can notice which parts of your life you tend to nurture and which parts need more love.
So far, we’ve talked about holistic self-care as how you take care of yourself in every aspect of your life. So how should we take care of ourselves spiritually? Our answers will all be different of course, but let’s agree that we need to be authentic and intentional about it.
How do you nurture your spirit day-to-day?
the inner world
In 2018, slowing down my life and career to develop a spiritual self-care practice pulled me out of a hopeless place. Seeking relief from anxiety and depression, I started taking morning walks and meditating. Those two habits alone helped me to quiet my mind and reconnect with my inner world, which led to improvements in every aspect of my life, especially my mental and physical health.
The inner world is a spiritual one. Spirituality is extremely personal and for each of us, our concept of it evolves as we move through life. When this area is neglected, we might feel unanchored, stifled or overwhelmed, lost or without foundation. When we feel spiritually disconnected, we are cutting ourselves off from intuitive resources and we can feel the discomfort of that, the void of it, even if we don’t know what it is. To turn that around, we have to find ways and develop consistent habits that allow us to go inward and awaken ourselves from the inside out.
Spiritual self-care is about nurturing your spirit, strengthening your connection to your inner world, and tapping into the guidance and power that’s inside.
mind, body, spirit
Spiritual wellness has a significant impact on the mental and physical body. It can provide a sense of purpose that creates courage and resilience in the face of adversity. It can help you focus on what you’re grateful for instead of focusing on problems. It can relieve stress and fear as it provides a way to lay it all down and give it up to a higher power. All of these things are instrumental in easing emotional distress and opening us up to live more abundant lives.
Mental Health America sums it up this way, “You can think of spirituality as connecting to whatever you consider meaningful and holy. You can find it in God, in yourself, in other people, in nature, art or kindness. Whatever you focus on, spirituality offers many possible benefits, including better mood, less anxiety and depression, and even fewer aches and illnesses.”
So how do you figure out what spiritual practices will feed your unique soul? I can’t talk about spiritual self-care without highlighting the importance of trusting your intuition, that inner voice that we all have. I often refer to it as a pull. One could call it a knowing or an impulse or the Holy Spirit.
Every decision you make, from what career to pursue, to what religion or spiritual practices you feel aligned with, to what relationships feel good and which ones don’t, can only be made consciously if you trust that inner knowing. You can build the intuition muscle through spiritual self-care. The Self-Care Check-in journal presents a variety of ways to discover what works for you.
After reading today's insights, reflect on the questions below and share your thoughts with us in the comments.
reflection questions
How would you describe your spiritual life/journey?
How do you acknowledge what’s sacred to you in life?
What does reverence mean to you?
How do you nurture your spirit daily?
How do your spiritual beliefs differ from how you grew up?
Can you say that you feel spiritually fulfilled? Why or why not?