Looking after your mind, body, and soul is vital to achieve positive overall wellness. Taking care of every aspect of yourself can make you feel happier, less stressed, and healthier, allowing you to live life to the fullest. It takes work to look after your well-being and overall wellness, requiring you to put effort into yourself whenever possible.
To nourish your mind, body, and soul, you need to practice self-care. This helps to boost your overall wellness while growing physically, mentally, and spiritually. Putting time in to look after yourself can also help you find a deeper sense of meaning and purpose, which makes you happier and healthier! Discover how you can make this a reality by implementing these wellness practices to nourish your mind, body, and soul.
Do things for yourself
To look after yourself and boost your overall wellness, it’s great to be selfish every once in a while. You need to make time to do the things you love to do and put yourself first before anybody else. This only needs to be for a couple of hours a week or an hour every day. You need to be able to say no to others sometimes to improve your well-being and mood. Sometimes, it’s so easy to get wrapped in the cycle of putting others before yourself, which can lead to feeling burnt out and lower your overall mood. Saying no and doing something for yourself here and there can make you feel less stressed, burnt out, and improve your mood.
Do meditation
Meditation is one of the best ways to practice self-care and improve your overall wellness. Spend a few minutes every day sitting quietly, focusing on your breath, and using a mantra. Doing this can help your mind to let go of the day and any worries or stress, as well as give you deeper levels of awareness. You could do mindfulness meditations or guided meditations to disconnect from the chaos of your daily life and reconnect with your inner self, promoting tranquility and a chance to take a breather.
Find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed by anybody and sit in a comfortable position, either in a cushioned chair or cross-legged on the floor. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing or a mantra that promotes calmness. You can start meditation with 5–10-minute sessions every day and increase the time limit when you’ve grasped the act and are comfortable with it.
Unplug from devices
Technology is a huge part of your daily life and endless scrolling on social media platforms can actually cause more harm than good. Social media is full of everybody’s lives and showcases only the best parts, not including the full picture of their lives. This can lead to comparing your own life to others’ best moments, which may not even be the case for their life right now! Making this comparison can significantly impact your mental health and overall wellness. As well as this, screen time can impact your quality of sleep which impacts your mood and well-being negatively.
To look after yourself and prevent these negative feelings, try to unplug from your devices for at least an hour every day. Switch devices off or put them away somewhere out of mind on silent or airplane mode. Doing this frees you from the constant notifications and endless scrolling of social media, making you feel much happier. Use this time to connect to your loved ones instead or do something you love.
Connect with nature
Spending time in nature is a fantastic way to look after your overall wellness and nurture your mind, body, and soul. Whether you’re taking a stroll in a woodland, hiking up a mountain, or simply sitting in a field, nature can ground you and help you take a breather, relieving stress and feelings of depression or anxiety. Being surrounded by nature helps you to clear your mind, bring perspective, and make you feel connected to our beautiful planet.
Give back to others
Helping others can have a huge impact on your well-being. Giving back to others in need or your community can instantly make you feel happier and give your life purpose. Helper’s high is the feeling you can get from giving back and being generous. It is the rush of the feel-good hormones you can get from volunteering, donating, and using your time and effort for meaningful causes. Serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine are released from acts of kindness which keeps your mind healthy and happy. This is why the value of giving back to others is regarded highly by many cultures and religions, such as when Muslims give Zakat.
You can give yourself purpose in life and build connections through small acts of kindness, volunteering, and donating to meaningful causes. You can find a cause that resonates with you and offer your time or money in support of their mission. Doing this can improve your mood and strengthen your socialization skills while helping your community.
Move daily
Exercising is the best practice to look after your body, as well as your mind and soul. This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours at the gym or working out vigorously every day. Instead, this means you need to move a little every day. Choose movements that suit you and that feels good for your body. This could be a walk outdoors, a yoga session, or simply running around playing with your kids and family. Daily movement to improve your wellness is all about finding activities that bring you joy. Try to incorporate stretching, strength-building, and cardiovascular activities into your routine in an enjoyable way. Doing this helps to boost mood, strengthen the body, and support your mental clarity.
Mindful breathing
A simple yet effective practice to achieve positive wellness and self-care is to partake in mindful breathing. This involves the act of paying attention to your breathing and using techniques to calm your mind and body. It’s a great way to reduce stress, anxiety, and negative emotions and it works quickly too, so is ideal to do on the bad days. Mindful breathing can help you to stay present and connected to yourself and the world, making it easier to forget about worries and feel happier. This wellness practice is also perfect for when you feel overwhelmed or anxious as it quickly calms the nervous system.
Use these wellness practices to nourish your mind, body, and soul and life a happier and fulfilled life. Implementing these practices into your daily routine can help to lower stress, worries, and negative emotions, replacing them with a sense of calmness and happiness.