3. Nurture your spirit

You are more than just your body. You are more than just a brain.

Where does deep joy come from? It comes from your spirit. Like all things, whatever gets neglected does not grow and thrive. This goes for your spirit as well. If you are not actively carving out time to nourish your spiritual side.

Let’s start by reading this poem by 12th century sufi mystic, Rumi:

Doesn’t it make you feel a certain type of way? Ignite your soul a little bit?

We need this.

Often time a noursihed spirit is the difference between feeling excited and rejuvinated vs. worn down, exhausted (even when all other factors are the same).

Life can start to feel hum drum, pointless, boring, shallow if we don’t plug into a deeper sense of meaning and a bit of mystical awe.

So how do we ignite our spirits?

Read Spiritual texts

While for many people this means going to religious texts, for the non-religious, it can be anything that makes you feel excited, inspired, purposeful. It could be your favorite author, philosopher, poet, leader, or inspirational speaker.

Reading spiritual texts quickly pulls you out of your mindset and helps you look at the bigger picture of what is actually important in your life. If you are feeling bored with life, it sparks inspiration and excitement. If you are feeling lost, it helps point you in the direction of your higher purpose. If you are having a bit of an identity crisis, it reminds you of your deeper values (or teaches you knew ones). If you’re in a crisis or season of hardship, it can bring peace to your soul.

2. Prayer/Reverent Contemplation

“God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” Mother Teresa

Prayer, at it’s essence, is the act of getting quiet enough to tap into a deep place within ourselves where we can connect with our deepest self and/or divine source. It is from this deep place that we get real about our deepest struggles and offer them up to something bigger or deeper than our small selves.

Prayer can take whatever form feels good to you- it does not have to be the same way your Mom prays or your childhood religious community prays (unless you connect with that).

How to pray:

Center yourself into silence by taking a deep breath.

When trying to connect with your inner wisdom or intuition, visualize your mind retreating deep within your body, to the center of your stomach or heart.

When trying to connect with a divine source, you can visualize the clouds opening up to you, or even a cord “plugging in” to a current of vibration.

From this deep, quiet place, first express deep gratitude for something in your life that currently brings you deep comfort or joy. Feel that deep deep sense of gratitude and fulfillment as you also feel that deep connection with the divine or infinite and feel how the power of that gratitude reverberates through you.

Open up about what you are struggling with and need guidance with.

Ask to be led.

“Listen” by noticing what thoughts or answers automatically pop into your mind.

3. Connect with Nature

Many people state they feel most connected with themselves, the earth, and the universe/their higher power while out in nature.

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4. Ritual

Whether you are religious or not, taking time to mark significant moments with some kind of ritual is extremely powerful. Rituals are a great way of marking the start of something new, or a powerful turning point. If you resolve to start today off on a new foot, adding a ritual seems to make it concrete, real and ties a memory to it that sticks with you longer than the decision to take on a new endeavor. It helps you really define what is important to you, what your values are, and what you want to manifest in your life. It takes you out of your hum-drum, business as usual state of mind and puts you in a bit of a mystical, spiritual, or inspirational mindset.

You can do rituals based in religious tradition such as:

Laying flowers at a grave.

Lighting a candle for someone.

Or you can make up your own rituals:

Write down something you are wanting to let go of, or something your wishing for, and burning it.

Write a wish and place a flower on it.

Write wishes for what you would like to release or manifest this month and burn the papers on each full moon.