I talk a lot about the importance of self-care. It’s crucial that you prioritize taking care of yourself. Particularly for women, it’s often easy to pay attention to everyone else’s needs while ignoring your own. You might take care of your kids, your partner, and even your parents – but it’s important to remember that you also need to be taken care of.
When people think about self-care, they sometimes picture massages and mani-pedis. These can definitely be a part of your self-care plan if they feel nourishing to you, but they’re certainly not the only forms of self-care. You need to take care of all aspects of yourself – not just the physical.
One of the forms of self-care that’s very commonly overlooked is spiritual self-care. What is spiritual self-care? How can you incorporate this important aspect of self-care into your own life?
What is spiritual self-care?
Spiritual self-care means doing activities that help you connect to a sense of meaning and purpose. This includes feeling a sense of connection to something larger than yourself, whether you call this God, the Universe, the One, or simply the world. It also includes connecting with your own inner wisdom and intuition, so you can clarify your own values and goals.
We all have a strong need for a sense of meaning and purpose. Without this, we tend to feel empty and dissatisfied. We may find it difficult to cope with challenges, and may become easily overwhelmed.
Your spiritual self-care helps you to find meaning and purpose in your life. This helps you to feel more centered and grounded, and you’re better able to cope with challenges when they arise. By prioritizing spiritual self-care on a regular basis, you’ll help to keep yourself feeling more peace, clarity, gratitude, and joy in your daily life.
Is spiritual self-care the same as religion?
Some people skip out on their spiritual self-care because they believe that “spiritual” means “religious,” and they don’t identify with any particular religion. There are many people who develop their own ways to practice spirituality, and don’t want to feel like they’re bound by the rules of any specific religion.
Some people even feel trauma around religion – they may have been forced to participate in a religion that didn’t feel aligned with who they really are. As a result, they may have decided to reject religion entirely.
The truth is that spirituality and religion are not the same thing. There are a lot of different ways to express spirituality, and religion is only one of them.
If your religion is an important part of your life, then it can definitely be a part of your spiritual self-care. However, this doesn’t mean that your spiritual self-care will be limited to only religious activities – you can still choose to add some additional intentional practices to your life on a regular basis. And even if you don’t identify with any particular religion (or even with religion at all), there are still many ways for you to integrate spiritual self-care into your life.
7 ways to incorporate spiritual self-care
Here are 7 different ways that you could incorporate spiritual self-care into your life. You can try any or all of these.
Spending time in nature. Many people feel connected to the larger web of life when they spend time in nature. For me, this is an important form of spiritual self-care. You could go hiking in the forest, sit by a river or a lake, or walk on a beach – anything that helps you to feel immersed in the natural world.
Stargazing. Almost everyone feels inspired when they look at the stars. Too often, we don’t even take the time to look upward at night. Make some time to gaze at the night sky from time to time. Notice the moon as well as the stars. It’s ideal if you’re able to get to a place that’s darker, so you’ll be able to see more and brighter stars – but even just taking a few minutes to gaze upward from your own driveway can be very inspirational.
Meditation. When you meditate, you turn your attention inwards. Many people find that meditation helps them to notice the whisperings of their own wisdom and intuition and to gain clarity. The goal of meditation is to simply allow things to be as they are, rather than wishing that things were different or planning for how you want things to go in the future. The simplest way to meditate is simply to sit or lie down, close your eyes, and pay attention to your breath.
Prayer. In some ways, prayer can look similar to meditation. However, prayer is more directed towards direct communication with a higher power (such as God) – you might be speaking your wishes and desires or your gratitude, or you might be asking for some direction. If you feel called towards prayer, this can be a form of spiritual self-care. You can even choose to combine prayer with meditation – you could start with a few minutes of prayer, and then meditate quietly for a few minutes afterwards.
Creative practices. Many people find that a creative practice, such as drawing, painting, or music, helps them to connect with your inner voice as well as the larger forces around them. When you use creativity for your spiritual self-care, it’s important not to place any demands on your art. The goal isn’t to produce “good” art that you could show to others, or even to get better at the craft of your art. Instead, the goal is simply to allow yourself to connect with what’s within and around you. As much as possible, allow your art to flow freely, without editing or judging.
Mindful movement. Examples of this include yoga and tai chi. These are methods of moving the body in a very slow and mindful way. This helps you to become more connected to your own intuition, and you may also contemplate your connection to the world around you during these practices. Often, a period of meditation in stillness is added at the end of a mindful movement practice.
Volunteering. Our lives aren’t just about ourselves, and your self-care doesn’t have to be, either. When we take the time to help someone else, we often find more meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in our lives. You could join an organization that volunteers to help others, or you could choose to be available to people you know in your community who need help. For example, you could do the weekly grocery shopping for an elderly neighbor, or bring meals to someone who’s recently had surgery.
Don’t let this list limit you. Spiritual self-care can include anything that helps you to feel connected to something larger than yourself. You can use this list as a starting point, but feel free to develop your own spiritual self-care practices.
Developing your own spiritual self-care plan
Now I’d like to invite you to consider how you’ll incorporate spiritual self-care into your life.
Get your journal and a pen. Consider the following prompts, and write freely until you feel that you have fully explored your thoughts and feelings around the topic.
Consider times when you have spontaneously felt connected to something larger than yourself. What were you doing at that time?
How could you bring a similar experience into your life on a more regular basis? (For example, if you were on a beach watching the sunset, you could watch the sunset at home more often, or you could even put a photo of a beautiful sunset on your wall.)
Do you identify with any religion? If so, in what ways would you like to incorporate your religious beliefs into your spiritual self-care practice? (For example, you could read a passage from a religious text, and then spend a few minutes contemplating it while meditating or journaling.)
What spiritual self-care practices speak to you most?
Choose one specific spiritual self-care practice that you will add into your routine this week. This can be something that you do every day, or something that you include just once or twice a week. Commit to following your plan and including this practice.
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