Life can be really hard sometimes. You know?
We all face difficult times, no matter who we are, where we live or how we live. Do you need to work through grief, anger, disappointment or sadness? Do you need healing from illness, from past or current trauma? Perhaps you feel overly worried, overwhelmed, stressed or anxious right now. Or maybe you just feel utterly exhausted.
Sometimes, you just need a break to rest, recover, heal. I call it a soul break.
Taking a soul break is soul-care. It can help you to survive difficult times and to thrive in the good times. It’s restorative, it’s healing, it’s absolutely necessary. There are times in life when you just have to do what you need to do for yourself. And soul-care will be different for each of us. Knowing yourself…your body, mind and soul…will help you to figure out what form of soul-care will feel right for you.
A soul break can last a few hours, a few days, or even a few months. You can offer yourself a short period of time to do something that will refresh and restore your soul. Or you may need to adjust your schedule, or rethink your lifestyle for deeper healing.
Taking a break to care for yourself is not about escape. It’s about self awareness, self kindness, self-compassion. It’s about finding our ways to be balanced, to find peace and joy. So that we can each live our best life, fulfill our highest potential.
So give yourself permission to take care of yourself every single day, in whatever way works best for you. And to take a soul break whenever you need it. This is unconditional self-love and self-compassion.
Remember, you can’t take care of others if you don’t first take care of yourself.
So…when you need a soul break, here are 12 things you can do to take care of yourself. And I hope that these ideas will spark your own imagination so that you can find what works best you. Do only what feels good for you! There should be no obligations, and certainly no stress, on a soul break.
1. First…slow down and take stock. To be able to best take care of yourself, you need to pay attention to what your body, mind and soul need for optimum vitality, to feel your most joyful. Be aware of your physical sensations, your thoughts and emotions. Find what’s best for you and then commit to the practices and rituals of taking care of your soul needs - daily. A daily meditation practice is the ideal place to slow down and build awareness of your body, mind and soul.
Try this guided Mindfulness Meditation as a way to explore your awareness of sensations.
2. Take it one thing at a time, one day at a time. In times of distress, or if you feel overwhelmed, fatigued or unclear, I find that the easiest way forward is to take one step at a time, one task at a time, one day at a time. Remembering to breath all the way. Sometimes, that’s all you can do. And that’s absolutely OK.
3. Read a gorgeously written novel and get carried away by the story. One of my most relaxing and restful forms of soul-care is to immerse myself in novels. Quality novels of course! There’s nothing like a beautiful story and a great storyteller to help you forget your troubles, and to find serenity, even if just for a few hours.
4. Take the time to make yourself a beautiful meal. Use the freshest ingredients, things that please all your senses. Find a lovely place to eat it, calmly and mindfully, enjoying every sensation. Celebrate your day, the bounty you have around you, celebrate your beautiful self. In this way, you nourish your body and also your soul.
5. Do nothing. Sometimes doing nothing is the kindest thing you can possibly do for yourself. Instead of being busy, instead of talking or “doing”, instead of scrolling on your phone…just sit, just breath, just do nothing but enjoy this space of freedom and peace.
6. Connect with your inner wisdom. It’s always there to guide you. And one way to make that connection is to burn a stick of natural incense. There is something magical and evocative in the fragrant fumes of burning incense. Watch the beautiful filament of bluish smoke, envision it rising up and reconnecting you with your higher self. Like a calling to your inner wisdom.
7. Practice heart-chakra yoga. Your heart chakra is located right at your heart centre and is called “Anahata”. It is the centre of unconditional love (loving and being loved), of empathy, compassion and joy. And it is the seat of your own inner wisdom and truth. When your heart chakra is balanced, you will feel open, loved, deeply connected, able to offer love and compassion to others..and you will feel sincerely grateful for the love, the beauty and the abundance in your life. This is truly transformational.
Try this yoga practice to connect with your Anahata chakra.
8. Get away from it all with a silent meditation retreat. It's incredibly refreshing to truly disconnect. In our busy lives, filled with jobs, families, commitments, connections, all threaded together by our multiple digital screens, we are always “on”, constantly buzzing. But there is a real power to switching completely “off”, of having no distractions at all, even if it’s just for a few days. The noble silence and the safe, peaceful environment of a silent meditation retreat is a way to find the peace and the space to nourish your body and soul. It can be extremely healing. Maybe even life-changing. Give it a try!
Find out what to expect from a silent meditation retreat.
9. Can’t get away from home? Create your own at-home yoga and meditation retreat. A retreat is an opportunity to find immensely restful silence and peace, to deepen your yoga and meditation practice, to connect with yourself. It’s a way to focus on your present moment. But we can’t always get away to a retreat centre. So with some inspiration and a little preparation, you can create your own solo retreat at home.
Here are the steps you can take to create your personal retreat in your own comfy home.
10. Be kind to somebody else. Often, the way to feel better yourself is to do something kind for somebody else. Caring for others is a form of caring for yourself. So think about what you can do today to help out a friend, family or even for a stranger in need. Give an extra big tip to a good server, volunteer at a retirement home, babysit your busy friend's kids so that they can escape for a night on their own… There is no end to the kind things you can do for the people around you! Your imagination has no limits.
Find 7 Ways to Change the World Through Kindness
11. Shine your light. Through the simple and familiar ritual of lighting a candle - but think about it differently. A special energy comes from the simple act of lighting a candle. See the golden flame as a symbol of transformation and rebirth, enlightening your journey as focus on your intention and on creating the life you desire. The glowing halo of light conquers the darkness, communicates warmth and connects us to others.
Try this: mindfully light a candle in honour of your intention and as a symbolic way to bring it into your life. Meditate on the flame of your intention for a few moments. And when you blow it out at the end of practice, send your intention out to the universe and let go of any expectations.
12. Change your thoughts, change your life. Your thoughts are supremely important - and what you focus on expands. Think positive thoughts and you may be able to transform that energy into positive reality. And lots of good things will follow. You can start by choosing how you want to feel today. This is the beauty of life, we get to choose how we want to feel. Me? I choose joy, today and every day.
How do you want to feel today?
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