08 Jan2020
4 Tips for Spiritual Health
Happy January! 2020 marks the launch of a new year and a new decade, which means new beginnings. Now is the time to build our spiritual foundation and make new commitments for internal growth. Read on to learn how.
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Step One: Reflect
You can’t have growth without reflection and introspection. Set aside some time to sit down and list all your milestones over the past 10 years. Maybe you graduated from high school, college, or grad school (or all three!). Maybe you started a new job or retired from a lifetime of work. Maybe you got married, moved to a different state or country, had a child (or grandchild), or faced numerous losses and victories. All experiences (good and bad) are worthy of acknowledgement as you reflect on an entire decade of life.
There are numerous resources to help you reflect. For example, you can do a life review like this one. This template is great because it is all-encompassing, and asks questions like Where are you and where do you want to go? What has been holding you back? What help do you need to get to where you are going?
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Step Two: Create Mini Goals
If one of your intentions for this year is improving spiritual health, try breaking that idea down into smaller, more tangible goals to help you get there. There are many mini goals you could make to catapult yourself into success. For example, maybe you want to pray every day. Maybe you want to practice Hoon Dok Hwe (daily study of scripture), or you want to try yoga and meditation. Journaling, especially gratitude journaling, is fantastic not just for spiritual health, but for your mood and overall happiness. Decide what you specifically want to start doing (or want to do more of) to advance your wellbeing this year.
As you consider what to add into your life, think about what might need to be removed. Are there any bad habits that are hurting you or slowing you down? What can you do to start cutting back?
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Step Three: Take Baby Steps
You can only climb a mountain by putting one foot in front of the other, and new habits take time to stick. Smart goals are a great tool to help you. You can also check out this guide for advice on how to build lasting habits. Remember that when you are just getting started, it’s a good idea to start with low commitment goals. For example, instead of trying to read the entire Divine Principle, make a commitment to read just one page each day. As your spiritual muscles grow stronger, you can turn your baby steps into larger ones.
Step Four: Find Accountability
It is much easier to accomplish our dreams if we have accountability. Tell a friend or family member who understands your wavelength about your desire for improved spiritual health this year. Maybe this person has similar goals and you can each support one another. Just like we sometimes need workout buddies to help us exercise, a spiritual workout buddy will help our mind and heart to grow stronger.
What will you do this year for better spiritual health? Let us know in the comments below!