What is soul?
The simple definition of ‘soul’ as defined online by Merriam Webster is:
: the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever
: a person's deeply felt moral and emotional nature
: the ability of a person to feel kindness and sympathy for others, to appreciate beauty and art, etc.
What a beautiful idea to believe in.
I’d like to believe that no matter what your personal stance on spirituality, oneness with the universe, or “God” – whomever that God may be for you – that having a handle on your personal soulfulness will help you navigate finding your center.
How do you take care of your soul? How do you replenish it, when the world gets you down?
I believe care of the soul is one of the most overlooked cures for the ills of the world. I believe much of what is ill could be made well again by simply taking better care.
Take a couple of moments and read over the list of questions below – if you’d like, take the time to grab a blank piece of paper or a journal and answer each question for yourself – something I enjoy doing is having a list of questions like these and asking myself the questions perhaps seasonally – dating my responses, so that I can take notice of areas in my life I may be overlooking. Sometimes, we let life get so ‘busy’ that we forget about the simple pleasure of knowing ourselves well enough to know what we need when we need it.
· Know yourself – what do you enjoy? What makes you happy? What makes you sad? What gets you through?
· What do you need? Make a list. Now start over, dig deeper, what do you REALLY need – food that nourishes? Enough hours of sleep every night? A healthful stress reliever? Exercise?
· What brings you peace? Time set aside for you to meditate, to pray, to write morning pages, to take a walk.
· What nourishes you? Do you eat a balanced diet? Are you hydrating enough?
· What keeps you active, physically? How often are you taking time to take care of your body? Do you have a daily routine? Is there a way to add a walk, hike, or run into your day? Have you ever considered the benefits of a yoga practice?
· What music do you love? Write down a couple of your favorite songs. When is the last time you listened to music, sang out loud or danced?
· Do you like to read? Do you have a library card or do you belong to a book club? Make a list of at least two books you would like to read or a topic you’d like to research further. Give yourself the assignment of going to your local library. If you don’t already have a library card, I double-dog-dare you to get one!
Remember what Tracy Chapman said, “All that you have is your soul”. (From her 1989 Album Crossroads).
By Jenn Ryan
October 2016 | ElementsForAHealthierLife.com | 43