The Self-Care Strategy You Need to Nourish Your Spirit

Feel alone and unsupported in living a joyful life?

Sometimes living an intentional spiritual life feels a bit like shouting in the wind. There are few examples of the value of a slow and quiet life on social media; there is primarily only negative news reported in traditional media; and our social structure rewards a restlessness of constant activity and stimulation through food, entertainment, alcohol, and on and on.

Here’s who can help support you:

When I start to feel unsupported in my practice of looking within for peace, I turn to our wise elders. Their shining example and simple advice cuts through the noise and connects us to what matters; practices that cultivate joy, love, and gratitude. They have a wisdom combined with practical advice that will bring our joyful life into action.

Making this self-care choice makes a positive difference:

Choosing media that encourages us to practice our spirituality in our lives is almost instantly supportive, like, thank goodness! Someone gets me! Sometimes we know what we believe in—compassion, joy, love— but it is easy to live out of sync with our beliefs. It requires constant vigilance to bring our best actions and intentions to each interaction.

Brother David Steinl-Rast is a Benedictine monk, author, and lecturer. He brings wit and intelligence into his talks. This Ted Talk on how to be happy has over 8 million views; for good reason. He is wise and down-to-earth and an uplifting voice that I turn to when things seem bleak.

How life can change when we embrace the spiritual path:

When I surround myself with teachers like Brother David, when I read uplifting books, when I hang out with people who like to laugh with full-hearted joy, the aches and bruises and tragedy of life still exists; but it is put into proper perspective and just made a bit easier to deal with.

So I say this: Hurrah for bringing our hearts and words into action.

Hurrah for all of the things that keep us firmly on the spiritual path. Hurrah for the suffering that gives us nowhere else to turn except within; hurrah for glimpsed moments of peace; hurrah for the steadiness found while balancing in vrksasana-tree pose. Hurrah for a small corner of a room cleared to make way for an altar; hurrah for the grumbling mornings with sleep in our eyes when we still manage to stumble to the meditation cushion. Hurrah for stolen moments where instead of grumbling through the day we stop at a park to crunch through the autumn leaves. Hurrah for the people that practice with us—and for all those we never meet but who are practicing in their own corner of the world—hurrah for the way their tenacious dedication sustains our devotion. They are scattered across the globe like radiant hope; the peace keepers, the prayer senders, the believers that faith in life is worth acting on again and again. Hurrah for the spiritual life and all of its richness. Hurrah to all that. Hurrah.