I am a seeker of balance of Mind, Body and Spirit. So what does this actually mean?
To me, in a nutshell, it means to feel an overall sense of wellness: healthy, happy and serene. When everything is in balance, I expect we would feel a sense of joy in every thing we do, we’d be pleasant to be around, we’d be treating ourselves and others with respect, and we’d have a beautiful sense of purpose about us.
Let’s break it down to each of the areas of Mind, Body and Spirit. Mind and Spirit in particular are often confused with the difference being a little unclear.
MIND
Good mental health = good emotional health. This is about controlling your thoughts, positive thinking, keeping the mind stimulated and self-awareness. To be able to quieten the mind whenever we wish is a great skill to have and goes a long way towards achieving good mind health. We as humans have what is sometimes called ‘monkey minds’ – lots of continual racing thoughts!
What helps achieve good mind health?
Mindfulness, Meditation, Yoga, Physical Activity, Positive Thinking, Self-Awareness (knowing and accepting who you are).
BODY
This is about looking after our body through good nutrition, physical activity, plenty of sleep, and living in a healthy environment.
What helps achieve good body health?
As above.
SPIRIT (or SOUL)
This is about nurturing ourselves to give us that feel good feeling. We need to listen to our spirit and give it what it needs – eg doing what you truly love to do. The aim is to feel fulfilled, calm and serene. We want to have a sense of purpose. We want to be excited about the start of each new day, and as humans we need to love and be loved.
What helps achieve good spirit health?
Discover and do what you truly love to do. Self-Care. Practice gratitude. Appreciate what you have rather than focusing on what on you don’t have. Get outdoors in nature!
There are lots of outside influences that can impact our ability to achieve balance of mind, body and spirit, such as:
- Love – not enough of it (receiving or giving), toxic relationships etc
- Fear – anxiety, comparisons, self-doubts
- Forgiveness – holding on to anger, hurt, disappointments
- Wisdom & intuition – listening to that inner voice even though it may sometimes not be what you want to hear
- Service to humanity/Paying it Forward – we are all here for a reason, we are all special and we all have something to offer to the world. In these modern times, we have been conditioned to expect that the more we receive the happier we will feel when in actual fact inner happiness comes from giving more, not taking more. Giving is actually receiving. When we give, we increase our sense of connection and feeling of oneness with all people and all things.
So there is a little snapshot into my way of thinking about how we might go about achieving balance of Mind, Body and Spirit. Have I achieved balance of Mind, Body and Spirit? No – which is why I say I am a ‘seeker’ of balance of Mind, Body and Spirit. I’ll be digging deeper and exploring the various ways and contributors to obtaining this balance in future blog posts.
Ciao for now,
8 Comments
I think we are all seekers and life is about that constant search, even as we are grateful for the growth that has brought us to where we are now.
Totally agree Kathy – we are all seekers. We all want to feel relaxed, happy – balanced! Where we differ I guess is in how we seek, how we listen to ourselves, and what steps we take! 😉 xo
I think we are all seeking the same thing Min and hopefully we can achieve the right balance,I like listening to my body these days Xx
I agree Lisa. We are (mostly) all seeking the same thing and even if we get there and find the right balance, we will always need to keep working at it to stay there. 🙂 xo
Hi Min, we are definitely on the same wavelength this week for #ZTT as I’ve written about the same topic! Balance is so important in life and yet not always so easy to find. I had ‘Balance’ as my WOTY a couple of years ago and really struggled to find my equilibrium in life. I’m getting better but it is difficult in this busy world, because even though I don’t have a career anymore I still find plenty to fill my life. We do need a rest day though and I’m making sure I have that each week as well as time away from social media which can be a drain and thief of your time. Have a great day and thanks for the link up. xx
Hi Sue, so funny how we’ve both linked up posts on the same topic today! Balance is an ongoing thing isn’t it. It’s not something you find and then your job is done. It’s something that always needs tweaking and re-evaluating. It sure is a busy world and even in retirement. You’re like me and need goals and purpose and to feel a sense of achievement … so we can be our own worse enemies sometimes. A regular break from social media is a must. I find it a dreadful drain and it can clutter my mind too much. A day of rest and getting out in nature or just reading a book or doing some craft can make a world of difference! Have a great day! xo
It’s interesting how intertwined they are. One will affect the other…
That’s very true – hence the balancing act!