The Spiritual Journey: Tips for Adding More Spirituality to Your Everyday Life

Spirituality can be hard to define, and even harder to incorporate into everyday life. Some people are naturally spiritual, but others need help learning how to fit it into their busy routines and responsibilities. Even if you have your own well-defined spiritual practice, incorporating more spirituality into your life can help make you feel more fulfilled and relaxed in the long run—especially when work and family obligations seem overwhelming or stressful. Here are some helpful tips on how to use spirituality in your daily life.

What exactly is spirituality?

Simply put, spirituality is a personal belief system that helps you explain who you are and how you fit into your environment. This is usually tied in with religion, but not always—there are plenty of people who consider themselves spiritual without subscribing to a particular faith or practice. However, different cultures have historically emphasized spirituality differently.

Identify what makes you happy

Many of us assume that our job, career, money or material items will be enough to make us happy. Often, they’re not; we need more than that in our lives. It might sound cheesy, but identifying what makes you happy and incorporating it into your daily life can make all of the difference. Whether it’s doing yoga or praying in silence before breakfast, adding some kind of spiritual practice into your life can help bring happiness—and peace—into even your busiest days.

Focus on gratitude

A study published in Psychological Science found that those who spent just 3 minutes a day focusing on things they were grateful for were much more positive than they were before. This can be as simple as writing down 5 things you’re grateful for at night and reading it when you wake up in the morning, or keeping a running list of small thankfulnesses and letting yourself smile when you read them throughout your day.

Set an intention

This can be an affirmation, a positive thought, or simply your main goal—whatever you want it to be. Try placing it in a prominent place, such as on your bathroom mirror. Make sure you’re looking at it every day, and if possible choose one that resonates with you and inspires action. Some good examples include I’m grateful for all I have or Today I will make a difference in my life and others.

Walk with nature

Walking in nature has a lot of benefits. It reduces stress, makes you happier, and can even stimulate your creative juices. When you’re hiking or strolling through beautiful scenery, spend some time thinking about how lucky you are to have access to such resources. A little gratitude goes a long way toward recharging your batteries.

Don’t be hard on yourself

When we fail, instead of beating ourselves up about it, we should do what we can to learn from our mistakes and be kinder and gentler with ourselves. Learn from our experiences, forgive ourselves when we screw up, and then try again. After all, self-compassion is one of the secrets to happiness! When we practice self-compassion—being kind toward yourself in times of stress or failure—we’re better able to hold a positive perspective on what’s happening in our lives.

Meditate

Meditation is one of those things that sounds easier than it actually is. But done right, a daily meditation routine can help you practice mindfulness, set goals and stay focused on your vision. If you’re having trouble getting into a routine, try setting an alarm on your phone each morning or evening to remind you to take some time out of your day to practice mediation.

Take time to reflect

If you’re trying to make a lifestyle change, check in with yourself often. Reflect on how you’re feeling and what changes you want to make. Sometimes we don’t know what we really want until we take some time for self-reflection.

Spend more time with loved ones

Studies show that when we make family a priority, our lives are better in almost every measurable way. Having meaningful relationships with friends and loved ones is key to our well-being, but spending more time with them often doesn’t feel like it fits into our busy schedules. One way to overcome that excuse is by finding ways to add even just five minutes of extra time into your day. If you do so consistently over time, you’ll have found a way to create more space for relationships in your life!