3 Daily Practices To Nourish Your Soul: Tend To Your Spiritual Health By Practicing Mindfulness, Cultivating A Positive Mindset And Getting Intentional With Your Self-Care

Living In A State Of Optimal Health Requires Caring For Yourself Mind, Body and Soul.

The idea of self-care is nothing new. Caring for your physical and mental health are topics that you are likely very familiar with. Chances are you have been learning about (and hopefully experiencing) the benefits of eating well, exercising, and finding moments of happiness your whole life. In that sense, the benefits of a healthy body and mind are easy to see and understand. But what about your spiritual health?

How do you nourish your soul? And, does it really have a positive effect on your overall health and wellness? 

Read on to learn more about the role a healthy spirit can play in your overall health and wellness. Join me in exploring some simple ways to nurture your spiritual health and let the benefits of a well balanced mind, body and soul inspire you to carry some of these practices into the new year with you. 

The Health Benefits Of Nurturing Spiritual Well-Being. 

Nourishing your soul is vitally important to the health and balance of your life. When you take the time to intentionally nurture your spiritual well-being, you create space for positive things to flow into your life. Some of the other benefits of nourishing your soul include: 

• Increased physical and emotional resilience 

• A more non-judgmental attitude to life and others 

• An overall better quality of life 

• Decreased risk of succumbing to depression and anxiety 

The ripple effects of having more joy, laughter and ease in your life (just some of the benefits of feeding your soul) touch your physical and emotional health, too. Healthy relationships with yourself and others mean you are more likely to have the emotional and social support you need to get the most out of life. Likewise, joy and laughter are associated with better heart health and longevity. 

3 Daily Practices To Nourish Your Soul 

To “nourish your soul” is to cherish and feed it with mindfulness, positive thinking and intentional self-care. Including moments of soul-care into your daily routine doesn’t have to be a complicated or involved practice. You can start simply and as your capacity for self-love grows, your ability to invest more time into your overall well-being will grow, too. 

Learn To Be Present With Mindfulness Practice

Is it easy for you to be fully present in the moment or does your mind wander looking for things to worry about? Slowing down and really connecting with what is happening in the now is hard for a lot of people, not just you. Mindfulness practices are exercises to help you root down into the present and increase your self-awareness. This is very nourishing for the soul. The more you know yourself — your patterns, impulses and emotional responses — the better able you are to respond to whatever life throws at you intentionally and in a way that is truly for your greater good and happiness. 

An Abdominal Breathing Exercise To Anchor Yourself In The Present Moment 

Breathing is a wonderful mindfulness practice. Not only do breathing exercises encourage self-awareness, by breathing deeply and with control you can influence your nervous system, heart rate and even decrease pain and tension in your body. A simple breathing exercise that you can try anywhere is called abdominal (or diaphragmatic) breathing. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Sit with your feet flat on the floor or lie down with your legs fully extended and check in with your breath. Place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen (right below your rib cage) and pay attention to how they move as you breathe in and out. 

2. Take a deep breath in. Feel the hand on your abdomen rise. The hand on your chest should be relatively still. 

3. Hold the breath in for four seconds and then release it slowly by exhaling through your nose. 

4. Repeat this breathing pattern (Slow breath in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, release for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds) several times and be mindful of how your body responds to the influx of oxygen and the moment of stillness you are gifting it. 

Free Up Space For Joy By Cultivating A Positive Mindset 

Cultivating a positive mindset is not about ignoring the challenges and difficulties in life. It is, however, about making the effort to find the good in life, to celebrate it and, whenever possible, to choose it. Joy is an expansive emotion and helps you to grow on all levels. One way to create more space for joy in your life is to practice gratitude. 

Nourish Your Soul With Gratitude Journaling 

What you focus on expands! So, spending time acknowledging and feeling grateful for the things, people and experiences in your life is a very simple way to cultivate a positive mindset. In addition to making more room for joy in your life (and soul). establishing a gratitude practice has many physical, emotional and spiritual benefits including: 

• decreased stress levels

• lowered blood pressure

• better sleep quality

• stronger immune systems

• increased feelings of joy, happiness, forgiveness, and compassion 

Gratitude journaling is as simple as spending a few minutes each day jotting down things, people and situations in your life for which you are grateful. As you expand your practice, you can start to dig deeper than simply making lists. You can start to ask yourself how these things bring joy to your life. You can even challenge yourself by finding aspects of things, people and situations that you dislike to be grateful for. 

Practising Intentional Self Care Through Rest 

Restorative activities like meditation, visualisation and spending time in nature have been proven to reduce stress and create a deeper sense of self-awareness. When practised regularly, restorative self-care can even help to balance hormone and immune function. Rest heals — it’s a fact! 

Restorative Activities To Nourish Your Soul 

There’s no end of ways to slow down and recharge yourself. If you are looking for inspiration, try one of these restorative activities and enjoy the opportunity to nourish your soul and be present. 

• Enjoy a guided meditation

• Take a long walk in the woods or along a local park trail 

• Visit a float spa

• Practice yoga, qi gong or tai chi

• Get creative by painting, drawing or sculpting

Whatever you do, allow yourself to be fully present. 

Nourishing Your Soul Is Self-Love In Action

“Mind, body and soul” is a well-known phrase for good reason! Investing in your spiritual health is an important part of living a healthy and balanced life. When you tend to your spirit you create so much room for self-love, joy and growth. Include mindfulness practices into your daily wellness routines, cultivate a positive mindset and set regular time aside for intentional self-care and not only will you feel brighter, you will feel healthier and happier, too.