At the core of my self is the belief that humans are made for relationship, and to delight in the beauty of this world. Its why we crave relationship so deeply. And why we connect to nature to feel alive. This is the foundation of soul care.
When thinking of your soul, and what feeds it, think about the last time you were deeply moved. What moved you? As a write I am listening to a song that resounds in me in ways I have difficulty explaining. To me this is soul care, to feed my soul with beautiful music that I can delight in.
One of my favorite soul care activities is hiking. Over the weekend I hiked a path for the third time this month. Every time I’m there I experience it in a new way. This time when I reached the top, I curled up on a rock safely to the side of the falls, and took a nap! I was at such peace that I couldn’t fight the gentle thunder of the rushing falls pulling me in to rest. We all need activities that revive our souls, and pull us into peaceful rest.
As we think on soul care this week, I challenge you to identify those activities that help you delight in the beauty of this world. In the people who love you inside out. And that bring you to a place of peaceful rest.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
We breathe and don’t think about it, until we have trouble breathing. Right now we are in a heightened awareness about breath, between Covid19 and ”I can’t breathe,” we are becoming more aware of the ways we breathe beyond our lungs. I’m not going to get into those topics on this blog, because this is a moment for you. This is your space of grace, to honor Who you are, and Who you are becoming. When you have fed your Body, Mind, and Soul, then you’ll have the capacity to engage with the overwhelming world.
Self Care is all about the intentional actions we take every day to care for our Body, Mind, and Spirit. To either Feed our Self, or to Release from our Self.
We feed nutrients into our bodies, and release their energy.
We feed information into our minds, and release their thoughts and behaviors.
We feed beauty into our spirit, and release the ugly that scarred us.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
When we think of Self Care, it is often focused on the feeding. Which makes sense, because by the time we realize our need for care we are often burnt out and depleted. But our Selves can only take in so much before they must release. When you feed your body sleep, you need movement to release it. When you feed your mind information, you need a place to process it out. When you feed your spirit beauty, you need a place for the ugly to go. When you take in, you also must let go.
For the next 24 hours, how will you intentionally receive? How will you intentionally release?
