Nowadays, when people hear the word self-care, they think massages and pampering, wine on a Wednesday or a walk in the park. Those are all well and good but don’t address the underlying notions of why you should spend time alone. The goal of self-care isn’t to have some “you time,” it’s to help heal the parts of you that feel broken or worn down.
As humans, we all get caught up in what I call our “doingness.” We are constantly in a state of motion and having to fill every gap of time and space. I used to be that person, too. The one who had to watch tv, scroll on social media, hit the movies, or take a power walk somewhere listening to music. I would waste hours online and make countless attempts to fill a void, a longing, or a need for attention.
Taking Care of Yourself
The truth is, we are all attention seekers, but what most don’t realize is the person we need to pay the most attention to us is ourselves. But we can’t do this when we are so stuck in a tunnel of expectation and assumption. “I’m not good enough,” you say. “I need this to make me happy,” you think.
Assumption is living in the past. Expectation is living in the future.
Each of these is the ultimate cause of “doing.” You feel you are owed something or you are trying to escape something. Being is living in the present moment, the now. The now is detachment. It is needing nothing. When you need nothing, you escape the darkness of the mind. And that is the goal of self-care to release all of the negative, non-sensical expectations and assumptions you have grown to accept as a soul being human.
Types of Self-Care for Your Soul
Now that you know what self-care really is, let’s look at some ways to use it for goal attainment as soul.
1. Journaling
Journaling is one of the best exercises you can do for the mind because it takes all of your junk and puts it on paper for you to read and examine. On one side, write “true,” and on the other, write “false.” Then write down everything you believe to be true about yourself and on the other side what you know to be false. Things like, “I am worthy” are true, and “nobody likes me” is false. When you see them on paper in this way it allows your true essence to spring alive.
2. Meditation
Super obvious, I know, and yet most people refuse to even try it for a minute. One minute of making time to connect back to the motherboard (God/Source/Universe or whatever you call it) changes a day in miraculous ways. Imagine that. Sixty seconds out of 86,400 a day can give you a boost of endorphins that will spread throughout the day. The more you do this, the more you will want to. Trust me.
3. Energy Healing
I love a good massage, but ultimately, massage is for the body, not the mind. Unless during your massage you are able to meditate. Then boom – two for one. However, not everyone can. So rather than let someone touch you, let someone heal you energetically. In actuality, you are doing the work (as a soul) and they (the healer) are just facilitators bringing you there. The art of Reiki is a beautifully divine way to heal our chakras. A good energy healer can bring you into all sorts of states of mind so you may notice what’s keeping you stuck and what energy fields need to be cleared. Do some research and find a practitioner who is both accredited and certified as a master healer.
4. Pray
You don’t need to go to a church, temple, or synagogue to pray. You don’t need to have any religious background whatsoever. You just need to go sit in a room and ask for help with any and all issues in your life. “Askfirmations” are a great way to pray. They are simply asking the divine presence of the Universe to conspire with you to:
- Get rid of your fear, doubt, worry etc.
- Remind you of your true nature, which is Love.
Take the F out of life and you get “lie.” F is the faith that there is something more.
5. Read
Not just a book, read something which makes you feel good. Read something that resonates with your own life path. Read a book exploring spirituality or new age concepts. Read anything which brings you closer to who you truly are, body-mind-soul wrapped up as One.
6. Visit a psychic, medium, or intuitive guide.
Not everyone is aligned in the concept of Oneness (we are all one energy split into infinite), but there are many healers who are, and these are the ones to seek. They can help achieve the soul’s goals for you by accepting your truth and bringing you clues about what you have chosen as a soul. Again, as with a Reiki master, do your research and find ones who are high consciousness guides or gurus, not psychics who rely on “angels and guides.” These are fine to visit but not as part of your soul growth.
7. Hug someone.
A hug is sharing love, and when you give love, you receive love right back. Opening your heart space to another being is an act of self-love for the simple fact that you get it back in return. Don’t just wrap your arms around someone, embrace them wholeheartedly. Just like sixty seconds of breathing is a day changer, so is a 60-second hug. It’s a game-changer.
8. Body Scan
I’m not talking about a physical scan from a medical professional. Although that is always a good idea once a year. I am talking about a mental breakdown of every pain or ache coming up in your body. Take a sheet of paper and write down all the issues you are having big or small.
The body is a learning device for the mind. That is it’s only function on earth. – The All of Everything
Every ailment has a mental thinking pattern connecting back to it. So your job as a human being is to discover that underpinning reason. Beneath the core of our conscious mind is the subconscious mind, and most of our mind demons live there. They settle in for the long haul, and unless you clear them daily, it will begin to manifest as pain or trauma or illness. Each day, write the pain and the possible cause. It might not reveal itself right away, but eventually, the more you do this exercise, the more the truth begins to unravel so you can begin to heal the underlying thought processes. Just be sure to combine practical medicine with spiritual medicine. Doctors are healers and shamans without them even knowing it (most of the time anyway).
9. Yoga
There is a reason this practice has been around for thousands of years. Your best line of defense on a hectic day is to hit the mat.
A yoga practice is absolutely the best way to connect your inner chakras and to bind yourself to the universe. It is through yoga that we allow the body to release itself from the mind so the inner mechanism of healing may occur. – The All That Is
So there you have it. Nine ways to practice self-care that doesn’t involve anything other than healing. Take care.
Laura Saltman is an author, speaker, intuitive guidance coach, meditation teacher and TV/Digital Host who began her career in television. She is an Emmy-nominated producer and correspondent who has worked for TV shows like Access Hollywood, E! News, Today and On Air with Ryan Seacrest. She can currently be seen in segments on Lifetime TV for Designing Spaces and The Balancing Act. Her own channel on the Well World TV network recently launched.
After her life was turned upside down when she lost her older brother to cancer, her father to suicide, suffered multiple miscarriages and a disrupted adoption followed by a shocking divorce, Laura turned to a spiritual life coach who helped turn her life around and manage her grief, anxiety and depression. Since then she has trained with spiritual life coaches, reiki masters, clairvoyants, mediums and meditation gurus all over the country.
