8 Ways to Maintain Your Spirituality in Times of Stress
Being spiritual around the clock isn’t easy.
In between time commitments, children, making dinner and hustling in and out of the house, it can be easy to lose your spiritually cultivated mindset at the exact moment when you need it most. Not to mention the stress from whatever’s going on in the world. Stress can cause anyone to lose their balance – spiritually, emotionally and mentally. But you don’t have to.
Here are eight tips to keep you centered even during the most stressful times.
- Ground out with nature
Take your shoes off in some grass, walk outside and stare into a patch of forest for a few minutes. Even better, take some time to yourself and go on a 10-day nature retreat. Any amount of connection to nature – large or small – can provide you with a much-needed check into what is really important.
Just five minutes under a tree with your phone turned off can work like a miracle. And often, this is all it takes to bring you back into the moment.
- Get a higher perspective
One of the best things you can do in a time of stress is to give yourself the opportunity to see the bigger picture. To do this, find the highest natural point nearest you and go there. Stand over the vista and look out on the landscape before you — and just breathe. See, you feel better already.
- Connect with your higher self
Each and every one of us has a physical body that houses our soul. It is within your soul where there is a wellspring of higher, inner wisdom. You can tap into this wellspring of wisdom for guidance at any time.
The easiest way to access your soul’s highest wisdom is to separate yourself from modern society —temporarily. Get some alone time. Meditate. Go for a hike. Be you with just you and ask yourself the important questions.
- Quality time with animals
Animals always seem to know what is important. They are never stressing over deadlines, conflicting schedules or wondering what some dog three houses down thinks of them. To reconnect with what is truly important, head to the pet store, a local zoo, hang out with your own pets or go out into nature. Birds, squirrels and small animals often abound, and simply by observing them you can reunite with some of the most basic, yet essential, truths.
- Unplug it all for an hour
Stressful situations often don’t originate from within. Their origins are usually found on all the external pressures that are placed upon us. Disconnect the cause of the stress. Turn off the computer, shut down your phone and unplug the television for at least one hour before you go to bed. In doing so, you’ll calm your nerves, disconnect from other people’s stress and have an easier time falling asleep. Doing this will make it easier for you to face the next day with a present state of mind.
- Grab a book
Books can be incredibly relaxing and grounding, especially books of a spiritual nature. To reconnect with your spiritual nature in times of stress, re-read through the spiritual virtues you follow and refresh yourself. Simply revisiting what you value most can have a profound effect on your ability to cultivate resilience through the storm.
Rumi, Khalil Gibran, and Rainer Maria Rilke are excellent go-to authors for revisiting and reconnecting with your own ancient and timeless spiritual wisdom.
- Walk it out
There is nothing like going for a long walk, run or bike ride to soothe your soul. Moving your body can help you mentally move and process the emotions and thoughts you have that are ready to be released.
As you move, you’ll naturally give movement to your mind for welcoming new concepts, ideas and ways of being. Creating a space of active movement will cultivate new thoughts that will both empower and motivate you through stressful times.
- Lie Down
And finally, there is nothing better you can do in a time of stress than to simply relax. Give yourself a five minute time out and find a place to lie completely on your back. Whether it is on a bed, on the ground outside or on your living room floor, lie down. Stretch, look up at the ceiling and breathe. You’re alive. Everything is going to be OK.
About the Author
The Five Chinese Zodiac Elements: How To Discover Yours And The Meaning Behind It
In Chinese culture, there is a strong focus placed on balance. As energy flows in one direction, it ebbs in another. From Feng Shui to holistic medicine, the interactions and relationships within the universe are only harmonious when kept in balance. The Five Elements Theory, or Wu Xing, is a Chinese philosophy that is used as the basis for everything from traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture to fortune-telling, martial arts, and more. The five elements — earth, metal, wood, fire, and water — are believed to be the fundamental roots of the universe, between which interactions occur.
Similar to horoscopes in Western astrology, each Chinese element has its own characteristics and associations, and each plays a crucial role in the balance of the universe. No element is stronger or more important than another, and each has its own defined strengths and weaknesses. According to the Five Elements Theory, all things arise from and return to the universe and are composed of these elements. This is why understanding our own connection to them is important.
Understanding the Chinese Elements Cycle
Each of the five elements stands independently, but each influences and molds the others. The world’s interactions are determined by the Chinese elements creating and destroying each other. The process of creation promotes development, while the process of destruction restrains this development. The two are complementary processes and create a harmonious stillness when balanced.
For example:
Creation:
- Water feeds Wood.
- Wood fuels Fire.
- Fire makes Earth (i.e. ash).
- Earth produces Metal.
- Metal carries Water.
Destruction:
- Wood separates the Earth (i.e. roots).
- Earth absorbs Water.
- Water smothers Fire.
- Fire melts Metal.
- Metal penetrates Wood.
