The definition of spiritual self care is “the practice of nurturing your inner self and connecting with your values and beliefs.” But what does that really mean?
When I sat down to write this column, I had no idea what that meant. How does someone become spiritually connected and how does that relate to self care?
I went to a religious preschool, day school, and after school program, so when I hear about spiritual self care, my mind immediately goes to religion. However, spiritual self care can come in many forms, some of them related to religion, others slightly, and some not at all.
Meditation is one of the oldest forms of spiritual self care, dating back to 5000 BC. Traced back to ancient Egypt and China, meditation is the practice of training the mind to achieve a state of clarity and inner peace. Meditation is shown to reduce stress and anxiety, enhance focus, and heighton creativity. In our world, especially as high school students, everything is constantly changing and moving at a high speed. It is nice to take a couple of minutes to recenter yourself and quiet your mind. If you are looking for some recommendations, the Headspace and Calm app are great meditation resources. Both apps provide guided and unguided meditations that are designed for different things like sleeping, pre and post work out, and 10 minute meditations for when you want to meditate, but don't have that much time.
If meditation were a place, it would be a hike. We are so grateful to live in the Bay Area where we have hills, mountains, beaches, rivers, and many other biomes near us, though we often take this for granted. To be honest, sometimes my mom says “let's go on a hike!” and I groan. It is way too much work to leave my house, my couch, and my phone at home to go look at some trees, but when I inevitably cave in, I always have so much fun. I love looking up at all of the trees that are hundreds of years old, love looking at the mountains that evolved over the past millions of years, and realise that the sand on the beach is an incredible collage of all types of places and cultures. Nature helps us feel connected to something larger than ourselves, which, at least to me, is very spiritual.
Though not all people are religious, religion can play a part in spiritual self care. Whether it is praying, going to church or temple, synagogue or mosque, or any other place of religious worship, talking with a religious leader, or getting involved in the religious community that you identify with all fall under the umbrella of spiritual self care.
To answer the question from the beginning of this column, spiritual self care is a fundamental part of well being that nourishes your soul and enhances your sense of purpose. So I will leave you with a question, what is your sense of purpose, and what can you do to deepen your connection to it?