A guide to help you explore and tap into your spirit.

Spirituality is not something that comes naturally to many. Your spirit is something you can't see, touch, taste, or smell. Yet we know in our gut that it's there and if we don't keep our spirit happy, then we feel incomplete and imbalanced.

Being spiritual means being in touch with your higher self. It's what lifts you up and at the same time gives you inner peace, connection, & growth.

Like homing pigeons, we are drawn to seek out that feeling of oneness, wholeness, and spiritual connection. You know this when you feel like something is missing and you have this big void in your life.

So what can you do to get in touch with your spiritual side?

I'll go over 5 powerful ways to tap into your spiritual side, give you tips on how to do it, and explain why being more spiritual benefits you.

5 powerful ways to get in touch with your spiritual side.

1. Meditate to tap into your spiritual side.

Meditation can help you get in touch with your spiritual side by putting you in a trance-like state. Meditative practices, such as mindfulness meditation or praying, can lead to changes in the body, such as:

decreased heart rate
decrease in blood pressure
decreased breathing rate
decreased oxygen metabolism
changes in the brain connection

You can learn how to meditate simply by focusing on your breath. You may experience "monkey mind", in the beginning, which is a mind that is easily distracted. But with time & practice, you'll meditate for longer & longer periods and be better able to connect with your spirit.

Of course, there are many different ways to meditate than just focusing on your breath. The goal of meditation is not to get to a perfectly zen state but to notice how connected you are to your mind, body, and spirit.

I read psychologist Lawrence Leshan's book, "HOW TO MEDITATE", when I first wanted to learn the proper techniques of meditation.

The book is a quick read and Leshan goes over 4 basic classifications of meditations that you can explore.

It's a great place to start if you're new to meditating. The book is also a good resource if you have an established meditation routine and you want to expand your practice.

2. Increase your spirituality through mindfulness.

Mindfulness can help you tap into your spiritual side by helping you to increase your awareness of yourself and the world around you.

Mindfulness is being aware of the present moment. It allows you to get in touch with your emotions and your intuition.

At the center of mindfulness practices is the awareness of suffering. Once you acknowledge that suffering, you are better able to ease it within yourself and with others.

You're better able to get in tune with your intuition because mindfulness has been known to ease unpleasant emotions such as anxiety and stress.

When you're able to have peace inside of yourself, you're better able to be in touch with the things that lift up your spirit. You can cultivate your spiritual side through simple, daily mindfulness practices.

Find a quiet place where you can sit, relax, and focus on the present moment. Or you can be mindful while you're doing your daily activities such as cleaning, cooking, eating, walking, or driving.

3. Nourish your mind, body, and spirit.

Your spirit is connected to your mind and body, which is why it's important to nourish all three if you want to get in touch with your spiritual side.

Here are the basic ways to nourish your mind, body, and spirit.

Read good books that lift your spirit.

There are books out there about religion and other beliefs but you don't have to limit yourself to them. In fact, anything you read that feels nourishing and uplifting to your soul will do.

If you like a good mystery, sci-fi, romance, or fantasy book, go ahead and read it.

If you fancy a good book that will teach you how to be more spiritual and get in touch with your soul, by all means go for it.

The ultimate goal is to nurture your spirit with a good book.

Get some rest.

Getting enough rest is important to optimize the way you function. If you've ever suffered a less than ideal night of sleep, you know what I'm talking about.

The recommendation is about 7-9 hours per night if you're an adult; at least that's what the studies tell you. But new studies have shown that you might need less than this.

Focusing too much on getting the recommended amount of sleep might not be ideal because everyone's body is built differently, so each person's sleep requirement is different.

You want to sleep to ensure that it raises your energy and in turn lifts up your spirits.

Eat nutritious foods.

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats because they will help optimize your body and this will help you get in touch with your spiritual side easier because you're less worried about getting your basic needs met.

If you ever tried to eat healthier, you know how much of a struggle it can be. Mindful eating is one technique you can use to help you eat healthier.

Here's what Jean Kristeller, Ph.D. and Alison Bowman, authors of "THE JOY OF HALF A COOKIE" wrote in their book about mindful eating:

"When you lose weight by cultivating balance and self-regulation, you can welcome that delicious cookie into your life. Self-regulation means you listen to the natural feedback systems within the body that send out the messages that your cells either need food or have had enough."

You can apply this idea of mindful eating to consume foods that will nourish your mind, body, and spirit rather than eating just to satisfy a craving.

Being aware of how your relationship with food affects you on a spiritual level may help you live a life that feels more contented and fulfilling.

Stay hydrated.

The CDC doesn't give recommendations for water intake because it's dependent on your age, gender, activity level, and a handful of other factors.

Besides, measuring the exact amount of water your body is taking in would be a bit difficult because you get it through your food as well as your beverages.

What they do say is that staying adequately hydrated is good for your overall well-being and has benefits, such as:

managing body weight
reducing caloric intake if substituted with zero to low-calorie drinks
prevents dehydration
regulates body temperature
prevents constipation
prevents kidney stones

Staying properly hydrated can help you optimize your health so you can focus on other things like growing and changing spiritually.

Connect with others.

Connecting with others can be beneficial if the people you socialize with are supportive and make you feel like you can be yourself around them.

With the increasing dependence on technology, automation, and virtual reality, it's easy to lose contact with people and forget that humans need social connections that are not virtual.

Humans were able to adapt and survive as a species by working together and making sure we were looking out for the well-being of the members of our group.

Make sure you find people that you will vibe with spiritually, as well as mentally, physically, and emotionally. These are the people who will have your back, lift you up when you feel down, and with whom you can also support and uplift.

Get creative.

Getting in touch with your creative side is one way to get in touch with your spiritual side. Think of the ways you'd love to spend your free time if you had some.

Just think of what you loved doing as a child. What made you forget to eat? What you would do even if you weren't getting paid for it?

Your creative time is your time for play, to drop judgments, and to allow yourself to flow.

You might not know how to be creative and that's okay. You're probably creative already and don't know it yet. Ask yourself:

What makes me happy?
What gives me more energy?
What makes me feel drained?
What gives me purpose and meaning?
What makes me feel joyful just thinking about it?

The more you allow your creativity to flow out, the more creative you'll be, and the easier you'll tap into your spiritual side.

4. Start a journal to get in touch with your soul.

There are so many benefits to journaling and equally as many ways to do it. I will go over some ways that you can try that are very popular and introduce you to some journaling prompts so you can use them to get in touch with your spiritual side.

Gratitude journal.

A gratitude journal is typically a notebook in which you write down what you are thankful for. You can be thankful for many things or you can be thankful for just one thing every day.

Regardless of the number, expressing gratitude will have an impact on your life because it increases awareness of the things that are already present in your life.

Writing in a gratitude journal can feel like a spiritual act if you're doing it regularly. Let me explain with my personal story on gratitude journaling.

I became aware of the things in my life that I was taking for granted and become more appreciative of them. I also became aware of how infinitely interconnected we are to one another and how expressing gratitude regularly can be beneficial to your life.

It was uplifting and even exciting to write about the little things in life every day that brought me joy, happiness, and meaning.

If you're thinking about starting a gratitude journal, you don't have to buy anything fancy. You can keep track of the things you're grateful for in a simple notebook or even your smart device.

Notice any changes in yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually and keep track of them in your journal.

It's a great way to track your progress, count your blessings, and become aware of the things in life that are most important to you.

Journal to get to know yourself better.

Knowing who you are is important if you want to get to know yourself on a soul level. When you truly know who you are, you are more likely to be more focused, have more direction, and set healthy boundaries for yourself.

Knowing your beliefs, values, likes, and dislikes will set you on a path that will help you grow spiritually.

The first thing you want to do is to be honest with yourself. Honesty can be hard when you're getting to know yourself because you might be avoiding something that you don't want to see.

However, when you make the effort to find out what makes you tick, your connection to your spiritual self may increase. The following list will give you a sample of questions that can help you tap into your spiritual side.

Grab your journal - physical or digital - and answer these questions honestly.

Questions to help you know yourself spiritually.

What do I love?
What are my values?
What are my core beliefs?
What is my mission or calling?
What are my passions and purpose in life?
What makes me forget the time?
What makes me feel happy?
What uplifts me?
What drains my energy?
What grounds me?
Who do I admire?
Who would I like to invite into my social circle?
What gives me great joy and pleasure?
What did I want to be when I was 8 years old?
If I had all the time and money in the world, what would I do?

The more you know what makes you happy & joyful in all areas of your life, the easier it will be to get to know yourself spiritually.

5. Surround yourself with nature to lift up your spirits.

Nature can be very grounding and soothing. If you've ever stepped into a forest, garden, or even your local park, you get a sense of awe, wonder, connection, and joy. You feel more connected to yourself, to nature, to others, and to your surroundings.

There are studies that show the effect that nature can have on you physically, mentally, and emotionally. In Japan, there is a practice known as shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing.

The practice of forest bathing on a regular basis has been found to:

lower blood pressure
lower heart rate
decrease levels of harmful hormones
increase relaxation
increase a state of calm

Contrary to what the term implies, you're not actually bathing in a forest, you're simply immersing your senses while you're in the forest and staying in the present moment.

Surrounding yourself in nature can lift your spirits up and ground you at the same time.

If you don't have access to a forest, anything natural may have a similar effect but in varying degrees like the beach, desert, city park, a garden, potted houseplants, or pets.

How do we start to get in touch with our spiritual side?

Awareness

One way to start being more spiritual is to increase your awareness of what's going on inside of you and your surroundings. When you're aware of what's going on, you're able to change, learn, & grow spiritually.

Awareness is an acknowledgment of what's going on in the present moment. It may not be as easy as you think because our senses are often dulled or distracted, making it harder to know what going on in front of us.

One way I like to increase my awareness is to slow down. Slowing down forces you to focus and keep your attention on the present moment. You are able to breathe slower, become quiet, and calm enough to get in touch with your spiritual side.

Intention

Your intentions usually precede your actions. Gary Zukav wrote in his book, "THE SEAT OF THE SOUL", about the ways that intention directs our lives.

He says that your intentions are your desires, the things that you want to happen in your life. They can be good or bad and may have an equivalent effect if you take action on them.

If you want to tap into your spiritual side, remember that you can begin by becoming aware of your intentions before you act on something. You can use your intention to not only lift up your spirits but change your life for the better.

Action

To connect with your spirit, you have to take action. If you want to do all those things that lift up your spirit, you can't rely on awareness and intention.

You can make all the plans in the world, but if you don't act on them, it's of no use. You don't have to do something huge or difficult to get what you want or to get results.

You can start with baby steps. The Japanese business concept of kaizen can help you take action without getting overwhelmed.

The idea is to think of the smallest thing you can change or add to your life. When you add up those little changes, over time, they will amount to huge and lasting change.

In her book, "KAIZEN THE JAPANESE SECRET TO LASTING CHANGE", author Sarah Harvey explains the origins, methodology, and practical ways to use kaizen in your life.

I found the first section of the book particularly interesting & helpful in learning the theory and history of kaizen as a way to take action and improve your life.

Small actions might not look like they're moving the needle, but over time all of those little steps you take are significant.

Why should we get in touch with our spiritual selves?

There are still more studies that need to be done, but research shows that there are benefits to being more spiritual, in regards to religion, such as:

benefits to mental health
adapt more quickly to health problems than those without religion or spirituality
benefits to overall well-being
physiological impact on physical health, risk of disease, and response to treatment

Spirituality can affect your physical and mental health and well-being. When you nurture your spiritual side, you help yourself grow and evolve as a person.

Tapping into your spiritual side can help you get a greater sense of something that is bigger than yourself and at the same time connects you deeper to your core.

We all have a hunger for spirituality. We want to understand the world and our place in it and wake up each day with meaning and fulfillment.

Having a connection with our higher selves allows us to live a life that feels more genuine, authentic, and resilient.

Closing thoughts on spirituality.

Spirituality is not one size fits all. It is different for each individual whether it's you or someone else. Your spirituality may change and deepen through your lifetime because it's ever changing and evolving, just like you.

There is no denying the fact that we need to be connected to our inner being on a daily basis.

We need to be in touch and inspired by the things that make us feel good about ourselves such as meditating, reading an uplifting book, getting some well-deserved rest, and connecting with others because it's good for our health and well-being.

I hope you found these tips to get in touch with your spiritual side helpful. What do you do to lift your spirits higher? Let me know in the comments!