Today I want to talk about caring for our spiritual health in specific and holistic ways. Because how we care for our souls affects how we care for our minds which affects how we care for our bodies. It’s all connected.
And even though caring for our souls can seem a little woowoo or “out there,” it’s everything. So I want to try and make it accessible and applicable to every mama, everywhere. In this article I’m going to share ten ways we can care for our souls in consistent, tangible, life-changing ways.
Disclaimer: I’m coming from a specific worldview in this article. I am a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. I have a personal relationship with Him. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins and the sins of everyone who has ever or will ever exist, that all we have to do is accept that free gift in order to be saved, that He was buried and that He rose again three days later. I believe I can speak to Him anywhere, anytime without anyone else mediating. I believe that every word in the Bible is infallible truth. And I believe that when I die, I’m going to be instantly present with Jesus.
Let’s dive in…
1.) Immerse yourself in truth on a daily basis.
In our modern world we are bombarded day in an day out with bad news. Truly. It almost feels inescapable sometimes. We certainly can’t control all of it unless we want to live in a bubble, but we can control a lot of it.
We can choose who we follow on social media platforms.
We can choose what shows and movies we watch.
We can choose whether or not we tune into the news.
We have a lot of choice in the matter. Bottom line. We may not be able to control anyone or anything else, but we are in control of ourselves.
So how do we immerse ourselves in truth on a daily basis? The number one way I do this is by reading the Bible every day. Almost always first thing in the morning before I leave my room. Some days I only have a few minutes, some days longer. Some days I read a chapter or part of a chapter, but I almost always try to read at least one verse that can go with me into my day.
I start by letting truth in, than I move through my day intentionally keeping the lies out. I don’t watch or read the news. I don’t follow people on social media who don’t speak the truth or lift me up. If I feel doubts or fears creep in, I ask for God’s protection. I’m not always as quick as I should be to recognize spiritual attacks, but I’ve learned a lot over the years and am better able to spot the tell tale signs.
I finish every day by praying physical, mental and emotional protection over myself and my family. I literally pray for God to send His warrior angels to guard us as we sleep.
TRY: Making it a point to read a verse or a chapter before even getting out of bed. Pick a book of the Bible to work through verse by verse, download the YouVersion app and choose a Bible study to read through, check out SheReadsTruth and use one of their studies (it’s free to read online and you can even have it automatically emailed to you each day). Pray through out the day, pray for protection, be specific – pray that the lies of the Enemy would be silenced and that truth would reign in your heart. Unfollow people you need to unfollow, turn off the news, be the gate keeper of your mind.
2.) Practice gratitude.
There is a whole lot of rough stuff happening in the world right now. Which is to be expected because we live in a broken world and this is not our home. So much difficulty and hardship and unknowns and pain and suffering and spiritual oppression. It’s real.
So, I’m not telling you to play Pollyanna and sweep all that under the rug, live in denial. I am telling you that practicing gratitude on a regular basis transforms our perspective.
I know it’s been true in my life. When I have felt weighed down by everything around me, naming my gratitude instantly shifts my soul.
My favorite way to practice gratitude is to list five things I’m thankful for each day before I get out of bed. Just five. You could even do this right before bed. Or at both times.
TRY: listing 5 things you’re thankful for each day. You can make it a mental list or you can start a gratitude journal that you add to each day. Find an empty journal and keep it by your bedside. Make it a habit to find those 5 things and I promise you it will bring lightness to your days and your soul.
3.) Harness the power of truth-filled affirmations.
I was pregnant with my third baby, my husband was in Seattle trying to sell our house that wouldn’t sell, I was with our two kids living with my parents in Oklahoma while we were waiting. There were so many unknowns. Fears. I hate being separated from my husband. And, as grateful as I was for my parents’ help during that season, it was really hard to be without a home. In-between. In limbo.
In the midst of everything, I remember praying consistently like I hadn’t prayed in a long time. And I also started writing out truth-filled affirmations that I spoke over myself and my family every day. These were like prayers but spoken as statements of faith.
Do you want to know something? Every single affirmation I wrote on that list became reality. And many of them were HUGE, felt seemingly impossible. Which still blows my mind. I am so grateful that I chose to harness the power of speaking truth-filled affirmations in that season.
TRY: Writing down a list of 3-5 truth-filled affirmations. An example from my list during that season: “We will sell our house at the perfect time for more than we ever thought possible.” Keep the affirmations somewhere you will see them every day. Make time, even just a minute, to read through them out loud. Out loud makes a difference. I know it sounds silly, but the spoken word has power.
4.) Meditate on Scripture.
Tying into the first point because it’s that important. What we fill our minds with will affect the state of our souls. We have to keep the truth front and center.
This is why I like reading my Bible first thing in the morning. Usually at least one verse or a part of a verse will jump out at me. It’s a piece of truth I can take with me into my day.
I’ll either write it down at the top of my to do list or simply call it to mind periodically. Either way, I’m intentionally taking truth into my day and keeping it at the forefront of my mind. On the days I do this, the impact on my soul health is huge.
TRY: Asking the Holy Spirit to show you truth when you’re reading the Bible. Take that piece of truth with you into your day. Create a lock screen for your phone, write it on your to do list, jot it down on an old-fashioned index card and keep it where you will see it often.
5.) Make time to dream without limits.
It might feel silly at first, but remember how natural it felt as a kid? To daydream. Let your imagination run wild. To think about all the things you wanted to do without coming up with reasons why you couldn’t.
Do more of that. Tap into your inner child. Don’t make excuses. Don’t over think it. Just let yourself dream. This is so vital to the health of our souls. God wouldn’t create us with the capacity to dream if He didn’t intend us to utilize that capacity our whole life long.
TRY: Making space to sit and dream. Grab a notebook and a pen. Or your laptop. Even the notes app on your phone. Just sit and dream. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Write down three things you would do if money and time were not an object. Start there. Let yourself dream without any qualifications.
6.) Declutter anything that holds you down.
And I do mean anything. In an area of your life. But certainly just plain, old stuff that piles up in drawers and on counters and in corners and under beds weighs us down. It might not seem like it would have an affect on our spiritual state, but it most definitely does. Physical clutter translates to mental clutter translates to emotional clutter translates to soul clutter.
It’s helpful to identify which areas in your home need to be decluttered the most. Which are your biggest pain points? Start with one of those. Set the timer for 20 minutes and declutter. Have a bin for trash, one for giveaway and one for selling (if that’s you’re thing). You might also have a bin for things you need to store. When the timer goes off, take care of everything you decluttered. Do what needs to be done so it doesn’t migrate back to where it came from.
TRY: having a 20 minute decluttering session once a day or even once a week until you’ve hit all the pain points you listed. Take care of everything you declutter right away so it doesn’t migrate back to where it came from. You will feel your motivation grow as you see the results that come from decluttering things that have been holding you down.
7.) Make time to be alone.
I used to resist this. I was afraid to be alone with my own thoughts. It just felt safer to keep going, keep pushing, keeping moving. Then to stop and actually have to face anything that might be impacting me.
But our soul health suffers when we don’t regularly make time to be alone. With ourselves and God. Just there, with no agenda, but to listen or share with Him what’s on our hearts. To breathe in the silence, let our minds rest.
The demands on our souls in this present age is huge. I’m not sure if you’ve felt it, but I have felt a dramatic increase in the spiritual realm over the last few months. It’s palpable and it’s a lot. Add to that just being a human…and then a wife and a mom. So, dealing with other souls on top of my own and all the spiritual “noise” that feels like it’s screaming at me right now.
I need time alone. So do you, mama. Just to be able to think, to process, to cry, to release…whatever it maybe. Don’t be afraid of being alone.
TRY: setting aside a few minutes every day to sit with yourself. To be alone. Bring a journal and a pen. Bring nothing. But bring yourself and do what helps the most. Sitting quietly, expressing any fears or worries, writing out some goals or dreams or prayers. Speaking your affirmations again. Perhaps you need more than a few minutes? Take the car and drive to a sunny spot and just soak up the silence. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A little goes a long way.
8.) Change your scenery.
Whatever this means to you, make it happen. Have an itch to rearrange your bedroom furniture? Your living room? Maybe clear out a closet to make yourself a mini-office?
Or maybe you just need to hop in the car and take a drive, a day trip? Even an over night. Grab your people, all the road snacks, and go somewhere you’ve never been.
Change your scenery. Serve dinner picnic-style on the living room floor. Set up a sheet and projector and watch a movie under the stars. Anything that moves you out of the rut, the mundane and into a new, fresh space. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but it will certainly breathe life into your soul.
TRY: Any or all of the above. Switch up a room, art on the wall or even how you’ve organized a drawer (it’s good for your brain to get out of autopilot, too!). Research local day trips, find any body of water, pack a picnic and spend the day exploring. Let your imagination lead you.
9.) Be content with what you have + where you are.
Being content isn’t necessarily a trendy topic. It sounds pretty unapproachable and goody-two-shoes. But an amazing thing happens in our souls when we decide to love what we have, right where we are.
Because it is a choice. OUR choice. To stop being consumed with wanting, craving what we don’t have, imagining we were somewhere else other than where we are in this moment. It’s not easy to sit with unfilled desires, to lean into unmet needs or embrace the ache of missing something/somewhere we want.
But learning to be content even (and especially) in the difficult times, the sad times, the hard times fortifies our souls in ways that instant gratification never could. We were never meant to live perfectly fulfilled lives with every need met right when we ask – not here on this earth. That ache reminds us this is not our home.
TRY: naming your discontent when it arises, journal it out, physically open your hands and give it to God. He knows our every need, our every desire. He is good and gracious and gives us only what is very best. Refer to #2: list out all of the things in your life that you are currently grateful for, anything and everything. Naming our blessings snuffs out discontent.
10.) Don’t forget to breathe.
I went years holding my breath. Not always literally…but, yes, sometimes. I would hold it for several seconds at a time without realizing it. When I was stressed, when I was concentrating, when I wasn’t feeling good.
It took me years to learn how to breathe. I’m still learning. To breathe in, breathe out. To let go of what I can’t control.
Breathe with me, mama. Deeply. In through your nose for a count of 4. 1-2-3-4. Hold at the top for 3. 1-2-3. And out through your mouth for a count of 6. 1-2-3-4-5-6.
Repeat when necessary, as many times as necessary. Breathe in peace, breathe out peace. Breathe in joy, breathe out joy. Breathe in love, breathe out love. Keep it going now…
TRY: practicing some deep breathing before you get out of bed, whenever you feel stressed or overwhelmed, in your bath or shower, before you lay your head on the pillow at night. It doesn’t just affect your physical body. It calms your mind and delivers spiritual oxygen straight to your soul.
Listen to the companion podcast episode HERE.
Have any questions for me? Leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer! You’ve got this, mama. Never fear! One breath, one step, one day at a time.
For more self-care goodness, come join me on Instagram. And if you haven’t joined my email list yet, that’s a great place to find more of the same. Check out the side bar (or scroll all the way down if you’re on mobile) to view all the freebies I’ve created just with you in mind. I hope you find something helpful.
Let’s care for ourselves,
Hannah